Taking the reins at the Queensland Law Society is the perfect way to celebrate 20 years in the profession for Genevieve Dee.
As she waited to be admitted on this day (31 January) in 2005, the now Partner at Lander & Rogers and Accredited Family Law Specialist could not have known the legal opportunities that would await her.
Brisbane-based Genevieve took time out this week to speak to Proctor about her career and her hopes for the presidency in 2025, which she said was “an incredibly fortunate year” for her.
There are several reasons Genevieve was attracted to the law.
“If you asked my children, they’d say it’s because I like to argue and I’m the one in the family who likes to be right,” she quipped.
“But ultimately being a lawyer it’s something I’m so proud of. And I think that it’s the long history of what lawyers bring to the community, what lawyers ultimately give back.
“It’s just such a noble career through history, and I’m so incredibly proud to be able to have been in practice now for 20 years and to be in the role this year.
“I do have a habit of just saying yes to opportunities without really thinking how I will fit it all in, but making it all work is what I enjoy about being busy.”
The chance to celebrate significant milestones with other lawyers was also an “incredible opportunity”, Genevieve said.
“To do that in my 20th year will be a ‘full circle’ moment,” she said. “I will get the chance to welcome new people joining the profession and be a part of ceremonies to celebrate practitioners being elevated to significant roles in our profession – being able to be a part of that is such a privilege.
“I feel the weight of those moments. I’m excited for this year because I want to make sure that I’m representing the members, who are also out there doing important work in their communities day to day well, and for them to know that I take it seriously.”
So how will such a busy person find time for the role?
“I work in family law and you can become very focused on just that practice area. You can forget all the other things that practitioners are doing around the state in other areas of law,” Genevieve said.
“Being involved in the Law Society, as I have for quite a long time now, gives you exposure to other practice areas where lawyers are experiencing different challenges or developing other ways to deliver services.
“I had two terms on council as an early career lawyer and it’s interesting to come back now that I’ve been in practice for a period of time and have a different perspective and see how the Society’s changed.
“But some of those challenges I observed as an early career lawyer on council are still the same – connecting with members, regional issues, access to justice. These endure no matter how many years in practice you are.”
Genevieve is happy to engage with members.
Genevieve is also Chair of the Board of Women’s Legal Service Queensland and has always been keen to support women in law.
“There is so much strength in the diversity of our profession,” she said.
“Previously, not everyone would have felt they had the opportunity to be a lawyer. Sometimes you could be forgiven for thinking that, unless you had a family history in law, doors weren’t open to you.
“But the Law Society, lawyers, firms, have made such a concerted effort to open up the possibilities of law and opportunities to more people. We should be proud that our profession is so much richer because of its diversity.
“There is now such an effort to make sure regional practitioners, early career lawyers, people who come to the law later in their careers, people with different backgrounds, abilities and experiences in life have an opportunity to be a part of our profession – you cannot ignore what they bring to the application of their role and how their experiences improve outcomes for clients.”
It’s also about recognising the need and ability to give back, Genevieve said.
“Often when you sat in advice sessions with Women’s Legal Service Queensland clients, you were just explaining some basic legal rules to them, or helping them understand how to access information that, more often than not, could change the course of their life because it gave them the ability to leave a situation that wasn’t safe. It gave them confidence that they and their children could be supported. As the lawyer you knew how to connect them to help and set out the ‘rules’ for them; and that’s what made you so valuable in that circumstance.
“My connection with that organisation has continued, because the work they do is incredible. The connection of the people who work there to their core values is so powerful, it makes you want to stay connected because the team there, the ambassadors, the leadership team, are doing such important work for women across our great state.”
Family law was not Genevieve’s first choice for specialisation.
“I started in commercial litigation and enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. But then I took an opportunity and worked in regional Queensland (Kingaroy) and in a generalist environment,” she said.
“I was drawn to the area in a way I hadn’t expected, because you do get to see people through this often life-changing set of circumstances.
“Plus there was court advocacy you could do yourself, whereas in the corporate world, I was largely briefing counsel and not doing advocacy myself. I enjoyed that and I just found myself connected to the practice area and the clients where I’d never had an interest in it before.
“That then led me to pursue a role in a boutique firm in Brisbane to learn as much as I could about practising family law; and I’ve been there since.”
How does Genevieve cope with the trauma and the heartbreak associated with family law?
“Yes, some of the things that you hear are very difficult and particularly when I was working in regional Queensland where I was doing a lot of child protection work and Legal Aid client work,” she said
“Sadly we know that lower socio-economic areas often experience higher rates of sexual abuse, physical abuse, addiction issues within their relationships and communities, that then directly impacts on families and children.
“What I learned quite quickly was if you take on board the client’s distress or trauma, you can’t give them appropriate strategic advice and you risk not being objective in your role which is so important.
“I have always tried to ensure I disconnect from the stress of client work before I get home, because my family deserves to have me be available to them at home.
“If you don’t make sure you leave the stress of the work at work, you’d never get a break from it. Our role is to give strategic, accurate, helpful advice to clients. It’s not about what we think or feel about their life or their choices. It’s important to disconnect.”
Genevieve is a welcoming face at the Society.
At home, Genevieve is stepmother to two children, aged 16 and 19, and mother to nine-year-old twin boys.
The youngest children often come along to Women’s Legal Service Queensland events.
“I take them to events where I can as it’s important for them to know that not everybody has the same level of opportunity that they have,” she said.
“We talk about not worrying about what other people have; we should worry about what other people don’t have.
“They come to events to help them understand why it is important for me to be away from them for that period of time and to see what other people in the community experience. ”
And as for the mayhem of juggling work and family life, “you just make it work, as best you can”, Genevieve says.
“It’s really busy and I just accept this is going to be busy and that’s okay. My biggest challenge this year at home will probably be just making sure my husband (Joseph Box) and I talk about our diaries every day! Joe is a partner at Grant Thornton, and has a very busy practice and a busy life of his own. So we will have to work hard to make sure everyone knows where everyone needs to be.”
Genevieve has a variety of goals as QLS president.
“I think it’s an exciting time for the profession in terms of technological change,” she said.
“I’m keen for us to continue to lead the way in terms of the adoption of technology for practitioners and making sure that they’re aware of what opportunities there are and technology that’s available.
“Also, access to justice is always an issue for the community and an advocacy issue for the Society, particularly with the impact of the increased cost of living.
“The Society has such an important role in terms of continuing to advocate for well researched and informed legislation, as an apolitical organisation, because our members deal directly with the effects of, or implementation of, our laws.
“It’s about good law, for the good of the community. And that’s an exciting thing to be part of as well as being able to represent our members across Queensland who are so valuable within the community. ”
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