LSB December 2021 HR

Q&A
Know Your Council Member:
Melanie Tilmouth
The Bulletin spoke to Melanie Tilmouth, who was recently
appointed Vice President (Female) of the Law Society for
2021-22, about her career to date, the value of giving
back to the profession, and the burning issues in the law
that she thinks need to be addressed.
Can you please give a brief overview of
your career to date?
am a Family and Divorce Senior
I Solicitor working at Resolve Divorce
Lawyers.
I initially undertook my clerkship with
Tony Kerin, who was then at Johnston
Withers and it was Tony who sparked my
interest in practice, for which I will be
forever grateful.
I then worked for a medium sized firm
firstly in one of their county offices before
moving to their city office a few years
later. I always recommend working in the
country to graduate lawyers. It is such a
fantastic way to have immediate, handson
experience and work out where your
passion lies without being pigeon holed
early on in your career. I slowly gravitated
towards family law and it was then that
I realised that I wanted to be mentored
to refine my skills and I moved to work
within Jane Miller’s family law team in a
large firm. The resources of a large firm
allowed us to work on very interesting and
complex matters and Jane was such an
inspiring leader and continues to be a great
mentor. When Jane was called to the bar I
then moved to my current position.
What drew you to a career in law?
Initially, I chose to study law in
conjunction with a degree in international
studies with the hope of a career
in international diplomacy. It was a
requirement of my degree at Flinders
University that I undertake a clerkship. My
clerkship under supervision of Tony Kerin
was transformative. He sparked my interest
in practice and helped me understand that
legal practice is being in the service of
others and your community.
What drew you to your current
workplace/area of law?
Early on in my career I had no in
interest family law but working in general
practice in the country meant that I had
no option but to give it a go. I then found
it so rewarding to help people at some
of the most challenging times of their
life, particularly given that the decisions
I helped them make could have such
significant impact on their future.
I was drawn to working at Resolve
Divorce Lawyers as it was female led with
my director recently having returned from
maternity leave like me. The firm sees the
opportunity to improve the way in which
clients experience family breakdown. I
also am a strong believer in the firm’s
philosophy that the law is only a part
of the puzzle of family breakdown and
you need to help your client build a team
of support people around them such as
psychologists, financial and other advisors
to support them to help them achieve their
best outcome.
Why did you nominate for Council?
When I began practice in the country,
I felt disconnected from the profession so
I joined the Young Lawyers Committee
(YLC) as a way of reconnecting. This
was the start of my journey with the
Law Society and when I decided to step
down at co-chair of the YLC I wanted
to continue to remain closely connected
with the profession, and Council felt like
a natural step. I feel strongly about giving
Melanie Tilmouth
back to the profession, supporting each
other and the community and Council
provides those opportunities.
What have you got out of being a
Council Member?
I was gained a much deeper
understanding of various functions of
the Society and the significant amount of
work it does for the profession. There is
momentous amount of work that goes
on behind the scenes. I have been able
to connect with other members of the
profession, outside my area of practice,
which has had positive impact personally
and professionally.
What do you see as the key challenges
for the legal profession?
Some of the key challenges facing the
profession include:
• The ongoing under funding of the
justice system both at a state and
federal level.
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THE BULLETIN December 2021