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In this week’s episode of the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life Podcast’ I had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Ken Taylor who is of course the current President of the Queensland Law Society (for atleast another week anyway!)  Ken has spent the last 12 months leading our profession here in Qld and I was really interested to hear first hand just what being the ‘President’ involves.  Ken has spent his career practising in beautiful Townsville in the north of our State.  In this interview I learned much from Ken about his life as a lawyer in the regions and the many advantages he has found living and working in the North.

Importantly though Ken shared many great insights into how he has managed some of the known stressors we all face thanks to life in the law.  Ken and I also spoke about the business aspects of running a law firm and how that adds another layer of challenge and stress but can also create space for creativity.  Ken and his wife Lucia along with his partners in business have established and run the successful general practice, Purcell Taylor for a number of years now and despite having been a lawyer since 1984, Ken still has a great passion for his profession.  It is this passion for his career, family and life that you will hear in this conversation and that had me smiling along.

I loved this chat- we traversed all sorts of topics, from Ken’s early life in Townsville to his forays overseas, meeting his wife and of course his wonderful career in the law to date.  I got a good sense of a ‘day in the life’ of the President of the QLS (#busy!) and we also managed to unpack Ken’s predictions for the future of law. On this we found a common belief that as long as we focus on serving our clients, the future is in safe hands.

After 34+ years, Ken is still loving his life in the law and he puts it all down to the people.  I loved the simplicity of this explanation.  Ken’s happiness challenge this week is also a fitting one- he has invited us all to really take the opportunity to connect with the people around us- such a great challenge for the Xmas week.

In this interview Ken and I also chatted about-

• If Ken was not a lawyer he would have been a Pilot or a Butcher!
• Ken’s life in Townsville, North Queensland.
• We discussed why Ken Taylor chose law and his early experience completing his 5 year articles of clerkship.
• The expectations placed on young lawyers now vs when Ken and I joined the profession.
• Ken’s tips for managing stress and the pressures of the profession.
• Ken loves running and does as much as he can in his spare time – he believes that health is crucial in our lives.
• Ken’s wife is also a lawyer and he tells us how they met and started the firm in which they continue to work together, Purcell Taylor.
• How and why Ken found himself as the President of the Queensland Law Society.
• Ken’s experience and learnings thanks to his year as President.
• I asked Ken for his top three highlights in working at the QLS this year.
• And we discussed the challenges of the role-  for Ken it has included being away from home and at times managing the media.
• The advantages of getting involved with your profession, particularly with your local law society.
• Ken has been a lawyer since 1984 and shares some of the changes he has seen in the profession in that time.
• Ken’s predictions for the future both in terms of technology but also service delivery and the need to focus on the wants and needs of our clients.
• Ken’s advice for anyone wanting to start their career in law.
• As he hands over the Presidential Baton on New Year’s Eve, we discussed just what 2019 might hold for Ken.
• Ken’s tips on keeping your passion going in and outside the law.
• Ken’s Happiness Tip

Sit back and enjoy this interview with Ken Taylor.

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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