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Join us from 7th to 9th November 2024.
Beachside at The Island Gold Coast!

Our 2024 event brings all of the bits you have come to love with a few new twists—

  • A new venue “Hello ‘The Island’ at Surfers Paradise! We are coming to see you in style!’ There had better be sunshine and yes we will be reliving our schoolies youth as we head to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast!

    Be ready, we have every intention of embracing all of the things that Surfers does best along with a whole lot of retro surf inspired fun with a spot of 80’s Miami Vice styling with the Golden Girls thrown in for good measure!

  • A new speaker line up! (but yes, some of your regular favourites will be back because we think they are always great!)

  • And what we like to call a ‘working theme’…. (I am trying to find a catchy Taylor Swift lyric that works because surely 2024 is the year of the #swiftie and if anyone does business well, it has to be Taylor!) For the moment, we are going with “Ready For It- Doing Legal Business, Better!”

The Most Colourful Event In #LawLand!

But – What Is The Retreat, You Ask?

This immersive 3-day Retreat is built by a boutique law firm leader, for boutique law firm leaders & teams. In our 7th year running, we are thrilled to be bringing you our latest fun-filled, shimmer-drenched, bright-coloured weekend, where you can connect with peers, hear from a line-up of handpicked, industry authorities in law and outside of the profession, and learn how to grow & succeed in your law firm (aka that legal empire of yours!)

This is your chance to surround yourself with like-minded lawyers from across Australia who share your passion for law, fashion, and the drive in Doing Legal Business, Better!

Why Us?

Happy Lawyer Happy Life is not your average law firm coaching business.  Founded by one of the country’s leading family lawyers and the owner of Brisbane Family Law Centre, Happy Lawyer Happy Life is passionate about inspiring and educating talented & passionate lawyers. Our mission is to help you build the crystal-clear strategy you need to grow your business with confidence, through an exciting weekend of aspiration, different thinking and micro tools you can apply to your business IMMEDIATELY.

You Will Learn:

You are about to invest in the most valuable 48 hours of your life. Hear from hand-picked industry experts who will share their insights into:

The 2024 Retreat starts in...

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Speaker Line Up For 2024...

Our main goal to inspire, and educate whilst having fun, we would like to invite you to be part of the movement to transform the way we do legal business.

The Retreat 2024 Program

Day 1— Thursday 7 November

Leadership Culture Workshop

This interactive workshop will cover three critical areas to enhance your leadership potential:

1. Lead yourself first
2. Master the leadership essentials
3. Sustain yourself for the long game of leadership

 

Join us on the Pool Deck for a 1980’s themed summer soiree.

Day 2— Friday 8 November

Find the #tinsel totem pole

Coffee & confetti on arrival

Leanne Hughes

Maximising your ROL (Return on Luck)

Sometimes good things happen unexpectedly, like getting a big client out of the blue. But it’s not just about being lucky; it’s about being ready to make the most of that luck. How can you get better at catching these lucky breaks and using them to grow your firm, or create more opportunities on tap?

Dominique Lamb

Empowering Small Businesses: The Role of the Small Business Commissioner

Learn about the pivotal role of the Queensland Small Business Commissioner and how we enhance the operating environment for small business in Queensland by reducing the time and costs associated with resolving disputes involving small business. Discover how our efforts empower small business to thrive in today’s economic landscape, alongside insights from the “Understanding the life cycle and mindset of Queensland small businesses” report.

Let’s connect over coffee & cake

Mel Matthews

The Power of conflict: Understand the power of change that can come with conflict.

Imagine the day that you have the confidence to skip into the office ready to have a difficult conversation knowing that you are all going to leave the conversation with a new energy and excitement as you have been able to map out a new pathway forward.

Dive into the world of conflict. Leave with a better understanding of conflict, the way it makes you feel and learn how to harness the energy to make sure you feel confident to lean into these conversations moving forward. No more avoiding conversations! I want everyone to leave with more confidence to tackle conflict when it next arises and make sure these precious opportunities for change are not missed (or avoided) but instead the opportunity for change is grasped with both hands.

