“I wanted to run my practice how I want to run it.”
Laura was a primary school teacher before she was a lawyer. Now she runs Solidarity Solicitors, an employment and discrimination practice built around the people it serves, from Bourke St in Melbourne.
Her world
Laura’s path into law ran through classrooms, a national firm, and government. Every stop shaped the practice she’d eventually build.
“I was a primary school teacher, and I retrained as a lawyer. That background in education really informs how I support my clients. I worked at Slater and Gordon, then as general counsel at the Victorian Labor Party, then the Attorney-General’s office, then WorkSafe, and then I started my own firm.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
The firm itself came from the same instinct. She wanted the calls on her own cases, the pro bono ones included.
“I wanted to run my practice how I want to run it. In a big firm, the profit margins eat into how you run your cases, someone else is signing off on whether you can do this one with no fee, or pro bono. With your own control, you make those calls.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
Support your clients
Laura’s clients often arrive at the worst moment of their working lives. Her practice is trauma-informed, and the space works with her.
“My legal practice is trauma-informed. Clarence has dimmable lights in the meeting rooms, which makes a huge difference to people when they’re really overwhelmed, and the space is just really calm and relaxing.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
“It feels like a real professional environment, and when I bring my clients here, that’s what they see.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
Save your money
Access to justice is the point of Laura’s practice, so the cost base has to hold it up rather than work against it.
“I’m not subsidising a crazy office. Access to justice is very important to me. They get a premium experience, but I’m able to provide it in a way that’s affordable.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
Practise at your best
The firm is growing, and Laura is deliberate about who it grows with. Three young lawyers work alongside her now.
“One thing I really want to achieve is supporting young lawyers, giving opportunities to people who might not have that chance. I’ve been able to hire three young women who assist me, and it’s really important I invest the time in training them. That’s really fulfilling.”
Laura Blandthorn, Principal Lawyer, Solidarity Solicitors, Melbourne
Thriving, on her own terms
Laura started at Clarence as a virtual member. She worked from home and came in for meeting rooms, and the practice outgrew that inside a year.
“I started as a virtual office, coming in once or twice a week. Then I started getting more and more clients and needing more and more meeting rooms. So I upgraded. I was with Clarence about nine months before I moved into an office.”
“I live with a disability, and working in a big firm where I can’t make those little tweaks is one of the main reasons I started my own business. And I’m thriving here. It’s hard to say as a woman, but my business is doing really well, I’ve got more clients than I can handle.”
Laura’s practice is her own.
The infrastructure behind it is Clarence. The only workspace in Australia created by lawyers, for lawyers.