The Club

Clubmate Spotlight: Gemma Nugent

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Club Spotlight: Gemma Nugent

 Helping construction contracts speak human

Our Clubmate Spotlight series shines a light on the people behind the practices in our Club community – their work, their motivations, and the lives that sit alongside the day-to-day of running a legal practice.

In this edition we’re featuring Gemma Nugent of Gemma Nugent Legal, a plain English construction contract specialist whose work sits at the intersection of law, clarity, and commercial reality.

Gemma’s work might sound technical on the surface, but at its core, it’s about something very simple: making sure people in high-stakes construction environments actually understand the agreements they’re signing, and can use them in the real world without confusion or costly surprises.

Turning complex contracts into practical tools

Gemma works with builders, mining services contractors, engineers, and consultants to translate dense, often overly complicated construction contracts into clear, usable documents.

Her focus is not just on legal correctness, but on usability-helping clients understand what they are agreeing to, negotiate better terms, and structure projects in a way that reduces friction before it starts.

In practice, that means supporting principals, commercial construction contractors, and subcontractors typically in the $30M+ space, along with engineering, design, and environmental consultants from around the $2M+ mark.

These are environments where ambiguity can become expensive quickly. Gemma’s role is to remove that ambiguity early, so projects can move forward with fewer surprises and stronger alignment between parties.

It’s contract law-but with a strong emphasis on communication, practicality, and human understanding.

A focus on clarity, confidence, and better outcomes

What stands out in Gemma’s approach is her commitment to clarity. She’s not just drafting contracts, she’s helping clients build confidence in how they price, negotiate, and deliver work.

That shift, from confusion to clarity, has a ripple effect across entire projects. When expectations are clearer, decision-making becomes easier. When risks are understood upfront, disputes are less likely to escalate. And when contracts are written in plain English, they stop being documents that sit in a drawer and start becoming tools that actively support delivery.

That’s the space Gemma has carved out for herself: making complex commercial relationships feel more navigable and less adversarial.

Returning to The Club with fresh momentum

Gemma originally joined The Club a couple of years into building her practice, then stepped away for a period before returning earlier this year.

Coming back this time, she’s approaching things with a clear intention: to make more use of the structure, support, and operational tools available within the community.

In particular, she’s looking forward to engaging more deeply with the Practice Sprints, using them as a way to refine and streamline how her business runs day to day.

Rather than simply working in the business, the focus is on working on it: improving systems, removing bottlenecks, and making the overall operation feel lighter, more intentional, and easier to run.

Alongside that, she’s keen to re-engage with the Faculty and learning resources, as well as reconnect with the broader community that she valued during her first experience in The Club.

There’s a sense of momentum here, not about scaling for the sake of it, but about making the business more aligned and sustainable.

A creative life outside of contracts

Outside of legal practice, Gemma’s interests reveal a more creative and curious side.

She’s an avid reader, the kind of person who can happily disappear into a book for hours-and has long held an interest in ideas, stories, and how people think.

If she hadn’t gone into law, she suspects she might have become a librarian. It’s an easy connection to see: structured thinking, love of knowledge, and a quiet appreciation for detail and meaning.

There’s also a more hands-on curiosity in the mix. Gemma has found herself drawn to trades like carpentry or building-work that is tangible, physical, and grounded in problem-solving in a very different way to legal practice.

Music, learning, and new creative chapters

More recently, Gemma has added music to her list of creative pursuits.

She picked up the violin about three years ago and has also started learning piano. It’s not just a casual interest, it’s something she’s actively building into her life.

She’s planning to join a community orchestra, which feels like a natural next step in that journey. There’s something fitting about it: learning to listen, contribute, and be part of a larger whole, much like the collaborative work she does in her professional life.

What we love most about Gemma

At the heart of Gemma’s work and interests is a consistent thread: a desire for clarity, structure, and meaningful improvement-whether that’s in a construction contract, a business process, or a musical piece she’s learning to play.

She brings a grounded, practical mindset to complex environments, paired with a quietly creative streak that shows up in unexpected ways.

And as she steps back into The Club with fresh energy, she’s focused on doing what she does best: making complicated things simpler, clearer, and more workable for the people she supports.

You can connect with Gemma HERE

The Next Story We Share Could Be Yours.

There is no single way to build a successful legal career.

The lawyers you’ve met here are proof of that.

