Choosing a lawyer can be a difficult decision. Choosing a family lawyer can be even more so, particularly when you consider the often sensitive and incredibly emotional nature of Family Law cases.
When you are dealing with something as personal and important as family, you want to know you are in good hands and working with someone who is passionate, committed and, most of all, experienced. But how do you know which family lawyer offers the skills and experience to handle your case?
The Law Society of NSW offers a Specialist Accreditation program to provide members of the public with a reliable means of identifying lawyers who have proven expertise in their area of practice.
Lawyers are required to go through a meticulous and rigorous assessment process, covering both legal knowledge and its application in practice. For accreditation to be given, the candidate must pass all assessments to a special standard of competency. Lawyers who pass the assessments are then entitled to use the words ‘Accredited Specialist’ after their name, signifying demonstrated experience, expert legal knowledge and a high level of professionalism.
Getting accredited is just the beginning, retaining the accreditation is also tough. Specialists must demonstrate their commitment to accreditation year on year by undertaking additional professional development in their area of accreditation.
When you consider that Specialist Accreditation is held by less than 6% of the legal profession in New South Wales, you know it’s a meaningful distinguisher.
As an Accredited Specialist in Family Law since 2017, Tonkin Drysdale Partner’s Lee Pawlak is part of the 6%. Further still, he is one of just 13 senior Accredited Specialists in Family Law that sit on the advisory committee as an assessor, setting assessment tasks and marking the work submitted by Family Law solicitors seeking an accreditation.
Lee is currently the only Family Law Accredited Specialist in the Central Coast/Hunter region to sit on the Law Society’s Family Law Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee. With most of his fellow assessors working in Sydney, Lee’s qualifications give Central Coast residents access to top quality Family Law advice, not readily available in other regional areas of NSW.