For International Women’s Day today, The Greek Herald spoke with Cassandra Kalpaxis from Kalpaxis Legal in Sydney to hear about her inspiring story and what she has achieved as a family lawyer, mediator, and author.
The mum-of-three is a distinguished family lawyer with over 17 years of experience in the field. Her specialty is helping women navigate the complexities of separation and divorce. This stems from her desire to advocate for those who are vulnerable or underprivileged.
“I don’t think anybody gets into law for any other reason. Lawyers do genuinely want to help people,” Cassandra told The Greek Herald.
“I’m really excited to be in a space where we’re finally seeing some amazing traction around women in the legal profession and we’re embracing all the amazing things they’re accomplishing.
“For me, getting into practicing family law was very much based on seeing the way that children interact with their parents and through my own experiences as well. My marriage also experienced some difficulty early on and being able to navigate that process and go through my own challenges allowed me to better understand my client’s perspective.”
Cassandra, who previously practised criminal law, said her journey to becoming a lawyer began when she was a young teenager.
“I was really fortunate to have a beautiful family friend who was a lawyer, and he gave me the opportunity when I was just 14 to be able to come in [and work at his firm] on school holidays,” she said.
“I would literally make coffees and run around and pick up things for people. I also read a lot, which helped me get familiar with the language, the jargon.
“Then when I finished school, I worked for him full-time and went to university at night… It was just a really amazing experience, and I ended up staying with his firm for about eight years.”
In addition to her legal practice, Cassandra is also an accomplished author, mediator, and advocate for women’s empowerment.
She has written three books, with two expected to launch this year. Her books offer valuable resources for those going through divorce and grief – reflecting her commitment to providing support and guidance beyond the courtroom.
“It’s really expensive to see a lawyer, especially while we’re experiencing this cost-of-living crisis, so what I wanted to do was give people who can’t afford to speak to a lawyer the opportunity to have something in their hands to help them,” Cassandra said.
Reflecting on International Women’s Day 2024, Cassandra emphasised the importance of recognising and celebrating the achievements of women in all fields.
“It’s so important that we have International Women’s Day because women do so much,” she said.
“I think what’s going to happen in the industry is we’re going to see a really beautiful shift around embracing women who need flexibility in the workplace, this includes women who are trailblazers in their own right and women who are okay with pushing back on the status quo.
“I have a daughter and on days where it’s really tough and tricky, I remind myself that I want her to be raised fiercely independent, for her to have opinions that are respected, for her to never face the same adversities that I faced when I entered the space, and if she doesn’t want to be a lawyer… I’m all for it, as long as she does what makes her happy in a really authentic way.”
Cassandra added that one of her greatest achievements by far was her family.
“Being in a position where we have overcome a lot together, and that’s not a small fee for the world that we live in at the moment and being able to keep a family unit together and to approach problems in a way that is done as a unit, is probably my greatest achievement,” she said.
“Professionally, I think turning a practice into something that was really designed for people, and being able to offer solutions that really make a difference to people’s lives is something else I’m really proud of.
“My goals for the future now are really to create a community for women where they can step in, feel safe, feel supported and know that whatever they want to achieve, they’ve got an amazing set of people behind them, and to have a more holistic approach to the law.”