Different firms. Different goals. Different versions of success.

What they share is a willingness to think differently and a community that supports them along the way.

If you’ve been reading these stories and thinking, “I want some of that too,” this is your invitation.

The Club is calling.

→ Join The Club

The Humans Say It Better Than We Do...

Clubmate Spotlight: Amy Honan

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Club Spotlight: Amy Honan

Connection, community & a full-circle moment

Our Clubmate Spotlight series shines a light on the people behind the practices in our Club community – their work, their approach, and the moments that have shaped how they practise law and build their businesses.

In this edition we’re featuring Amy Honan, a Brisbane-based family lawyer who runs Honan Family Law, a boutique practice supporting separating professionals, parents, and partners through some of life’s most emotionally complex transitions.

Amy’s work sits in that deeply human space where legal process meets personal change, and her approach is grounded in clarity, care, and a strong focus on resolution.

A family law practice grounded in resolution

Amy works with clients navigating separation and family change, and what stands out most in her approach is her emphasis on constructive outcomes.

Rather than defaulting to litigation, she is genuinely interested in finding ways to resolve matters outside of court wherever possible. She enjoys thinking creatively about solutions and helping parties move toward agreements that are practical, fair, and sustainable.

That mindset is particularly powerful in family law, where reducing conflict early can make a significant difference to emotional, financial, and long-term outcomes for everyone involved.

Her ideal clients are not defined by a single profile, but by a shared willingness to engage in practical, out-of-court resolution. Increasingly, she is also drawn to collaborative practice, which aligns closely with her broader approach to resolving disputes with less adversarial pressure.

A boutique practice with a human focus

Running a boutique practice allows Amy to work closely with clients during some of the most significant periods of change in their lives.

Her work often involves separating professionals, parents, and partners who are trying to navigate both emotional complexity and practical decision-making at the same time.

In that environment, her focus on clarity and calm becomes central – not just in legal advice, but in how she helps clients think through their options and move forward in a way that feels considered and workable.

Finding perspective and support inside The Club

Amy joined The Club in 2023 after attending a HLHL Masterclass, and quickly found value in being part of a broader community of small business owners facing similar challenges.

She describes The Club as something of a think tank – an environment where ideas, perspectives, and experiences are shared openly, often leading to meaningful shifts in how members approach their own practices.

What she values most, however, is the generosity of the community.

There is a consistent willingness among members to share knowledge, celebrate wins, and support each other through both the highs and lows of running a business. Even small moments of connection, like engaging with Friday Wins posts, create a sense of being seen and acknowledged, even among people who may not know each other personally.

That culture of encouragement and openness has been a defining part of her experience in the community.

A surprising full-circle moment

Outside of her day-to-day family law work, Amy occasionally works on step-parent adoption matters, an area of practice that holds personal significance for her.

Amy was adopted by her own stepfather, which gives this part of her work a deeply personal resonance. In a remarkable full-circle moment, the case manager from Adoption Services who had been involved in her own adoption years earlier later appeared in one of her first step-parent adoption matters as a lawyer. The recognition in that moment carried a quiet sense of meaning and confirmation about the path she was on.

As Amy reflects, experiences like this reinforce that family law is exactly where she is meant to be.

Life outside the law: creativity and events

After more than 20 years in the legal profession, Amy jokes that it is difficult to imagine doing anything else – but she does have a clear secondary passion: event planning.

It is a natural extension of her interest in people, detail, and bringing experiences together in a way that feels thoughtful and well-executed.

Looking ahead

For Amy, the highlight of being part of The Club this year is simple: continued connection.

That focus on connection runs consistently through both her professional and community life, whether it is supporting clients through separation, engaging with peers in The Club, or reflecting on the personal meaning behind her own journey in family law.

What we love most about Amy

Amy’s work is defined by care, clarity, and a strong commitment to resolution over conflict.

She brings a thoughtful, human-centred approach to family law, supporting clients through some of life’s most challenging transitions with steadiness and empathy.

Combined with a deep appreciation for community, connection, and the meaningful intersections between her personal and professional experiences, she represents a grounded and considered approach to practice.

It’s a blend of purpose, perspective, and resolution – and a valued part of The Club community.

You can connect with Amy HERE

The Next Story We Share Could Be Yours.

There is no single way to build a successful legal career.

