“I had this burning desire to just take that leap of faith and open my own company. I had confidence that it would work. I appreciated my vision and goal.”
Lauren Cassimatis, founder
The founder this week Friday, we sat down with Lauren CassimatisOne of Victoria’s most respected criminal lawyers to talk about justice, juggling and the joy of building something that matters. With more than 20 years of experience, Lauren is the founder of Gallant Law, a boutique company that is known for his condolences, customer-first approach.
In this conversation, Lauren opens about the values that have formed its path, what it means to lead with heart in the legal world and why representation, when it is done well, can change lives.
Jumping of faith
Lauren Cassimatis had spent 15 years building a successful legal career in private companies and government roles. But something didn’t stay right. The longer she practiced, the more she felt the system missed the goal.
“I saw a gap in the way clients for criminal law were represented and the delivery of quality and fair legal services,” she says. “There was a focus on obtaining the best punishment for the court for customers, but not enough attention and advocacy for the lives of customers outside the courtroom.”
She remembers a Christmas Eve and received calls from the family of a woman accused of murder. The woman had suffered years of domestic violence and her family feared that she was suicidal in custody. “I had to talk to them, hear their concerns and give them certainty, regardless of the time of the year.”
That case, and countless others, convinced Lauren that change was needed. But change would not come from the system. It would cost something else.
“To be honest, I couldn’t believe that my style of customer care was the exception, not the norm,” she says. “I had to open my own law firm, to do things in my own way, with the aim of ultimately training future lawyers with the same values as me.”
It was not an easy decision. She left a safe government role and the predictability that accompanied it. “I had this burning desire to just take that leap of faith. Yes, there was a real financial risk. Yes, I was safer if I stayed. But I appreciated my vision and goal more than my fear.”
Hart meets Hustle
Launching a company meant more than just accepting customers. Lauren had to perform operations, understand the business strategy and market itself with zero formal training. She did what she always did: she learned.
“The most important thing is to be creative in your planning and strategies and never to give up. Take rational risks and experimenting. And think it’s good with things that don’t work. Instead of giving up, turn an alternative way to achieve your goals.”
She was inspired by her mentors and competitors, but never fell into the fall of comparison. “Instead of comparing or competing, I got inspiration from my mentors and competitors and I used all the lessons and strategies that resonated with me.”
Building the brand started to be itself. “I embraced social media and showed the world who I am and what I stand for. Of course the risk of showing myself so publicly, but it has paid off.”
Customers have noticed it. They made contact with her warmth and honesty. “Of course I brought innovation to this market because I was never a stuffy traditional or cowboy advocate. I was always empathetic, social and even a bit playful, and I turned into my legal services.”
Her ability to relate to people became her competitive advantage. “Customers appreciate that we can have open conversations, that I will not judge them, and I can even add a little humor to our transactions, somewhat free them from the darkness in which they are currently located.”
It is the same energy that connects with connecting lawyer Mums, a Facebook group that she has set up who now supports more than 9,000 legal professionals throughout Australia. “I enable other law firms to be faithful to himself and a lawyer in their own way. I believe in sharing each other’s success and growing together.”
Calm in chaos
You define success on your own conditions
When the pandemic struck, the entire legal system shifted. Courts closed. Hearings got stuck. But Lauren kept moving. “In Victoria, the courts and things came to a halt. It had an influence on the cash flow, but more than that, it let many customers in custody for too long. It completely countered what I was standing for.”
She adjusted quickly. From her bedroom courtroom with homemade signs that warn her children not to come in, remotely hearings and confidential prison calls. “I would sit outside in the garden, regardless of the weather, so my children would not listen to traumatic content.”
And she also made room for her team. Even during the most difficult weeks there were zoom wine tastings and painting evenings to keep it morally. Because of all this, her definition of success remained clear. “There will be times when you feel that you are taking two steps ahead and then a step back. Nevertheless, your progress makes progress.” And progress, for Lauren, is about more than profit or team size.
“Some see the scaling of a company to the point that a large team has a sign of success. Others see success making enough profit to enjoy and travel more breaks. You define success on your own conditions.”
For her it is about freedom, inheritance and health. “It is easy to get addicted to your own company, to work long hours and seven days a week. Yet the company cannot run without you. It is not complacent or neglected to put your health first.”
Advice to build
What can you offer that is different from your competitors and you really reflect?
Lauren’s advice to future founders is simple: know who you are and lead it. “Build a company that brings you joy by absorbing what you enjoy doing, your talents and what you are really passionate about. What can you offer that is different from your competitors and you really reflect?”
And don’t wait for the perfect moment. “Believe that you will do what you can do to make it as successful as you can. Although you have to rely on others for advice and support, your success is ultimately under your control and to you.”
The most important thing? Keep learning. “Only because you have passed does not mean that you have to stop improving as a person and employer or business owner.”
In the words of Lauren, the establishment of a company has not only formed its career. It has shaped her as a person. “You meet so many great people, meet new experiences and challenges that you may not be able to do as an employee. You grow and you learn more about yourself as a leader, maker, innovator and people in general.”
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