Our Team // Andrew Brooks
Get to know the team behind the brand. We’re sitting down with members of our team to learn more about their role at Law Squared, their personal pursuits, and what makes them a Law Squared-ite!
This week, you get to meet Andrew Brooks, one of our Employment + Workplace Relations lawyers.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born in Geelong, Victoria but have since had a habit of living in places that are much trendier than I am. I currently live in the inner-North of Melbourne, and given the younger demographic and nightlife of the area, this makes me feel particularly old every day I leave the apartment.
It does provide a good base to see friends, get some good food options and be close to some good parks, which accurately describe my “hobbies”.
I also recently got a new puppy named Ziggy, who is a 4-month-old Chow Chow crossed Samoyed, which basically translates into a permanent ball of fluff / biting machine. I am hoping for a smoother (and less hairy) 2022.
Tell us about your career journey so far and what led you to Law Squared
I was lucky to start my career in the employment law space at my previous firm in 2015, and was exposed to a large number of not-for-profit clients and varied employment and child safety law situations.
During my time there, I was also fortunate to be a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards in 2018, and the co-author of the Child Safety Toolkit 2018, which has been downloaded over 100,000 times and aims to prevent child abuse in our community organisations.
I also helped Our Community (who represent over 80,000 not for profits in Australia) launch and manage the Not-for-profit Assist Legal Membership Service which now provides legal support to not for profits in a cost-effective way.
Being at my previous firm for roughly four years, I was keen to gain experience at an innovative NewLaw firm and was introduced to Law Squared. By looking to do law differently, and be innovative in the employment law space, it was an easy sell for me to come over and be part of an exciting and thriving law firm.
Andrew joined Law Squared’s Employment + Workplace Relations team in 2019.
Tell us about some of the clients you work with and the type of work you do at Law Squared
With a particular focus on working with employers across the hiring, managing and firing spectrum of employment law, our employment team works with ASX listed entities, large unlisted entities, through to family legacy businesses and technology scale ups.
Since joining Law Squared in 2019, I have been lucky to be able to focus on the types of things that I enjoy, such as:
Tech-focused innovation:
I worked as part of a small team to develop Employment by Law Squared, an online employment law platform that provides free resources and an online legal health check to help businesses more easily navigate the Australian employment law system.Navigating the new litigation norm:
By acting on behalf of our clients to defend employee claims, I have been able to see and manage first-hand the new types of claims that our clients are receiving. From a discrimination claim in relation to using the correct pronoun, to a workers’ compensation claim about a request to fill out file notes, I have been able to help my clients resolve matters that likely did not come through over five years ago.Working with clients, not for them:
Many employment lawyers only speak to clients when something goes wrong, or they have a particular issue at hand. Thanks to the Law Squared philosophy of empowering lawyers to foster and grow relationships (beyond simply responding to queries), I have been lucky enough to get to know businesses we work with proactively and then flag potential issues before they even arise.
Tell us about the Law Squared difference. What makes Law Squared standout from the traditional law firms around the country and the world?
I really enjoy working in such an innovative and disruptive law firm, focusing purely on outcomes and adding value to clients. At Law Squared, we pride ourselves on being relatable to each other, our community, and our clients – and therefore encourage any business to reach out for a chat about anything employment + workplace relations related.
I look forward to seeing what Law Squared tries to innovate next, and that is not a statement you can say in many firms.
Outside of work, what do you love to do, and where would we find you?
I would self-diagnose myself as one of those annoying wannabee “foodies” that goes on Broadsheet way more than I should, and tries to get to new restaurants when they open up. So, you will find me at those pretentious Instagram food places often, and now with the new puppy, at dog parks apologising to other people for Ziggy’s behaviour.