Ahead of the momentous occasion, the firm’s chairman of partners, Marc Maskell, spoke to Lawyers Weekly about how things have changed over the last 130 years and what the firm is doing to celebrate.

Approaching this anniversary, the firm said, has given its employees an “opportunity to reflect on the integral link between lawyers, their clients and the communities they operate in”.

“Things have definitely changed. Andrew Thynne and Edward Macartney could not have achieved all that they did in their lifetimes, including as minister for justice and chancellor of the University of Queensland or director of the Royal Bank of Queensland and deputy leader of the Opposition, if they were meeting the billable targets set by law firms today,” he said.

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“Although the commercialisation of law has impacted the role lawyers once played in communities, it is something we continue to value and focus on at Thynne + Macartney. This tradition of contributing to communities remains very important and continues to be encouraged by the executive and partners of the firm.”

“We often talk about the partners and lawyers being custodians of Thynne + Macartney, and their objective should always be to leave the firm in better shape than when they joined. The anniversary has been a great reminder of the importance of this approach, so the firm celebrates its 150th and 200th anniversary long after we are all gone,” Mr Maskell added.

To celebrate the 13-decade milestone, the firm asked its staff for input — who said they wanted to use this opportunity to recognise people, businesses and charities that “you don’t necessarily hear or read about every day, but who have helped shape Queensland, and continue to play a significant role in the development of the state”, according to the firm. As such, the firm will develop a Great Queenslander program, an initiative that will profile nominees on a Great Queenslander page on the firm’s website and across social media platforms.

“This reflects how those who work at Thynne + Macartney see themselves — doing great work for great clients, getting on with the job and serving the communities in which we live,” said the firm’s general manager, Ashley Lamb.

“The idea evolved into the Great Queenslanders campaign where anybody can nominate a Great Queenslander, someone that they know who is doing great things for their communities. Already the firm has been overwhelmed by the community’s response in nominating Great Queenslanders, so we are really excited by this initiative.”

“The firm has also engaged a researcher to update the history of the firm since the publication of a book at Thynne + Macartney’s centennial celebrations.” 

The firm is also profiling Great Queenslanders as part of their T+M Connect program by introducing them to clients so “they can tell their story, make even more connections, and hopefully gain broader community support”, according to the spokesperson.  

“At a soft launch of T+M Connect in December 2022, we introduced our first Great Queenslander, Jo Westh of 4 Voices. Jo epitomises exactly the type of person we were hoping to promote during our anniversary,” partner Sue Maxwell explained. 

“The reaction of our clients and guests to hearing Jo’s story reinforced for us that this is a great way for the firm to give back to our community this year.”

Initiatives like this one are “very important” in the current market, the firm added.

“In this day and age, it is so easy to find ourselves in a bubble where we only interact with people similar to ourselves,” partner Ashleigh Poole said in support. 

“This initiative has already given us the opportunity to meet and speak with people who live quite different lives, and to raise our own awareness of what is happening across Queensland.”

Thynne + Macartney also continues to be recognised for many of the same areas of legal expertise that the firm practised during its early days — such as agribusiness (then agriculture), maritime and shipping, corporate and commercial, property, and wills and estates.

Peter Jolly, a partner and former chair of partners, reflected: “The longevity of the firm is proof of a remarkable ability to adapt and embrace change, professionally and technologically.” 

“The pace of change, particularly over the last 30 or so years, has been astounding. Without a constant commitment to embrace these changes, the firm would not have survived, as others have not.”

“Thynne + Macartney has always remained a strongly independent law firm. That was the case in 1893 and remains so to this very day. It is at the very essence of Thynne + Macartney.”  

“While many of our clients are based in other States or countries, most of our clients remain individuals, families and companies based in Northern Australia. It is a matter of great pride to Thynne + Macartney that we count among our clients the second and even third generations of the same families and that we retain associations with companies that stretch back many decades, notwithstanding changes in ownership and personnel,” Mr Jolly concluded.