Creating a firm that ‘challenges the status quo’

Whilst it’s been a tumultuous eight months globally, starting a firm in the middle of a pandemic has offered a variety of positives, according to this director and co-founder.

Danielle Snell is the director and co-founder of Elit Lawyers by McGirr and Snell. Speaking recently on The Boutique Lawyers Show, Ms Snell said that the pandemic had paved the way for new opportunities for her firm and unpacked her journey from litigator to founder and director.

“My peak career opportunities within my litigation practise were coinciding with the birth of my second. My pregnancy was my second one, so I already had one child,” she said.

“And I could feel it in my bones. It was all happening at that moment. It was a crossroads moment.”

After working with victims of sexual assault following the #MeToo movement, Ms Snell said she wanted to start a “values-driven” firm, after realising that the legal sector is reported to be one of the worst industries for workplace harassment – a report that was undertaken by the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner in 2019 recorded that 36 per cent of legal professionals had experienced sexual harassment at work. Ms Snell started Elit Lawyers whilst she was 30 weeks pregnant, with the firm growing from the two founders to a team of 11 in eight months.

“I want to create a firm that challenges that status quo and sort of breaks that pattern of behaviour in order to sort of hold my own head up high.

“Some of these legal firms can be toxic and to not be operating within that environment, it just made my whole sense of being a litigator and an officer of the court and a leader to people that are working with me and my clients, it just opened up my heart, if I can put it that way,” she said.

“I’m quite passionate about diversity and inclusion issues. And I just think, within the firm that I have established, and I’m proud to say that we now have such a wide variety of staff. There’s so much power in having a diverse set of staff. And the unexpected freedoms of COVID have allowed me to sort of bring my vision to reality and have this dynamic, innovative law firm.”

Not only has the pandemic allowed Ms Snell to build a dynamic firm, but it’s also allowed for increased flexibility and better client relationships.

“There’s so many unexpected freedoms that the pandemic brought us, the biggest of which is obviously flexibility. I mean, even from the client side, we’re finding that our clients are embracing that level of flexibility just as much as we are,” she said.

“Now in the traditional law firm model, you wouldn’t want a client to send an email within a specific time period or clients wouldn’t necessarily. But I feel it’s changed now. We’re very open to different processes and we are drawing closer to our clients.

“Part of the model that we’ve created is that the client is part of the journey. There’s not this segregation between the lawyer over here and the client, which I think that when the pandemic hit, the bigger firms, the traditional models didn’t necessarily catch up with the times and there were still analogue processes that can exist,” Ms Snell added.

Whilst these old-school processes don’t exist everywhere, Ms Snell explained that certain firms and practitioners are still lagging behind in technology, which means increased separation between lawyers and clients.

“I just think clients are sophisticated. They should be able to access their lawyer and their documents that are contained on their legal file that they rightfully own at any moment of the day. That’s why we’ve developed a sort of technology process that enables 24/7 real-time management so that the client can access it.

“But also, I say to my clients, you can call me any time. This is part of the service. I’m on this journey with you. We do a lot of defamation and media law, deeply personal matters as well,” she said.

“So, the way I see it is I still have my life and I have my work-life balance, but I’m providing a service, which is as a litigator. Some of these people are going through very traumatic and difficult times in their life and I’m with them. I’m not going to be in the cloud somewhere only to be contacted when I think that it suits me.”

Ms Snell concluded that despite being almost seven months pregnant when starting her firm, “things happen when they happen for a reason”.

“Follow your instinct, because if you follow your instinct and you back yourself, you’d be shocked with how much everyone else actually admires you for that and will back you too,” she advised anyone thinking of a similar move.

“They need to see that you’ll back yourself first though.”

Republished from Lawyers Weekly.

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With us personally, it is just one more way we’re different.

Danielle Snell

CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER

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Robert McGirr

CO-FOUNDER AND PARTNER

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"We were forced to issue legal proceedings against the insurer for a number of reasons including disagreement about the amount of money that was required to be paid out under the policy to reinstate our home. I want to express our deepest heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for all Elit did for our family throughout this matter."

