Podcasts

Podcast (the-happy-family-lawyer-podcast): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

In this week’s episode of the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life Podcast’ I had the pleasure of interviewing Ciara Daly.  Ciara travelled all the way from Sydney just to see me (well not really but that is what I am telling everyone anyway!)  Ciara is a lawyer with the Aboriginal Legal Service based in Parramatta but servicing much of NSW.  Her role is diverse as much as it is challenging but she is a lawyer that can really say she loves what she does.  But that wasn’t necessarily always the case!  In this interview Ciara bravely shared with me her own experience of struggling in ‘law land’ and the steps she took to change things for the better for her.  As last year’s winner of a Lawyer’s Weekly ’30 Under 30′ award it is clear Ciara is a talented lawyer and someone who gives the entirety of herself to her life in and outside of law.

I had a lot of fun during this interview- Ciara has a lovely down to earth approach to life and a great sense of humour that will have you smiling along with her.  She is a ‘happy lawyer’ but like so many of us, works at that every day through mindfulness, gratitude and a whole lot of hard work!

In this interview Ciara and I also chatted about-

• If Ciara was not a lawyer she would have been a Boxing Coach, sommelier* or a legal studies teacher (*I had to ask what this was!)
• Boxing!  How and why Ciara fell into it and of course the importance of exercise and health to our work.
• We discussed the violent side of boxing, as well as the therapeutic and discipline aspect of the sport.
• Serotonin in the brain and the importance of putting yourself first, even before your career!       
• Ciara’s journey to law school and her experience at University at a smaller campus at Wollongong.
• After finishing her degree , Ciara started to volunteer at ‘Salvos Legal’ in Sydney and the impact this had on her career in the future.
• Ciara and I chatted about the Clerkship program- her experience of how that worked and why it may not be for everyone.
• The contrast between graduate programs and being a junior lawyer and how Ciara dealt with the emotional struggles of changing your career path and the transitions you experience in this process.
• Ciara found it difficult to transition between teams, roles and firms and started to question her path in the law.
• The decision to change things in her career- how she made it and how she felt both then and now.
• Ciara’s decision to move into a role at the Aboriginal Legal Service and why she hasn’t looked back.
• A day in the life of Ciara Daly working for the Aboriginal Legal Service.
• How Ciara manages the travel required in her role in regional NSW.
• Her experience working with Aboriginal people- what she has learned and why she gets such enjoyment doing such difficult work.
• How Ciara manages the stressors in her role, particularly when she is on Circuit and managing a very large file load.
• Managing the difficult subject matter when dealing with Child Protection proceedings.
• Ciara’s advice for working with and within Aboriginal people and their communities.
• The concept of not ‘I have to’ but ‘I get to’ and how gratitude has contributed to Ciara’s happiness.
• Ciara’s tips for stepping into a new legal area when we do not have the experience.
• Ciara’s Happiness Tip.

Sit back and enjoy this interview with Ciara Daly.

***

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa Rayward at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre-  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

Listen to last week’s episode here