Law Society membership – You be the judge!

By Lyle Swithenbank, Solicitor, Jackson McDonald

In my final year of university and upon graduation, I had so many questions, besides the obvious ones like finding employment and building my brand, things like: how do I stand out from the crowd and get ahead of the game? How can I get support and proper direction for my career? How do I build an influential network, consisting of senior lawyers, partners and judges? Is it even possible at this early stage of my career?

After speaking with a senior practitioner, I was led to the Law Society of Western Australia which offered a discount membership option for students and Graduates not yet employed in the Legal Profession. This gave me access to services including but not limited to Grad-Match and a monthly subscription to Brief (I still have the copy with my name in the New Members section!).

Soon enough I was a part of the profession and continued my membership with the Law Society. I received the Friday Facts and CPD News emails to keep me up to date on upcoming Law Society events and CPD seminars (as well as helpful information and tips!).

The Law Society offers so many benefits to give your career a powerful advantage.

I found that the Law Society had over 30 specialist committees including the Law Society’s Young Lawyers Committee, which ran a wide array of events including the Practical Advocacy Weekend, the Mixed Netball Competition and of course, the Golden Gavel.

In fact, I had the honour of participating in the Golden Gavel on behalf of Jackson McDonald and won! With the support of the Law Society and JacMac I competed in the National Golden Gavel in Adelaide on behalf of Western Australia. The opportunities the Law Society afforded me to build my brand and get involved in so many events are unparalleled.

Being part of the Law Society opened so many doors for me and gave me access to a powerful network of professionals to support me in my career journey.

So come and join me and other young lawyers at the Law Society and make an investment that will pay dividends your entire career and beyond.

The Law Society offers competitive membership options for students and Graduates which enables access to significant support and an influential network throughout your career journey:

Don’t just take my word for it, you be the judge and join me today! Be part of an association where you can hone your networking skills, have opportunities to engage in public speaking (like the Golden Gavel!), join mentoring programmes, learn from experts in specialised fields and, most importantly, enjoy yourself while building your career!

Start your journey with the Law Society today and call Member Services on (08) 9324 8692 or email membership@lawsocietywa.asn.au.