Natasha Hawker

How to be a HR manager when you have no time, no money and no resources to hire one.

Your employees are often your biggest expense and, sometimes, also something that keeps you awake at night. So how do you become you company’s HR Manager when you have no time or money and, often, it’s your least favourite aspect of running your business.

Key Takeaways:

  • How often do I build Employee Assets? – Using our Employee Asset Model
  • How do I hire and retain the best employees?
  • How do I protect my business against legislation risk?
  • How do I improve my Employee ROI?

 Ben Deverson

What makes the highest performing small law firms tick? The key characteristics of the highest performing small law firms in Australia.

Having consulted to and advised over 200 SME law firms in five years Ben Deverson and the team at Lawganised have essentially ‘seen it all’ when it comes to the business of law and what makes some of the best law firm ‘tick’. From seeing the very poor performing firms to some of the absolute highest performing firms, the team at Lawganised has developed an understanding of several consistent key characteristics that makes a small law firm great, and Ben’s presentation will demonstrate what those characteristics are. And it may not be quite what you expect; it’s not just about measurable numbers or financials, as often some of the best firms perform the way they do for a unique reason.

Let’s go and enjoy lunch in the sunshine!

Leanne Hughes

The Workshop Blueprint

Leanne Hughes is on a mission to stamp out boring workshops around the world, forever. Create your three-part framework and scope out a workshop you could deliver (how quickly turn your expertise into a non-boring workshop experience).

It’s time of an afternoon tea pick-me-up!

with Ben Deverson, Natasha Hawker & Dominique Lamb

Emily Griffiths

The Art of Instant Impact

Em’s dedication to innovation and creativity combined with her natural affinity for strategic marketing have made her a driving force in the industry. Em prides herself on always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the social sphere and with her infectious energy and innovative mindset, she’s here to share her secrets and inspire you to take your digital game to the next level.

Clarissa Rayward

Friday Night Dinner Party

Join us in the Oceanview Room for an 1980’s revival.

Your registration includes one adult dinner ticket.
If you are brave and wish to bring the family you can purchase extra dinner tickets here.

Day 3— Saturday 9 November

Harmony Aldridge

You can’t spell Better without “Be”: Have enough and Do what you want by Being first

Are you so busy DOING all of the things that you’ve forgotten to stop and ask who you are BEING? Come on a journey with recovering lawyer Harmony Aldridge to help you choose a life where you can be who you want to be, do what you want to do (YEAH!), and have everything you desire. When you commit to the approach Harmony shares, you will create commercial, cultural, and personal outcomes – even within the realities of practicing law.

Jools Purchase

Why in business you just say yes and figure it out later!

And other such tales from a solopreneur who has never really fit the ‘usual’ mold. Hairdresser, Bronco’s Mascot, International Speaker…. the adventures of saying yes!

Let’s connect over coffee & cake

Michelle Boyle

Unlocking Potential: Harnessing Neurodiversity to Transform Your Workplace

Danny King

Paying Different- The 3 hour Billable Day

Reflections on the highs and lows a few years on (yes, the dollars work, the hardest part is the people and their expectations and motivations).

Fiona McLay

Harnessing AI: How to get the right amount of automated assistance in a human-centred legal practice.

Dive into the world of generative AI – where are the tools up to now. Discover how it can help streamline your practice while keeping personal connections at the heart of what you do. This session unpacks the essentials of Generative AI in law land, highlighting use cases that can enhance client interactions and increase operational efficiency. Learn how to integrate technology seamlessly with a human touch, making legal work more enjoyable and effective. The session is practical and designed for the curious about AI benefits without needing deep tech expertise. It will help you to work out how to achieve your perfect blend of tech and touch!

Let’s go and enjoy lunch in the sunshine!

