Alex Wearne's first childhood dream was to be a doctor, but her squeamish reaction to blood quickly ruled out medicine as a career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"Even the smell of hospitals makes me faint," she told the Women in Law breakfast at Mantra Hotel Albury.
"So I figured that wasn't the right caterer ... but I've always wanted to be a lawyer.
"Ever since the age of 10."
One of the biggest annual events yet held by the Hume Riverina Community Legal Service heard that her transition to Albury happened in the mid-1990s.
"There was an explosion in ICL (Independent Children's Lawyers) work," Ms Wearne said.
"There was huge demand for ICLs coming out of the Albury Court.
"We had an exceptional director at family law, and there was no Albury Legal Aid office - the Wagga Legal Aid Office didn't have a family lawyer at that time either.
"Our then-boss decided it would be a great career development opportunity for someone (to run the circuit).
"It became this wonderful opportunity that a number of great, now-judges undertook during the course of their careers at Legal Aid."
Ms Wearne, who now works with Reid Family Lawyers after decades in Albury legal circuits, believes her job was to keep families "out of the court".
It was a sentiment shared by North East Law Association president Amanda Toner.
"Alex and I worked together for a long time, so nothing she said is new to me," Ms Toner said.
"Alex brings a very dear advocacy for children, so we're very fortunate to have had her for all those years and she's very much missed."
The North East Law Association sponsors the event with Albury and District Law Society.
Ms Toner, of Toner and May Legal, said female lawyers brought much to the sector.
"We are very fortunate here to have a good group of us," she said.
"(Women bring) common sense and a level of empathy - that's not suggesting men don't.
"(But) predominately we are female lawyers in family law, and we all have a common sense approach.
"What Alex said about avoiding court at all costs, and being realistic with your clients, I take the same view.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"When parties leave my office, they need to be able to co-parent and co-parent without a lawyer advocating for them.
"l really try hard to avoid making a situation worse."
Hume Riverina Community Legal Services runs the Women in Law breakfast annually during Law Week.
HRCLS is a not-for-profit legal centre established in 1999 under the auspice of Upper Murray Family Care.
