You want the practice and the school pick-up. You should not have to pick one.
Most lawyers who make this move are not stepping back. They are taking control of when and where the work happens, so that being at the school gate stops costing them the good briefs.
The thing that is actually in the way
It is rarely the hours. It is that work gets handed to whoever is standing nearby, so being flexible quietly costs you the interesting matters. Nobody puts that in writing, which is what makes it hard to argue with.
When the work is yours, that stops being a problem. There is no allocation queue to be absent from.
“I decided to open my own firm. She was three months old, and I went out on my own. I’ve got nothing to lose. Only gain.”
Helena Mrmos, Principal Lawyer, Mozaik Lawyers, Brisbane
Read about the presence penalty →
Your flexible work rights as an employed lawyer →Negotiating flexibility on return from parental leave →Read Helena’s story →
What it looks like in practice
None of them work less. They work when it suits the practice and the family, which is a different thing.
“I can attend events for her. I don’t have to worry about reporting to anyone. I just do my own thing.”
“If I need to go home and help with the kids I can. If I have to log back on after bedtime to finish something, I can.”
“I’m a mum with two kids, 15 and 12, and being able to come and attend our office securely at any time, sometimes before 8am, gives me the confidence to run our practice flexibly.”
What you actually get
Focus on your work
The reason this works is that the admin is not yours.
Calls are answered in your practice name while you are at pick-up. Filing gets done whether or not you are in the building. You do not employ anyone to make that true.
- “I needed somebody to do my court filing when I needed, type up a letter for me, answer my call professionally.”Helena Mrmos
Support your clients
Working flexibly should not show up at your client’s end, and it does not.
For sensitive work, check the room’s privacy and confidentiality arrangements; a curtain provides visual screening, not assurance of confidentiality.
- “It’s nice to have a fixed location where the ladies at reception will greet the clients and look after them in that interim window while I’m getting everything ready.”Chelsea, Principal Lawyer, Baker Hastings, Brisbane
- “Clients come for meetings. They like it, they think it’s great. Some of them don’t even realise it’s not my own firm.”Helena Mrmos
- “If it’s a client with a particularly sensitive situation, I can just draw the curtain. There’s the smaller meeting rooms that are more private.”Phil, Family Law, Brisbane
Practise at your best
The isolation is the part people worry about, and it is the part that does not happen.
CPD is included and runs in-house. You remain responsible for checking that activities count towards your applicable CPD requirements.
- “It feels like a law firm where you can knock on someone’s door, get a second opinion, chat about a matter without revealing confidential information, and feel like you’re in a bigger firm without being in a big firm.”Helena Mrmos
Save your money
No lease, no fit-out, no staff. One monthly fee, scaled to what you actually need right now, and changeable when that changes.
Still deciding?
You do not have to leave to find out. Start with a virtual membership and keep your options open, or hire a meeting room for a single matter and see how the place works.
Six addresses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Book a tour and see how the day actually works.
Jurisdiction and legal sources
This page provides general information, not legal advice. It does not consider your circumstances. Check the current law and obtain advice from a qualified professional before making decisions about your rights or practice.
The Fair Work Act request process applies to eligible national-system employees. Coverage depends on the employer and employment relationship, not simply the state where you work. Some public-sector employees and some Western Australian businesses operate under state systems. Awards, agreements and state laws may provide additional rights.
National employment rules
Discrimination protections can also apply, depending on the facts. These are relevant federal and NSW, Victorian and Queensland sources, not a complete list for every state or territory.
Discrimination legislation
Member stories describe individual experiences, not guaranteed outcomes. If you choose independent practice, separate state-based practising requirements apply.
Independent-practice legislation
Sources checked 11 September 2026. Laws, regulator requirements and commercial terms can change. The links above are selected sources for this page, not an exhaustive compliance checklist.