COAST LAWYER PRESENTS THE PERFECT CASE FOR WORK/LIFE BALANCE
A NO-HOLDS-BARRED litigator working for a Gold Coast-based dispute law firm has taken working remotely to extreme heights.
At night, Tegan Childs buries her head in legal documents for Burleigh’s Twomey Dispute Lawyers.
But during the day, she soaks up the remote Canadian wilderness, where she lives a Bear Grylls-esque lifestyle.
The only Monday morning traffic jam she encounters is a few stray elk.
Snowshoeing through backwoods powder country, riding an ATV and dogsledding are all “downtime” activities for Ms Childs, who says she has created “the ultimate work/life balance” to satisfy her love for travel. One wonders where sleep fits in? But she says she gets “enough”, albeit from a timber cabin on the edge of a frozen lake, with brown bears just a stone’s throw from her door.
While Ms Childs, 26, is temporarily back on the Gold Coast to see her family after two years of pandemic restrictions, the call of the wild will see her return to Canada for the 2022 winter season.
“I’m really looking forward to going back and the time difference offers an ideal opportunity for me to enjoy everything Canada has to offer while allowing me to continue pursuing a career for a company I love,” Ms Childs said.
“From 8am onwards, I essentially have the whole day to ski mountains, snowshoe, snowmobile and adventure. And then I spend my evenings doing legal work.
“It’s really the perfect balance. Every day felt like I was on this insane adventure.
“There’s not one day where it’s like, ‘oh it’s Monday, I’ve got five working days ahead of me’.”
Director of Twomey Dispute Lawyers Ben Twomey says he encourages opportunities that support wellness and positive mental health outcomes among the team.
“It’s important that work and life outside of the office is both fulfilling and enriching, and I’ll support that anyway I can, including having a team member working from Whistler (in Canada),” Mr Twomey said.
“For leaders, particularly those in law firms, it’s important to enable opportunities for growth in both the professional and personal lives of team members.”