The lawyers you’ve met here are proof of that.

Different firms. Different goals. Different versions of success.

What they share is a willingness to think differently and a community that supports them along the way.

If you’ve been reading these stories and thinking, “I want some of that too,” this is your invitation.

The Club is calling.

→ Join The Club

The Humans Say It Better Than We Do...

Clubmate Spotlight: Kristen Porter

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Club Spotlight: Kristen Porter from corporate law to creative marketing

From corporate law to creative marketing-and building businesses that evolve with her

Welcome to our Clubmate Spotlight series, where we shine a light on the people behind the businesses in our Club community – what drives them, what they love, and what makes them, well… them.

In this edition, we’re featuring Kristen Porter, a founder who has built her career across two interconnected worlds: corporate law and creative marketing.

Kristen’s story is less about choosing a single path and more about evolving one – bringing different skills and interests forward at different stages of her career. Today, she leads Realgate Legal, her corporate law business, and Zenovate Marketing, her creative marketing business, combining strategy, expertise and creativity in everything she does.

Two businesses, one underlying thread

Kristen wears two professional hats, but both are anchored in the same core idea: helping professionals build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

Her first venture, O*NO Legal (now known as Realgate Legal),  is a corporate commercial law firm that works closely with real estate agency owners. The focus is practical and strategic-helping clients protect their assets, future-proof their relationships, scale their businesses, and plan for successful exits.

More recently, Kristen sold a 75% stake in the firm, creating space to expand into a second passion that had always been quietly present in the background: marketing.

That led to the launch of Zenovate Marketing, a business that draws on her original university studies and long-standing creative instincts. Through Zenovate, she now works with lawyers and law firm owners to help them refine their marketing, clarify their messaging, and grow their practices in a more intentional way.

Across both businesses, the thread is consistent: helping professionals move from where they are to where they want to be, with more clarity and confidence.

A career shaped by reinvention

Kristen’s path is a reminder that careers don’t always move in a straight line.

Rather than stepping away from law entirely, she has reshaped how she engages with it-pairing legal expertise with creative and strategic marketing work that sits alongside it.

That combination gives her a rare perspective: she understands not only the legal and commercial realities of professional services, but also how positioning, branding, and communication influence growth.

It’s this blend that makes her work across both Realgate Legal and Zenovate Marketing feel deeply interconnected rather than separate identities.

The value of connection inside The Club

Kristen has been part of The Club since April 2021, joining during the uncertainty of the COVID years.

For her, one of the most meaningful aspects of being involved has been the sense of connection it provides-being surrounded by other lawyers who are actively building, sharing ideas, and navigating similar challenges.

That community element has helped reduce the sense of isolation that can come with running and growing a practice. Instead, it creates a space where ideas are exchanged more freely, and where inspiration and support often come from unexpected places.

When reflecting on the impact of The Club, Kristen points to exactly that: the combination of ideas, learning, and opportunity that comes from being part of an engaged and forward-thinking group of peers.

A creative life beyond business

Outside of her professional work, Kristen’s creativity finds expression in a very different arena: fashion.

Each year, she leads a not-for-profit fashion show-training models, choreographing the event, and overseeing production. It’s a hands-on, highly creative project that brings together organisation, storytelling, performance, and visual design.

It’s also a long-standing passion project that keeps her connected to her creative roots-something that predates her legal career and continues to sit alongside it in a very tangible way.

If not law, then marketing

If Kristen hadn’t pursued law, she jokes that she’s now essentially doing what she always intended to do: marketing.

There’s a truth in that reflection. Her current work sits at the intersection of communication, strategy, and creativity-areas that have clearly been present throughout her career, even if they’ve taken different forms over time.

Looking ahead

This year, Kristen’s focus is on continuing to refine both of her businesses, deepening her skills, and strengthening her connections within The Club.

It’s a phase of consolidation and growth-building on what she’s created while continuing to evolve how she works across both law and marketing.

What we love most about Kristen

Kristen’s journey is a reminder that professional identity doesn’t have to be fixed.

She has built a career that moves between law and marketing, structure and creativity, advisory work and hands-on production-without losing coherence or purpose along the way.

At the centre of it all is a clear drive: to help professionals grow in ways that are more intentional, more strategic, and more aligned with who they are becoming.

And in doing so, she’s created a career that reflects not just what she does-but who she is.