Insurance Policy Holder

Home owner

Thank you to Danielle and Mark and the Elit team for all their hard work in acting for myself and my family against a large international insurer following a fire sustained at our home. We were forced to issue legal proceedings against the insurer for a number of reasons including disagreement about the amount of money that was required to be paid out under the policy to reinstate our home. I want to express our deepest heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for all Elit did for our family throughout this matter.
The work of Danielle and Mark was professional, consistent and to the highest standard throughout this process. I was so impressed by each of the team. It wasn’t just their exceptional professional work that left the impression, but more importantly, their interactions as good, decent, kind individuals. Thank you Elit for captaining this litigation ship throughout the tiresome journey! We really appreciate everything you have done for us. I hope and pray that each one of you has a share in some of the comfort you have provided my family in your own lives.

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"Being subject to malicious false statements was very stressful, as I have always conducted myself with professionalism and integrity.  As a result of the action taken by Robert McGirr & Elit Lawyers, the false statements were retracted, I received a formal apology and was paid my legal costs. "

Defamation

Plaintiff

I was engaged to appear on behalf of a resident at an aged care home in a proceeding before the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT). A false and defamatory email was sent by a senior executive of the home about my conduct at the hearing to a number of third parties.

The false statements contained in that email were serious and damaging to my reputation, and included amongst other things, an imputation of criminality, which if proven to be true, could have resulted in a term of imprisonment. Being subject to malicious false statements was very stressful, as I have always conducted myself with professionalism and integrity. 

As a result of the action taken by Robert McGirr and Elit Lawyers, the false statements were retracted, I received a formal apology and was paid my legal costs. I could not have achieved this outcome without the assistance of Robert. I felt informed and comforted throughout the process and am very grateful for the early result that was achieved. 

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"I was devastated when I learnt of a very serious defamatory publication made against me. I was so grateful to Danielle and the legal team who were able to obtain a pseudonym order in my favour so that I was able to advance defamation proceedings with anonymity."

Defamation

Plaintiff

I was devastated when I learnt of a very serious defamatory publication made against me.

I was concerned that bringing a Court proceeding would lead to widespread media reporting which would in turn repeat the allegations made against me and cause even more harm to my reputation because let’s face it – mud sticks.

I was so grateful to Danielle and the legal team who were able to obtain a pseudonym order in my favour so that I was able to advance defamation proceedings against the publishers with anonymity and be comforted that the defamatory content linked to my name would not be further spread.

I felt vindicated at the end of the matter and will always look back on the experience as a difficult one but knowing that issuing the court proceedings was what I had to do in order to achieve redress and restore my reputation.

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"When we were targeted by a vexatious and unfounded online attack, I turned to Robert, Danielle, and Elit for advice. As I am a lawyer myself, Elit’s ability to zone in so quickly on what was best for us really impressed me. "

Defamation

Lawyer and Business Owner

As a lawyer and business owner, I take our professional reputation seriously.

When we were targeted by a vexatious and unfounded online attack, I turned to Robert, Danielle, and Elit for advice. Their calm, clear, and strategic guidance was exactly what we needed. They quickly understood the key issues and provided practical options that prioritised our values and professional standing.

I was impressed with their ability to get across the key issues and provide real life practical advice during this critical time which really centred around us and what was best for our business.

As I am a lawyer myself, Elit’s ability to zone in so quickly on what was best for us really impressed me.

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"My business was sued for defamation. The Eit team were able to pinpoint the weaknesses in the other side’s case and were able to resolve the proceeding on very favourable terms for us."

CEO

Medical Industry

My business was sued for defamation and my insurance company appointed Aggie, Danielle, Robert and the Elit team to act in my defence of the proceeding.

I was astounded by the fact that the Eit team were able to pinpoint the weaknesses in the other side’s case and after bringing an interlocutory application on my behalf, they were able to resolve the proceeding on very favourable terms for us.

I felt informed and comforted throughout the process and am very grateful for the early result that was achieved.

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"I felt comforted and informed throughout the legal process and was happy with the early resolution of the case which achieved my ultimate objectives."

Director

ASX Listed Company

Danielle and team acted on behalf of myself and my fellow directors of an ASX listed company in the Supreme Court of Western Australia involving repeated attacks and defamatory content being posted about us on a forum website. The third party website operator was also joined to the proceeding.

Given the personal attacks made against me and my fellow directors, it was a difficult situation over an extended period and I felt comforted and informed throughout the legal process and was happy with the early resolution of the case which achieved my ultimate objectives to have the content removed and undertakings that no future defamatory content would be published by the person involved.

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