The team at Walmsleys now comprises the following:

Adrian Walmsley - well known as the consummate all-rounder who can deal with most things but now ably backed by a young and agile team as follows:

Renae Cole - solicitor in charge of rural, commercial and industrial conveyancing, leases, sales of business and the like. Renae is also possessed of a B.Sc majoring in pharmacology and physiology, so she is more than a pretty face.

Annie Fyfe - conveyancer attending to all domestic conveyancing matters.

Jay Lovely - solicitor handling all commercial litigation, crime, traffic and employment law.

Hugh Norris - solicitor handling building and construction disputes, corporations law, contested wills and estates, wills, powers of attorney, guardianship appointments and trusts.

Bethany Cox will greet you at the front door, Joanna Walmsley will take your money and keep the place running and Claudia McCowage will sort out computer glitches and systems as they arise. Joanne Tisdell assists Renae and Annie and you might get her on the phone.

It might be appropriate at this time to set out the principles of the firm, and our colleagues, that I observed many years ago with help from someone far more learned:

Clients - They are the foundation of our business. Our only true asset is our ability to serve them. In all of our dealings we will be honest, truthful and strive to serve their best interests.

Services - They should be of superior quality, the very best that we can provide. We refuse to offer a service in which we do not believe. We will always offer maximum value for money spent.

Profit - We believe in making a fair and honest profit. The continuation of the business and its ability to fulfill its purpose is dependent upon profit. We refuse to deal with any client on an unprofitable basis, lest we fail them all.

Before closing, I came across the work of Paul Brennan recently in Lawyers Weekly . He is a solicitor on the Gold Coast who has written "The Law is an Ass - make sure it doesn't bite yours!" He refers to the "novel legal issues" that clients often think they have but is concerned about what would happen if clients started to believe that making mistakes that lead to litigation is not good for them. They could even believe that legal mistakes could cause heart attacks. This would give rise to a whole new range of legal advertising such as:

"Law can be thrilling, exciting - sue someone today!"

In a more serious mode, he does point out his Top Ten Legal Mistakes, which are undoubtedly true:

• Fighting with the parent of your offspring. You have so much to lose.
• Disputes with your neighbour. The only resolution is to move.
• Buying a house without selling the one you own. Just wait for once in your life.
• Trying to get blood out of a stone. Winning is good. Getting paid is better.
• Fighting legal cases you can't win. There may be other ways to beat your opponent and save the cost of legal fees.
• Using a "do it yourself" will. However, if you are broke, no problem.
• Being your own lawyer. Even lawyers don't do that.
• When arrested, not calling a lawyer and trying to talk your way out of it.
• Not getting a lawyer to review a lease or business contract. This is a sure way to invite trouble.
• Any type of litigation relating to defamation.