Profile: Lorelle Longbottom

Lorelle Longbottom almost became a medical scientist but was inspired to pursue a career in law because she had a desire to help people. In high school, she did law as part of her year 10 work experience and enjoyed it. But when she graduated from high school, medical science was the new “trendy degree,” she says.

“You could get a degree in three years [and] be a medical scientist. … [I]t was a three-year degree versus a six-year degree … so I was attracted to that,” she says.  A year in, Longbottom decided it was not for her. She pivoted to law and “never looked back.” 

Longbottom initially saw herself as practising criminal law and pursuing a career in the DPP. She did not see herself as being a generalist or family lawyer, but after placements with the DPP and a boutique firm specialising in criminal law, she realised that criminal law was not the right area for her to specialise in. 

Her first few years were in the Shoalhaven area. “I was doing some criminal law, I was doing wills and estates, I was doing family law and I felt like that was a really good mix,” she says. It was family law that appealed the most. “You have that intermix of ADVOS and criminal charges …  you get exposed to so many different aspects,” she says. 

“[I]t might be a matter … in court where it’s litigious, you might have a matter where you’re drafting binding financial agreements … there’s so many different aspects of family law and so many different walks of life that you deal with on a daily basis,” she says.

These days, Longbottom predominately acts in complex property matters. “I’ve always liked dealing with numbers, accounts and stuff like that,” she says.

She admits that being exposed to parenting matters does take its toll. “I think you’ve really got to keep that separation between you and your client, and you’ve also got to accept that you’re never going to be able to fix every issue your client is facing,” she says.

After two decades in law, Longbottom has discovered that the secret to a work/life balance is learning how to switch off. “I think you have to accept and acknowledge that these matters … can be emotionally taxing. But learn to switch off and learn not to take those problems home,” she says.

Longbottom provides some sage advice for other practitioners., “You’re not … going to have everything resolved that you need to resolve at 5pm on that day … [Y]ou’re still going to go back tomorrow, and you’ll keep working and chipping away at those issues for your clients.”

She enjoys living and working in the Wollongong region as she can hear the beach from where she lives and is fortunate to be able to go for a walk around the ‘blue mile’ at lunch.

Longbottom says that for her, justice means equal access to the legal system without barriers. “This means catering for different cultures, people with disabilities and ensuring every person has resources to not only access the legal system but also resources to understand and practically utilise the legal system,” she says.