The GCDLA’s mentoring program has been around for about 8 years now. It was started to assist Gold Coast Lawyers Achieving Development, which gave the program its name (“GLAD”).

The GLAD program is fantastic and has continued to evolve over time. This year, I joined the program as a “mentee”. You may ask ‘why would I join as a mentee despite starting my law career back in the last century (just... in 1999)’? The answer to that question is because I realized there is still so much I can learn from others.

In 2023, I started my own law firm which came with a massive learning curve and many new challenges. As a new business owner, it felt like I had entered a whole new universe. Having a sounding board to bounce ideas off (or to check if you’re heading in the right direction) is a godsend!

So, when applications opened for 2024 and the GLAD program needed more mentees, I instantly signed up and was lucky enough to be assigned Derek Cronin as my mentor. How lucky am I?!

Derek and I meet regularly for lunch and touch base with each other. The GLAD program has given me someone that I can reach out to when I need help, and who encourages me to push the needle forward.

For example, I didn’t have a website for my new business. I hadn’t really needed it to attract work since I had a steady stream of referrals (mostly from other lawyers who trust me to look after their injured friends, family, or clients). I was grateful for the support of the local legal fraternity in helping my fledgling firm get clients through the door. I was as busy as I wanted to be, so the website development was low on my priority list.

Derek helped me see the importance of having a website in a different light. He challenged me to avoid decision paralysis on picking a website developer, securing a logo and just get the website done. We also had frequent interesting discussions on lessons he had recently learned about how to write the website including the importance of tailoring your website to match your ideal client and audience while also showing your brand and personality.

Derek’s encouragement and mentoring served as an accountability measure. I shifted my focus on my priorities and got moving. I am now proud to say that I have a completed website that reflects me and helps people get to know me. It still needs some work, but it exists! Done is better than perfect! For those playing along, it’s www.tclegal.com.au.

So, if you’re a more “seasoned” lawyer and want to be involved in a structured but still pretty cruisy mentoring program and don’t want to feel like you’re imposing on another practitioner when you need a sounding board, I encourage you to consider enrolling in the GLAD program in 2025! I’m certainly glad I did.

Author: Anna Morgan

Director of Take Control Legal