Suzanne Hoyne

Inspiration and Resilience: How I built a $30M business and reinvented myself across three careers

Harmony Aldridge, Danny King & Suzanne Hoyne

It’s time of an afternoon tea pick-me-up!

Jacob Aldridge

Generosity, Magnificence, Pace

There is always enough time to live your special life with abundance. Our love story with Jacob Aldridge continues as he helps us all just say yes to whatever “better” means to you. As always Jacob brings deep contextual insight, three above-average jokes, and some specific practical actions that you can take and implement to be better as a business owner, as a lawyer, and as a beautiful, unique individual.

Clarissa Rayward to formally close the event.

About the Organiser— Meet Clarissa Rayward

Clarissa is an accredited specialist family lawyer and the Director of the Brisbane Family Law Centre. She runs Happy Lawyer Happy Life, which promotes wellness within the law industry. Happy Lawyer Happy Life was born from Clarissa’s own experience with managing burnout, and it now has 120 active members – all of whom belong to or own an Australian law firm. Clarissa is a wife, proud mother of two, and self-confessed lover of fine chocolate. She loves dancing and spends much of her free time crafting.

“In August 2022, I received the Agnes McWhinney Award – an honour presented by the Queensland Law Society acknowledging my efforts in making #lawland a happier place and changing the narrative for female lawyers.

“In 2019, I was recognised as the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards Wellness Advocate of the Year, and I was the inaugural winner of the Minds Court Individual Wellness Advocate in Law.

“While I’m immensely proud of my achievements, I’m driven by changing the way lawyers practise law – so we can strive for better work-life balance without suffering from burnout.

“I can’t wait to personally welcome you to The Retreat this coming November – I hope you can be part of this powerful experience!”

Learn more and secure your tickets below...

35 Tickets Available

Just like last year we have an exclusive workshop scheduled for Thursday 7 November. There are only 35 seats for this part of our event and we sold out in 3 days last year so we encourage you to jump in and grab your ticket now if you would like to be a part of the full 3 day event!

This year’s workshop host is Tristan White. Tristan joined us a few years ago and shared his insights into team culture in our businesses. I have brought him back because there is so much we can learn from his business mind! In this exclusive workshop, Tristan will delve even deeper into business culture and, importantly, how to improve our leadership culture – which is where everything in business begins!

The interactive workshop will cover three critical areas to enhance your leadership potential:

  • Lead yourself first;
  • Master the leadership essentials; and
  • Sustain yourself for the long game of leadership.

At the end of the Masterclass, you will have a better understanding of your leadership style, a new set of skills to take your team to the next level, and new tools to avoid burnout and sustain your leadership longevity. 

The 3 Day All Event experience also includes all the other bits of the Retreat we love- access to the Welcome Drinks on Thursday 7th November, Friday and Saturday Retreat conference sessions and your ticket to the Golden Girls Dinner Party on Friday 8th November.

Join the Retreat to start learning more on Doing Legal Business, Better!

Join the 2 Day Conference Retreat experience to receive your access to the Welcome Drinks on Thursday 7th November, Friday and Saturday Retreat conference sessions and your ticket to the Golden Girls Dinner Party on Friday 8th November.

We can only fit so many fabulous law leaders in the room, so don’t delay. Claim your spot TODAY.

This is a one-of-a-kind, HIGH-ENERGY law event in Australia you will NOT forget. Excited yet?

You are capable of so much more than you realise.

Join the Retreat to start learning more on Doing Legal Business, Better!

Thank you to our Event Sponsors

Our aim is to partner with businesses who are interested in learning, connection and sharing strategies for 'Doing Legal Business, Better!

Kind notes about The Retreat over the past 7 years…

Play Video

Dan Bottrell

Director at BMG Family Lawyers

Date : November 7-9, 2024
Location: The Island Gold Coast
TICKETS

3 Day All Event Access

[Club Members] $1,797
$1,997

2 Day Conference Access

[Club Members] $1,397
$1,597

*Please note that member tickets are only available to Club members, you can join to access here