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Josephine Pignataro was admitted as a lawyer in 2003 and obtained her specialist accreditation in wills and estates in 2009. “The first opportunity that I could do accreditation, I went for it, and I was very happy to be successful on the first occasion,” she says. Obtaining her specialist accreditation within six years of being admitted as a lawyer was a “bold call,” she says.

Pignataro was recognised by Doyle’s Guide in Estate Litigation and Estate Planning – NSW in 2022. She navigates the entire practice area from estate planning, grants of representation, to estate administration, litigation and “everything in between”. She was the first solicitor to work on a successful statutory will application.

Path to becoming a lawyer

Pignataro was inspired to pursue her career because she was interested in the law and the practise of law. As the child of migrant parents, the law “always seemed as though it was something foreign,” she says.

“I]t was always impressed upon me that, you study and you work hard. … I really wanted to be able to study law to get a little bit more of an insight into how things work … ultimately just to be able to help people like my parents, other migrants and just people generally.”

Pignataro is a member of the Law Society of NSW’s Elder Law and Succession Committee. She was fortunate to work with Pamela Suttor at the start of her career. Suttor served more than 13 years as a Councillor of the Law Society of NSW and was the chair of the Elder Law and Succession Committee for around a decade.

“[S]he really opened my eyes to the practice area and how fulfilling and rewarding it could be … and that’s why I chose to stick with it. … [It’s] a diverse practice area and no two days are the same,” she says.

Speaking about the impression the Law Society Committees made on her, Pignataro says “I observed the work and commitment that goes into being on a Committee … [and] the positive impact that the Committees could have … .”

She encourages others to join a Committee and says that “connecting with other practitioners from all walks of life and [different] types of firms and [the] experience has been insightful.”

Reasons for obtaining specialist accreditation

While most legal practitioners may try a variety of different practice areas before settling on one area of practice, Pignataro knew from the outset that she “really wanted to do wills and estates”. Acquiring her specialist accreditation was also a no-brainer, “for me, specialist accreditation was really built up, and something very important to obtain,” she says.

“It was the specialists who [were] getting really excellent matters. It was really at the top and that’s where I wanted to be. I thought well, let me give it a go and I’m really glad I did because it’s helped me enormously in my career.”

Pignataro says that as an accredited specialist, it’s important to retain a practice in the various tranches of wills and estates. This includes all aspects, not just in estate planning but also grants of representation, litigation and “everything in between.”

Pignataro took a break from the law to start a family, however she says that having the specialist accreditation “really assisted me to get back into the game.”

She acknowledges that there is a lot of pressure on people to attain and obtain specialist accreditation. “I’m really lucky that I was able to get it when I did.”

Changing legal landscape and finding the balance

Legal practice and how solicitors practise law has evolved since Josephine was admitted 20 years ago. “I really enjoy the way that practice has moved on since I was admitted … we are allowed to be ourselves and society recognises mental health and the law and [its] effects on practice,” she says.

Pignataro says that having mentors is important especially having someone to “bounce ideas off and provide some guidance …,” she says. But “it’s important not to rely on someone else’s journey and model yourself on someone else,” she says.

She acknowledges that she is really fortunate to have a great team, a supportive family, and to work within a supportive firm. A great team and supportive family have helped, but time management is key. She says that it is about doing your best to make time and to be as efficient as possible.

“[M]y advice is not to put too much pressure on this idea of work/life balance. So many people are caught up with and beating themselves up over the idea of it and attaining it. There’s a lot of pressure to have balance.

“There are going to be times when you have to lean towards ‘work’ (think Court deadlines) or lean towards ‘life’ (think family, aging parents or health concerns). …,” she says.

Her approach is to do your best, make time for things and be as efficient as possible. However, she admits this is “a work in progress.”

Pignataro encourages other practitioners to find their “community”. She say that having a “community within the legal profession is really important. The practice of law can be challenging and at times isolating. Having a community within the legal profession gives us opportunities to connect with others and [find] somewhere to belong.

“Knowing you’re not the only succession nerd helps enormously. Being able to connect with people and share ideas is really important for a sense of purpose, belonging and wellbeing in the law.”