“Starting off, I was incredibly passionate about wanting to have a user-friendly law firm where people could come in and feel comfortable, not like they were sitting in the principal’s office with all the big credentials behind you, that it was just somewhere where you could come and just, it’s OK to be yourself. And that’s something I’ve strived to maintain over the 10 years,” she said.

“That core belief that people need to be able to come in and have that rapport with their lawyer has always been a driving force. I think starting from scratch as a sole practitioner, where you’re not only the lawyer, you’re the receptionist, you’re the cleaner, you’re the accountant, you’re the financial driver, that was a real challenge because we don’t do business studies, we do a three-day practice management course, which essentially is supposed to set you up.

“So that was a very steep learning curve, getting systems in place that support you with that and developing the village that is going to support you with that was incredibly important. And I developed that over the first three years. What am I good at? Where are my weaknesses? Can I outsource a village to help me with it? And that was incredibly important.”

VIEW ALL

In addition to working out her specific weaknesses, Goodacre has found that, over the last decade, it’s been important to continuously evaluate her strengths and weaknesses and examine what is and isn’t working for the firm.

“I would say that really came to the forefront when I started bringing on staff, because staff is another level. You know, when it’s just you, it’s OK, the bottom line ends with you. But when you’re working with staff, all of a sudden you’re responsible for other families, you’re responsible for other people’s mental workload in that they’re coming to work. You want it to be a place they want to come to work because we spend so much time at work. But also you’ve got to be getting the job done,” she said.

“I thought management would come easily to me, and it’s something I’ve constantly had to learn and re-evaluate and try different strategies because different staff members respond to different things. It’s like parenting. One strategy works for one child, and it doesn’t work for the other. And you’re wanting to find ways to engage your staff so they have a meaningful role. And I think that was probably the biggest challenge and ongoing challenge that I had because I want people engaged at work.”

Goodacre said she spends approximately half the working week getting the “admin” of the firm sorted out so that everything runs smoothly – something she emphasised takes “visceral effort” each and every week to keep her staff on track.

“I’ve always been someone that I want to invest in people, so that if I’m giving everything for them to be able to achieve it, then it’s easy for them to give back. But not everyone is actually open to that. And that’s been just incredibly disappointing at times because you can see the potential in someone and they’re just not at that place in their life where they can take that opportunity and run with it,” she said.

“And I think that’s probably been one of the more confronting things I’ve taken, because when I do take people on board, I do invest in them, I really want to see them do well.”

Taking an active, long-term approach to the careers and wellness of her staff is something that has driven Goodacre’s passion and motivation for her firm – and there are a number of things other firm owners can be doing to set those standards.

“Being able to have an open-door policy that if your staff need to come in and talk to you, they know they can come in. That’s important. Making sure this is a really basic one, but 3pm on any given day, everyone’s sugar’s low, so we make sure that there are protein bars, lollies, soup packets. If you want porridge, there’s porridge out there, tea, coffee, and it’s just to help yourself,” she said.

“Just little things like that that make work that much more of a caring environment, a supportive environment and make a difference. I know I eat a lot of lollies as a result, but I think the sugar keeps me going as well. That’s my thing. Whereas I’ve got some savoury staff members and they need the little snack bags, barbecue shapes and the like, but making sure that you’re hitting those staff ‘wants but not needs’.

“It doesn’t always work, but there’s a difference between knowing what the coffee order is for the whole office as a business owner and being able to go and get that and then just delivering it around the office when people aren’t expecting it. It’s those little things of respect that I do think carry a lot of weight with people because I do take the time to know that … have you got a presentation day with your daughter? Do you need the time? Let’s organise it. Getting that family line and that balance just helps to keep that passion alive for them.”