You can connect with Kristen HERE

The Next Story We Share Could Be Yours.

There is no single way to build a successful legal career.

The lawyers you’ve met here are proof of that.

Different firms. Different goals. Different versions of success.

What they share is a willingness to think differently and a community that supports them along the way.

If you’ve been reading these stories and thinking, “I want some of that too,” this is your invitation.

The Club is calling.

→ Join The Club

The Humans Say It Better Than We Do...

Clubmate Spotlight: Kelly Stanford

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This is an image of lawyers Kelly Stanford and Clarissa Rayward

Club Spotlight: Kelly Stanford (aka Granny!)

Family lawyer, mediator, business owner, and believer in calm after the storm.

Welcome to our Clubmate Spotlight series, where we shine a light on the people behind the businesses in our Club community—what drives them, what they love, and what makes them, well… them.

Our inaugural feature is the wonderfully grounded and energetic Kelly Stanford, Principal and Director of The Separation Place in South West Sydney.

Kelly might be known professionally for her calm, steady presence in emotionally charged situations—but spend even a few minutes in conversation with her, and you quickly realise there’s far more to her story than legal expertise.

Helping people find clarity when life gets messy

At the heart of Kelly’s work is a simple but powerful focus: helping people navigate separation with clarity, dignity, and a sense of direction.

Her practice spans Family Law, Estate Planning, Mediation, and Care and Protection work. While those areas of law can often involve complexity and emotional weight, Kelly’s approach is grounded in practicality and compassion. She’s especially passionate about mediation—helping people move away from conflict and toward outcomes that allow them to rebuild.

Rather than positioning herself as someone who “wins” cases, Kelly’s focus is on helping clients step into what comes next.

The clients she connects with most

Ask Kelly who she works best with, and she’ll describe a very specific kind of person.

Often they’re in their mid-50s, recently separated, and facing a big transition in life. Their children are usually grown or nearly grown, and while the relationship has ended, what they’re really seeking isn’t conflict—it’s certainty.

They want clarity around finances. They want fairness. And above all, they want a pathway to a calmer, more stable future.

Kelly’s role in that moment is less about “taking sides” and more about guiding people through uncertainty with steady advice and grounded decision-making. It’s work that requires technical expertise, but just as importantly, emotional intelligence.

Growing alongside the Club

Kelly has been part of the Club since its very beginning, and her connection to it runs deeper than networking or professional development alone.

When asked what she values most, her answer is simple:

“The relationships with lovely people all over the country.”

That sense of connection, being part of a broader community of business owners— has been a meaningful part of her journey.

She also credits the Club’s coaching and Mastermind sessions with helping her grow not just as a lawyer, but as a business owner. Like many professionals who step into leadership roles, Kelly’s path hasn’t just been about refining legal expertise— it’s been about learning how to lead, build, and evolve a practice that reflects her values.

A life outside the law

If Kelly hadn’t become a lawyer, she suspects she might have ended up in a very different creative world.

Photography comes up first— especially wildlife, candid human moments, and storytelling through images. There’s also a version of her that once considered hairdressing, although a memorable (and apparently traumatic) shampooing experience during high school work experience quickly put that idea to rest.

More recently, she imagines a life that blends travel, photography, and blogging— capturing moments, telling stories, and exploring the world with curiosity.

It’s not hard to see the connection between that and what she already does: observing people, understanding their stories, and helping shape the next chapter.

What we love most about Kelly

What stands out most about Kelly isn’t just her professional capability, but the balance she brings to her work and life.

She operates in a space that can often be emotionally heavy, yet she maintains a sense of perspective, humour, and curiosity. Whether she’s guiding someone through separation or leaning into a sidecar at full speed, there’s a consistent thread: presence, courage, and a willingness to engage fully with whatever’s in front of her.

And perhaps that’s what makes her such a valued part of the Club community— not just what she does, but how she shows up while doing it.

You can connect with Kelly HERE

The Next Story We Share Could Be Yours.

There is no single way to build a successful legal career.

The lawyers you’ve met here are proof of that.

Different firms. Different goals. Different versions of success.

What they share is a willingness to think differently and a community that supports them along the way.

If you’ve been reading these stories and thinking, “I want some of that too,” this is your invitation.

The Club is calling.

→ Join The Club

The Humans Say It Better Than We Do...