"There must be a better way"
This week in a blockbuster interview, we sat down with director and solicitor of Picasso Legal, Lisa Pickering, to find out more about how the local law firm launched back in 2014.
Sam: So
Lisa, what were you doing prior to launching your own independent family law
firm?
Lisa:
Before launching Picasso Legal I was working in a different law firm and to be
honest I enjoyed the role, for the most part, I liked interacting with clients
and the workload was manageable too, it was a relatively nice job.
Sam: Interesting, so why did you end up leaving and starting up all on your own if everything seemed to be running so smoothly for you?
Lisa: Well, after a short while, I became unhappy at work because my boss was pushing me to increase my fees and generate more money out of the clients, which generally meant that he wanted me to take more cases to court for the increased financial payment that the business would receive. This wasn’t really something that I believed in personally because operating in this way wouldn’t always benefit the client and sometimes would be detrimental to the client’s personal and financial situation. I thought to myself that there must be a better way.
Sam: Oh, I see and what happened once you decided that you wouldn’t carry out your bosses demands?
Lisa: Once I told my boss that I didn’t wish to operate in this way we had a conflict at work, and it meant that my position at the firm had essentially become untenable. After that, I had to leave and find another way of practising the law and finding a way to live.
Sam: I imagine that must have been really difficult at the time, how did you deal with the situation you were confronted with?
Lisa: I had to adapt quickly for my family and for myself to be completely honest, working in a law firm was all I’d ever known. So I swiftly joined another law firm but this time I was self-employed and had the opportunity to learn how to build a business within the safety net of another firm. I found it so exciting because I had complete control and flexibility of my workspace and how I wanted to operate!
Sam: Amazing, so how exactly did you want to operate?
Lisa: My intentions were always to put the client first at all times, doing the best by them and making sure I was always helping people in the best possible way I could. I was able to practice this too when I launched Picasso Legal back in 2014 and now I wouldn’t have it any other way, I have a team of committed people who all put the client first at every opportunity, it really is amazing.
Sam: It sounds like you’ve enjoyed the freedom that Picasso Legal has given you to represent your clients' interests in the best way possible. What’s next for the business then?
Lisa: I still love it to this day, love the work, love helping people and interacting with clients and interacting with others in the industry, I have some favourite (and some not so favourite) judges too, I want to keep the passion and keep helping people. Hopefully, the business can continue to grow but with the same core values always, we are here to help with your best interests at heart.
