Melisa Sloan never let her condition stop her, whether as a lawyer or as a board director
Melisa Sloan may be hearing impaired, but she’s never let it slow her down – whether in her career or outside of it. She has founded her own practice, written books, sits on the board of Expression Australia, and is part of the Law Institute of Victoria and of Victorian Women Lawyers.
In this interview, Sloan shares her secrets to success in a challenging, constantly evolving profession, the value of a positive work environment, and lipreading clients.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
Law is a challenging profession that requires you to constantly evolve, I love challenges and so it seems like a natural fit. I also love to help people and believe in making a difference – I believe that as lawyers, we have the incredible opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives on a daily basis and that is an enormous privilege.
What is going on at the organisation? Are there any new programs and initiatives that you’re particularly interested in?
Our team continues to grow and thrive and together we have built a wonderful, engaging community. We are always looking for ways that we can improve our client experience and retain that wonderful connection we have with our clients. My latest book Big Moments provides a wonderful guide to the big moments that we experience on our life journey, and I have enjoyed promoting this book so it gets in the hands of those who would benefit from it.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so? Or what’s the biggest lesson you learned in the past year and what advice can you give fellow lawyers about it?
Publishing my latest book Big Moments has been my proudest accomplishment, it’s a valuable resource for many people and encompasses many milestone moments that occur throughout our life. The feedback from readers have been phenomenal and it has allowed me to indulge in my passion of writing and make a difference at the same time.
What should the profession focus more on?
Work-life balance is something that our profession needs to focus on, particularly given that law is such as intense and stressful career. In many firms, there is an expectation of extremely long hours being required and it is not sustainable, with many experiencing burnout and leaving the profession. As a profession we need to provide a more positive work culture, to support our team to assist them in the pursuit of their goals.
What are the challenges you expect in your practice, and in the business of law in general, going forward? What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
Staff retention appears to be topical at present. I am fortunate and extremely grateful that I have a wonderful team, most of whom have been with me for a period of time. However, the last few years have shown that employees expectations have changed across the profession, and I think its important to create a workplace in which they enjoy coming to on a daily basis and is a positive and healthy environment to work.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
Ticking off the work projects on my to do list, launching my blog The Triumph Tales – stories of extraordinary lives, engaging myself in my role as a director of Expression Australia, and enjoying some travel.
As a hearing-impaired person, how has your condition impacted your legal career?
I have always devised strategies that allow me to practice in the best manner possible to meet the needs of my clients, team and myself. All my consults take place face to face or by zoom so that I can lipread my clients and email is my preferred method of communication. I have a fantastic team that assist me with overcoming any communication obstacles and although there are some aspects of law that I would not engage in such as litigation, I don’t believe my hearing impairment has held me back from having a successful career in law.
If you weren’t in law, what do you think you’d be doing as a career?
I love to travel, and I love property and interiors. So perhaps a property developer who travels the world in my spare time writing travel reviews.
