A sea change/tree change conjures up the 1990s hit ABC TV series Sea Change. The protagonist, Laura Gibson (played by Sigrid Thornton), a high flying commercial lawyer, sets the drama in train by packing up her rapidly deteriorating city life to take up a position as a magistrate in quiet and peaceful Pearl Bay.Laura's story depicts the sea change as a means for starting afresh. It's a story that ends well for Laura. Her career, once she settles into it, proves fascinating and she gets her man and a baby along the way. However, as we will see, the reasons legal professionals take up opportunities in regional Victoria are as varied as their experiences once they arrive.With the changing landscape of the legal market, a move to regional areas provides young lawyers with challenging and rewarding work options (and oh yes, that heavenly, traffic-free lifestyle).We interviewed four young lawyers who have made the move and asked them to provide some insight into what the sea/tree change experience has meant for them.

Why make the change?Bianca Paridaen moved to Geelong to take up a work opportunity as a senior solicitor at the Office of Public

Prosecutions. While Bianca grew up in Geelong, she previously worked in commercial law in Melbourne and saw this change as a chance to move into a different practice area while enjoying the seaside lifestyle.

Jenna Yetman grew up in the country and enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle that it offered. After completing her placement in Melbourne CBD, Jenna moved back to Horsham to work at Saines Lucas Solicitors. The move brought her home to her family and back to the “open space and freedom of the country”.

Alexander Sheed-Finck also grew up in the country and had the benefit of being involved from a young age in the family business SMR Legal. Alex returned to work in Shepparton after three years of practice in the city to work in the growing practice areas of commercial litigation and business law.

Penelope Scheffer, on the other hand, had never considered a move to regional Victoria and had always thought of the country and seaside as holiday destinations. But having completed her graduate diploma in legal practice and feeling the limitations of work options in the CBD, Penny accepted a role at Tyler Tipping and Woods in Gippsland. She reflected on this as “the best decision [she] ever made”.

Where do you most notice a change in your day-to-day work?

Legal work undertaken in a regional firm is much the same as that in the CBD; it's the variety of work where our colleagues say they notice the difference. Lawyers in regional firms can be required to work across different practice areas, making each day different and interesting.Penny said that one moment she could be drafting affidavits for a family law matter and the next preparing a case direction notice for a criminal law matter.Alex agreed that “practising in the country holds a great deal of variety. Although specialisation is possible and encouraged, there is a requirement to understand and empathise with the infinite number of circumstances that lead people to the door of your office”.For Jenna, a major difference working in a regional area is the relationship she has with her clients whom she enjoys getting to know while working through their legal matters and even stopping to have a chat when she runs into them in the street.For Bianca, working in a regional firm has given her an insight into the various social and economic issues facing people in the community.

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What are the best aspects to a sea change/tree change?

Regional Victoria presents a great opportunity for a change in practice and in scenery.

Bianca has found that the geographical position of her firm has been no barrier to her career progression. Alex said that in fact, practice in the country requires lawyers to take on more responsibility at a junior level as it requires them to “develop their own clients, their own network of barristers and their own style of correspondence and presentation a lot earlier than those who stand below an associate, senior associate and partner”.

And the question we all want to ask: does working in regional Victoria really offer the peaceful, rich life that we dream of? According to our colleagues; it does. Jenna appreciates the simple pleasures of living in the country, having more spare time, travelling for only five minutes to and from work and not having to wait in line at the cinema. Penny agreed that living in the country is much more laid back: “the only issues with traffic is if there are tractors or cows (which is rare) on the road”.

At the same time, Bianca warns those considering a sea change as an easier option; “Work in regional areas is as challenging as you will get in the CBD, it's

just easier to go and relax at the beach or have a wine to wind down overlooking the ocean at the end of every week”.

What are the more challenging aspects of a sea change/tree change?Our colleagues concede there are hurdles to overcome when taking up a position in regional Victoria.

Bianca and Jenna found it difficult to leave friends and colleagues in Melbourne and start over again in establishing new networks. Alex finds the distance a challenge when it comes to keeping up- to-date with developments in the law but states that “once you get over the fact that you need to jump in the car to Melbourne to attend seminars, conferences and networking events that can be mitigated”.

Thinking of making the move? Here's what our young lawyers recommendBianca says “don't rule it out”: There are opportunities for career progression available in regional areas, especially with head and satellite offices of Victorian government departments being moved from the CBD to Victorian regional centres.

When looking for jobs in regional Victoria, Jenna and Penny emphasised the importance of “getting your name out there”. They suggested doing this by sending resumes to as many firms as possible, getting involved with the community through sports, committees or volunteering and getting in touch with local representatives from the LIV.

Alex's final advice: “I'd recommend that young lawyers start practising wherever they can out of university and through practice come to decide the types of lawyers they want to be. My - possibly a little idealised - vision of myself is made in the image of Harper Lee's Atticus Finch rather than Suits’ Harvey Specter or Boston Legal’s Denny Crane. If big transactional work is important, don't even consider a sea change/tree change (you're headed for London or New York). However, if client contact, variety and community are important, a sea change/tree change is worth considering.

So there you have it - if you're looking for challenging, rewarding work opportunities and an almost traffic-free lifestyle, a sea change/tree change might be just the thing for you. ■

REGIONAL AND SUBURBAN YOUNG LAWYERS COMMITTEE

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