Being injured can have a traumatic effect on your life and on your family – and the women at MEJ have the knowledge, compassion, and dedication to walk hand in hand with our clients to guide you through the legal process, each step of the way. MEJ’s women have a wide range of skills, languages, and life experience to support our clients through difficult claims; you are our priority and we create a safe space when protecting the rights of injured Canberrans.

Tell us about your organisation and your role within it?

KW: “MEJ is a law firm specialising in representing injured individuals in personal injury claims. I manage our medical negligence practice, and also practice in other types of cases. I always act for plaintiffs.”

TD: “MEJ is a youthful firm with vibrant individuals from all walks of life who share a mutually exclusive goal of making a difference in our society by sharing our expertise, skills and knowledge of the law.”

ST: “I work in MEJ’s workers’ compensation team as one of their Senior Associates. My practice predominantly involves helping injured workers with their workers’ compensation claims as a result of either physical and/or psychological injuries, common law claims, public liability claims and total and permanent disablement claims. I have a wide range of clientele from different cultural backgrounds and diversity, and have developed a beautiful rapport with all of them. I love learning about people, I am a giver and am also known as the “compassionate hugger”. I am able to fluently communicate in the Macedonian language and have conversational capabilities to communicate in Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian. It is humbling to see my non-English speaking clients express themselves and using terms that are only used in their native language.”

What inspired you to join MEJ?

DR: “I commenced working at MEJ in 1996, once my three boys were in Year 1 and pre-school. MEJ were incredibly supportive in enabling and encouraging flexible work hours.”

KW: “What attracted me to them and has kept me with them over the years was their belief in helping ‘the little guy’ in David v Goliath cases, helping and supporting people with disabilities and vulnerabilities. The firm has a strong family feel, and a strong sense of identity centred on compassion, ethics and commitment. I strongly respect and appreciate all of my colleagues, which is such an important thing in any workplace.”

KL: “MEJ are leaders in their field and offered me an opportunity to further develop my legal and personal skills with the support of a great team. They also offered me the flexibility to work with a young family.”

TD: “The strong work culture and the strong female representation in higher positions.”

What is the most rewarding part of your job? And the most challenging?

DR: “Achieving significant and life-changing results for clients – possibly the most rewarding and the most challenging. Creating a great workplace for staff.”

KW: “I love helping injured claimants feel that they have achieved justice, by winning them compensation for the injuries, losses and disabilities they have suffered. I become quite close to my clients through the course of developing their claims, and it is rewarding when they tell me I’ve changed their lives for the better at the end of the case. It can also be very challenging because it’s a lot of hard work, and the evidentiary issues can be complex.”

KL: “Helping people through what can be a very daunting process is very rewarding. However, it can also be challenging emotionally to help people when they are at their most vulnerable.”

ST: “Achieving great outcomes for my clients is without any doubt the most rewarding part of my job. The long hours and reduced quality family time is probably the most challenging part.”

What are MEJ’s key strengths?

KW: “MEJ has a real family feel, and it’s built on the partners’ key values of determination, respect and support for our clients, to drive their claims’ success. The firm really looks after its people and some of our administrative and paralegal staff members have been working for us for decades. We are also very well-organised and diligent.”

KL: “MEJ are industry specialists. We pride ourselves on being the best at what we do.”

SS: “Working as a team; I would not be able to do what I do without my assistant, my law clerks and other solicitors. We all get on and love having a good laugh.”

ST: “Their longstanding reputation in the community.”

Where to from here?

DR: “Continue to do what we do best – support and assist vulnerable clients, and provide a great work environment for staff.”

If you’ve been injured through someone else’s fault, call MEJ on 6257 2999 or visit www.mej.com.au  to find out how they can assist you.

• Deborah Rolfe AM, Managing Partner
• Kirsten Leitch, Partner
• Kate Waterford, Partner
• Suzanne Sharwood, Senior Associate
• Svetlana Todoroski, Senior Associate
• Thuto Disele, Solicitor

For more information on sponsored partnerships, click here.