Diary of a Solicitor: The Moments That Make It All Worthwhile

There are days in this profession that test your patience, your resilience, and even your faith in humanity. There are moments where you feel the weight of the work, the challenges of the law, and the pressure of expectation. But then, there are other moments—the ones that remind you why you do this, why you keep showing up, why it’s all worth it.

 Like the moment when you meet someone who first walked into your office fifteen years ago, at their absolute lowest, broken and uncertain. They didn’t just need legal help—they needed hope, guidance, someone to walk the journey with them. And you did. You journeyed with them through their immigration status, through relationship breakdowns, through family reunions, through education, through life itself. You became more than just a solicitor—you became a part of their story.

 And then one day, they come back—not for legal advice, but just to say, “Thank you.”

From Crisis to Celebration

 The beauty of this work is not just in the cases we win but in the lives we touch. It’s in the moments where a client who once sat across from you in fear and uncertainty now stands before you in celebration:

• The child who lost her parents, whom you helped regularise her status, whom you supported and mentored through university, who now invites you to her graduation ceremony as a doctor.

• The mother whose children you fought to reunite, who sends you photos years later of birthdays, weddings, and milestones, because you were a part of making those moments possible.

• The family who thought they would never be together again, who now invite you to a baby shower, because their story didn’t end with the hardship it continued with joy.

 There is no greater reward than being remembered in someone’s moment of victory.

The Honor of Being Trusted at the End of Life

 Perhaps one of the most humbling experiences of this work is being there not just at the beginning, but at the very end. I remember a woman whose family searched for me when she was in palliative care. In her final moments, she didn’t ask for many people, but she asked for me. Because in a moment of her deepest need, I had been there for her. And now, as her life came to a close, she wanted to see me again—not as her solicitor, but as someone who had walked part of her journey with her.

Holding on to the Good

 These are the moments that keep me going. They far outweigh the difficult ones. Yes, there are the challenging clients, the complaints, the misunderstandings, the public attacks, and the moments of exhaustion. But they are dwarfed by the victories, by the gratitude, by the lives transformed.

 For every one client who complains, there are ten more who send messages of thanks, who invite me to their celebrations, who remind me that what I do matters. And when the difficult days come, I hold onto those reminders.

Because I know who I am.

I know the impact of my work.

I know the lives I’ve helped change.

And that is why I wake up every morning and do it all over again.