Breaking barriers in law
Posted on
Griffin Legal is celebrating 10 years this month.
A milestone worth celebrating considering the risks in establishing a commercial and corporate law firm in the middle of the global financial crisis. The firm has established itself as a leader in the profession when it comes to breaking barriers and pushing law firms into the 21st century.
The firm has cemented its position as one of Canberra’s leading law firms, being the recipient of many local, national and international awards recognising their quality legal services, and their staff.
When speaking to Carina Zeccola, a Partner of Griffin Legal, it’s clear you’re not dealing with your “average law firm.” Carina says it’s the firm’s innovative approach across all areas of the practice that sets them apart.
“We’re really proud of the culture we’ve created—we have a culture of collaboration – with our staff, our clients and our community,” she says. Griffin Legal’s open plan modern offices encourage collaboration among staff, promote discussion on the best outcome for clients and ensure the best lawyers for the job assist clients in every matter.
The firm’s collaboration with the community is seen in the projects Griffin Legal has worked on, including recently in providing pro-bono support to get YWCA Canberra’s affordable housing project, RentWell, up and running.
It’s that collaborative culture with clients that also saw the firm adopt fixed fees back in 2012, a model they have found works well for some clients in particular areas of law.
The firm was also one of the first to embrace the benefits technology brings to law. As Carina says, “Griffin Legal was one of the first firms in Canberra to have paperless files, using technology to ensure our practices were cost effective and environmentally sound.” Griffin Legal was also among the first law firms to embrace social media for marketing purposes – now a common practice for many law firms.
Now in 2019, Griffin Legal is continuing its progressive mantra by being in the unique position of having an all-female leadership team. This is no surprise when you consider that the firm was founded by lawyers who turned the notion of long inflexible hours on its head back in 2009.
“When the firm first started out, there were really no commercial law firms that catered for working parents or indeed anyone seeking to focus on aspects of their life outside of work” Carina says. The founders set a fantastic culture and example and the firm has continued this legacy since then. “We have always encouraged work-life balance for our staff,” says Carina, who has been with the firm for seven years.
There have been some other big changes in that time, says Carina, considering it all started in one shared office space with just five employees “and a few laptops”, growing to what is now two national offices in Melbourne and Canberra with 25 staff.
“And through the change, we’ve maintained many of the clients we’ve had in the long run. Most of our referrals come from existing clients and it’s allowed us to grow quite naturally,” Carina says.
The firm offers advice on a wide range of matters including employment law, corporate governance, intellectual property, commercial litigation, and of course conveyancing and estates. Griffin Legal has many high profile commercial clients, routinely partnering with business, government and large national bodies, including not-for-profits and charities.
As for the future, Carina says “We are always looking for ways to ensure we are providing quality, cost-effective and responsible services to our clients. This year we started a focus on alternative legal services – where the profession seems to be heading as clients demand more practical and integrated legal services. This has caused us to focus on utilising technology and automation to deliver cost-efficient solutions for our clients.”
Carina says the team’s varied skills, professional interests, experience and community involvements make them perfect to offer a diverse range of commercial law services tailored to each client’s requirements.
“We help out our clients, it’s not just reporting law to them or advising on the law, it’s working with them to achieve a strategic objective,” she says.
Find Griffin Legal at Level 1/10 Moore St, Canberra or visit griffinlegal.com.au.
This post is sponsored. For more information about our sponsored post policy click here.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.