Abe Arends

 Abe Arends- sole practitioner personal injury and family law

Abe Arends is the principal at #Arendslegalsolutions,   a firm he established 2 years ago.  He has over 20 years experience  personal injury claims and family law matters.

I really enjoyed this interview as Abe’s moral compass really came through,  his concern for his clients, the respect he has for his colleagues and the obligation he has to his current and future employees.  And then to top it all off his personal heroism that has seen him save the lives of at least 2 people, a drowning toddler when he was just 10 and a car full of young people that blew 30 seconds after his dramatic rescue.

Abe and I talk about 

• lifelong friendships made whilst at a Brisbane boys school but why he has chosen to send his own children to a co-educational school.

• Why he had to first start an arts degree and transfer into the law

• Why he chose QUT,  

• Choosing articles instead of practical legal training, 

• Working in a suburban practice as a vehicle for getting exposure to a wide variety of work. Criminal law, family law, conveyancing , traffic matters  and even running a “passing off” action.

• Why he knocked back articles he was offered at McNamara’s. 

• His reason for not pursuing a career in criminal law 

• How Criminal law was glamourised at university but the reality was very different.

• Moving to Carter Capner in 2004, for financial, friendships, and reasons of stress. 

• How a partnership slip prompted a move to 

• What made #CartnerCapner the happiest place he ever worked in as an employed solicitor

• How to build a great team 

• Importance of being a member of groups like the #AustralianLawyersAlliance for building relationships and advocating for change.

• His involvement in #TRGvBoardBrisbanegrammarschool.  How his relationship with #timryan saw him representing TRG.

• #McNamaras “Crossroads” program and his involvement in establishing and running it.  A program to raise awareness of high school students about to go off to schoolies to  some of the downsides of alcohol and drug  use .  

• The benefits of Probono assistance delivered through community legal education or individual assistance.

• How to market yourself without breaching advertising rules and the difficulty of micro firms competing with larger players 

• Negotiation styles – important to put your ”cards on the table face up” . Best techniques learnt from barristers and  20 years of practising the craft.

• Leaving McNamaras in 2020, a casualty of the uncertainty of Covid  and starting own firm 

• The importance of networks in securing his first and subsequent matters.  The case of the dislodged manhole cover 

• The pressure of starting a firm with just Personal injuries matters which are all undertaken on a “no win , no fee “ basis.

• Needing to rely on job seeker and clients funding their own outlays upfront when he started

• Benefits of having a virtual office, working from home 

• Clients starting to see benefits of not having to travel to city 

• Benefits of the Practice Management Course for lawyers even if they don’t need it 

• His focus on personal injuries and family law and a sprinkling of estate matters.  

• Tips to building lifelong friendships and relationships

and to finish  

• Abe’s hero antics – at 10 years of age rescuing a toddler who was drowning and meeting him some 8 years later  – pulling someone from a burning car in his 30s and nearly being punched in the face. 

 If you want to find out more about Abe you can contact him through facebook, instagram, linkedin

or drop me a line through the website www.lorettakreet.com.