Women-In-Law Embracing Equity – Sarah Smith

As we continue to celebrate International Women's Day throughout March, we are thrilled to shine a light on all exceptional female finalists of Smokeball's 2023 Community Hero Awards.

These accomplished women will share their inspiring stories and highlight the influential work they are performing to promote equity and drive change within the legal space.

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Congratulations to our 2023 Community Hero Finalist – Sarah Smith

In this episode, Smokeball’s General Manager, Bianca Bowron-Cuthill, had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Smith, Founder of Duty First Legal Service and a deserving runner-up in Smokeball’s 2023 Community Hero Awards.  

Having experienced her struggles as the wife of a Veteran, Sarah founded Duty First Legal Service, a community legal service for Veterans and their families and war widows to try to reduce the rate of suicide and personal crisis among Veterans and their dependents.

Sarah is a mother to three children and works tirelessly to help the Veteran community by providing them with accessible legal services. Sarah volunteers her time to provide this assistance at a low cost or at no charge to clients in extreme need. Any fees received go back into the service to provide services for other Veterans.  

Sarah has successfully assisted many Veterans with updating their wills, gaining legal access to their children, and finalising marital breakdowns legally. Many of her client's report having a "weight taken off their shoulders" after receiving this assistance. Sarah works closely with Legacy, DVA and RSLs to provide this support.

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Listen in as Bianca and Sarah unbundle:

• Sarah's journey into practising law.  
• The impactful work that Duty First Legal Services performs to help improve access to legal services and support for veterans and their families.
• Why dedicated and specialised services are valuable for vulnerable groups, like veterans.
• Her experience as a woman-in-law and the key challenges she has seen and encountered first-hand.
• Sarah unpacks what the International Women's Day 2023 theme #EmbraceEquity means to her.
• Sarah shares who she looks up to as female role models.
• Plus, her message to other women starting out in their legal careers and those breaking out on their own.

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Sit back and enjoy this interview with Sarah Smith!

Ready for more inspiring interviews with incredible women in the legal industry? Don't miss these discussions with Sheetal Deo from Shakti Legal Solutions, Claudia MacLean from the Women's Legal Centre ACT, and Sarah Ibrahim from the Racial Justice Centre.