Trio of 50-year practitioners reflects on careers

Sole practitioner Patrice Grealy-Ridley is celebrating 50 years in the profession and not having one dull day during her career.

The owner of Grealy & Grealy was presented with a Queensland Law Society gold pin along with two other 50-year practitioners Michael Coe and Peter Macgregor at the recent Brisbane Celebrate Recognise Socialise event.

“Over 50 years in the workplace, I can honestly say I have never experienced a boring day at work,” Patrice, who also received her Honorary Membership, said.

“My late father was a wise and devoted parent to my six sisters and me. All of us undertook tertiary education, very much encouraged by my wonderful late mother.

“Their belief in learning and opportunity shaped our lives.”

After graduating from All Hallows, Patrice embarked on her legal career, enrolling in the Solicitors’ Board Course in Brisbane while working at her father’s sole practitioner law office on Adelaide Street.

By late 1975, Patrice had completed five years of Articles of Clerkship. She fondly remembers her admission as a solicitor on 2 March 1976, noting her father’s suggestion to wait until a “robe day” for the ceremony, emphasizing the significance and visual impact of the occasion.

Patrice also thanked her immediate family who attended the event on 26 February.

“I’d also like to acknowledge my well-learned and thoughtful husband, Ian, and just as thoughtful, perceptive and learned daughter, Simone, who are both here this evening,” she said.

“Living in a household with a solicitor who sometimes can’t resist asking probing questions on almost any topic has led to many robust conversations. Those conversations keep me grounded.”

Patrice has spent most of her professional life a sole practitioner, first working alongside her father then briefly working at a London law firm, several Brisbane law practices, and as a locum for some Queensland firms.

Her early legal career also included serving as a duty lawyer in Magistrates Courts and Children’s Court and undertaking legal aid work. Beyond her formal legal practice, Patrice has been actively involved in a variety of professional and community roles, including President from 1984 to 1985 of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland.

Patrice said she was grateful for the certificate and QLS pin and appreciative of the Queensland Law Society Council for bestowing honorary membership.

“While I haven’t taken advantage of everything on offer as a member of the Queensland Law Society, I am sincerely thankful for its support and resources, particularly in areas such as practice compliance, forms and member services,” she said.

“Fifty years congratulations to Michael Coe and Peter MacGregor here this evening and to all Queensland legal practitioners reaching significant milestones while navigating an ever-changing professional environment.”

Michael also thanked the Society “for recognising this milestone in my career and, of course, the career of so many of my colleagues and for organising this event tonight to celebrate”.

Having practised in both Mackay and Brisbane, Michael acknowledged the role of district law associations in the profession. He was also Secretary of the Mackay District Law Association from its inception until 1991.

“I also acknowledge the support we as practitioners receive from QLS and the support it provides to our district law associations, as well as QLS District Law Associations play an important part in maintaining competence and the higher standards in our profession,” he said.

“They also connect sole and small firm practitioners to get to know each other and to provide mutual support.

“Through the North Brisbane Lawyers Association, where I served as President for some 25 years, I’ve got to know many local practitioners, some of them are here tonight.

“I remember particularly the kindnesses and professional courtesies extended to me by many of my colleagues.

“I owe much to many who believed in me, who nurtured me during my studies and career, and who provided me with support and opportunities.

“Acknowledgments to especially my parents, the teachers and lecturers who inspired me, and also the late Mick Pattison, who gave me a start as an article clerk, as well as his partners and staff at Pattison & Barry, from whom I learned much.”

Michael, who also received QLS Honorary Membership, said soon after qualifying, he went to work for Lawrence Barry in Mackay and remained there for 15 years.

“Lawrence gave me the conduct of substantial matters while still a junior solicitor, and some two years later sold his practice to me,” Michael recalled.

“When I arrived in Mackay, there were some 20 solicitors locally, and I met most of them at the fortnightly morning tea after the Magistrates Court civil callover.

“Unfortunately, those morning teas did not endure due to the increasing pace of the profession of life, but they were replaced by other functions for the local profession.

“We got to know each other reasonably well as colleagues and could rely on each other’s integrity and approachability.

“And through this, our dealings with each other were facilitated to the benefit of our clients. I gained a great wealth of experience in those years.

“On my return to Brisbane, Lynette Gatward offered me a position and then allowed me to retain my files when I left her employment to start again as a sole practitioner.

“I acknowledge the many colleagues who have freely shared their time, experience and resources with me and especially the late Peter Clark, Barbara Gorman and John Whitehouse, all of whom generously covered for me when I needed to get away.”

And as those in the profession know, milestones such as these do not come without family support.

“My wife Marie has always given me unfaltering and loving support on the home front and on a personal level,” Michael shared.

“She worked in my office for some 20 years, and was, and still is a treasure. She has been there to support me through the difficult times.

“The pace of change and the ever-increasing complexity in the law and compliance and the role of technology in our professional lives over the past 15 years has been and remains to be daunting.

“However, it is my hope that adoption of new technologies may relieve some of the pressure in practice and that the ethics, standards and courtesies between practitioners which mark our profession will endure notwithstanding the increasing pace of legal practice.

“I congratulate my colleagues who are also here to receive recognition tonight, and I wish them well with their remaining years of practice.”

Peter, who has more than 50 years’ experience in property development, said meeting people throughout this career was also a highlight, along with being able to “make a good living out of the law”.

“And that was really fulfilling. I got to meet so many different people in so many different areas,” he said.

A graduate of QUT, Peter started his Articles of Clerkship in 1970 with Crouch & Crouch; and finished with Ian Stubbs & Co, before being admitted in 1975. His planning and environment career started in 1974, managing and instituting appeals.

“One of my favourite memories is rowing Judge Quirk down through Lamerough Creek up where Pelican Waters is now, and that was the first major master planning community that I got involved in,” Peter recalled.

“But time’s moved on and I was lucky enough to be taken out of the law to a degree and help set up new master plan communities in northern New South Wales, which we did successfully and through that got to meet people and negotiate.”

Peter received his Graduate Diploma Urban & Regional Planning (QUT) in 1984 and was later appointed to review the Local Government (Planning & Environment Act) 1990, and he was the QLS representative on Australian Law Council to ratify EPBC Act.

“So it was a really, it was quite a fabulous ride. In ’84, I decided that this voodoo, this town planning voodoo, whatever it was, nobody really understood, but it was new. I ventured to get a town planning degree at QUT,” he said.

“And if it wasn’t for my wife, I would never have got it because she was the maestro. She could draw the drawings. I couldn’t draw a thing. I couldn’t design the city. I couldn’t design the university precincts and so forth, but she did.

“So very much thanks to Leona, she got me to that position.

“And following that, I’m now in the very lucky position where I still get asked occasionally for some advice.”

Since 2000 Peter has focused on the management of large-scale master planned development applications and legal teams in Queensland and New South Wales and managing large-scale resumptions as a personal representative for affected parties.

“But I’m most proud because my youngest son, who’s here tonight, he followed in my footsteps. He’s a town planning lawyer,” Peter said.

“He practises in both areas, but gives evidence and looks after large-scale developments in Brisbane and in New South Wales, having spent quite a bit of time with Mallesons in Sydney.

“So I’ve got to just say thank you to all the legal fraternity from my days as an article clerk to today.

“The ride has been sensational. I think some good laws come out of it. I think that the law societies are on the right track and I can now retire happily and enjoy a good Scotch.”

Keep an eye on Proctor for more membership milestone celebrations this week.