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 journey in business.
KW: I have a long history with MEJ, dating back to my earliest days in law school, when founding partner Craig Edwards hired me as a law clerk. After a decade away working in Sydney and overseas, I returned to MEJ in 2013, and have worked my way up to my current position as managing partner of the firm. The firm has always felt like home. I am surrounded by the best colleagues, who are smart, hard-working, caring, decent people; and I get to do work I love. MEJ has a long history in Canberra, and I am proud of all that the firm does, and has done, for the benefit of its clients and the community. It is a business I am truly proud to be part of and now to lead in partnership.
KL: I spent 15 years advising insurance companies and government departments on insurance claims before joining MEJ. I made the move to MEJ so that I could help people through the compensation process. MEJ has a long history of being a leading in compensation litigation, and I have been honoured to be able to be part of their team.
KK: I joined MEJ as a Law Clerk in 2021 in my fourth year of university. I started working under Kirsten Leitch, then moved around the workers’ compensation team, working for other solicitors. During my time working as a Law Clerk, I formed great relationships with my colleagues, some of whom I would now call personal friends, learned as much as I could about legal practice and client management from solicitors, and fell in love with personal injury litigation. Few were surprised when I decided to stay at MEJ as a solicitor when I was admitted to practice in August 2023. I have since returned to working as a junior solicitor under Kirsten Leitch in the workers’ compensation team at MEJ.
SS: Prior to graduating university, I worked in several law firms in various roles. My first role was as a typist, but I eventually became a paralegal. I was thrilled to be offered a job as a lawyer in a plaintiff law firm after graduating. My prior experience in law firms made me appreciate the many moving parts of a business and the importance of each person’s function as well as team work. Over the years, I was fortunate to work in both local and national law firms. When the opportunity to join MEJ presented itself, I was honoured to be considered for the role as MEJ was a highly respected firm known for its strong advocacy and commitment to their clients.
ST: I started my journey in the legal profession some 30 years ago when I worked as a legal secretary/paralegal for law firms practising in personal injuries and family law and worked for the ACT Bar Association. In 2011, I commenced my fulltime Juris Doctor studies at the University of Canberra and attended evening tutorial classes while working fulltime and balancing family commitments with my husband and our two teenage boys. I was admitted in 2015 and commenced as a junior solicitor in 2016 after resigning from the ACT Bar Association after 14 years of service.
TD: I was looking for an opportunity that would enable me to work closely with the community in a more meaningful way.
YJ: Being a lawyer was an aspiration that I had since my childhood. I can definitely say it has been a long uphill journey to reach where I am today and throughout this process, my perception of a lawyer kept evolving. I joined MEJ because this firm provides a good environment to develop the potential of young lawyers by instilling in us knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in the legal industry.
Are there any issues you are currently advocating for in your industry?
KW: Some very important common law rights have been eroded by legislation in recent years, which means Canberrans have lost some of their rights to claim compensation when they are injured through other people’s negligence. MEJ has been advocating for these rights to be restored, and for other common law rights to compensation to be preserved and enhanced. Many individuals and families who suffer such injuries simply aren’t in a financial position to weather the storm without significant suffering, and they need monetary compensation to help them bear their expenses and losses.
KL: The curtailment of compensation rights for people who are injured is an ongoing issue, and MEJ continues to work with other industry members to advocate for the rights of people that have suffered injury.
How does your business contribute to your local community?
KW: MEJ has supported the Canberra community in many ways over many years. MEJ is a frequent donor to community events and organisations. This year, for example, we’ve supported organisations such as Camp Quality, Lifeline, Helping ACT and Beyond Blue. Many of our staff also donate their time to charities and not-for-profits. Personally, I run the Braddon Street Pantry, part of the Inner North Pantries Network, which provides food, clothes and other items donated by community members to help out people doing it tough and living rough on the Canberra streets. MEJ has held fundraising drives for the street pantry and we have also received a lot of goods donations for the pantry shelves from staff.
ST: There are many charities and communities that my firm supports. As a firm, we participate in charity walks and hold a monthly morning tea where each employee is able to nominate a charity of their choice for a $500 donation which is drawn that morning. We also support local teams and offer assistance to the community.
TD: MEJ contributes to our community by walking hand in hand with our existing and new clients to guide them through the process of understanding their individual legal issues at each step of the way.
YJ: MEJ provides free initial consultation for various area of personal injury law. I provide initial advice to members of the community with a focus on public liability and motor vehicle accidents. MEJ also participates in various funds raising events such as Cancer Council Australia’ s Biggest Morning Tea, Steptember Australia and many others.
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.
