Meet Sarah Burke of SLB Legal —commercial contracts gun, ex-Telstra in-house counsel, and a self-employed lawyer building a practice around family, flexibility, and real-world value.
We cover her path from journalism to law, big-firm beginnings at Maddocks, seven years in-house at Telstra, the “soft launch” of SLB Legal, and why SMEs should think about “outsourced in-house” legal support.
We also dig into AI (where it helps, where it doesn’t), systems, and the lonely bits of solo practice—and how the Self-Employed Lawyers League (SELL) fills that gap.
What you’ll learn
- How to pivot into law later (and why life experience helps)
- Firm vs in-house: what actually changes day-to-day
- The “soft launch” model for starting your own practice
- Why SMEs benefit from an “outsourced in-house” lawyer
- A practical take on AI in contracts and research
- Community, referrals, and momentum inside SELL
Chapters
00:00 Intro & why self-employment
00:32 Journalism → law: the pivot
05:20 First role at Maddocks (no clerkship path)
06:43 Discovering contracts over litigation
07:39 Study vs practice (it’s not Suits)
09:10 Moving in-house & secondments
10:45 Telstra years: becoming commercial & practical
13:30 Press pause for family; reassessing career
15:59 SLB Legal: the soft launch
19:27 Building systems slowly (then scaling)
21:18 How SELL helps (community + playbooks)
25:40 AI: where it helps, where it falls short
31:18 Contracts as strategy & storytelling
32:50 “Outsourced in-house” for SMEs
34:50 Why small businesses are inspiring
35:25 How to contact Sarah (site, LinkedIn, phone)
Show notes & links
Sarah’s firm: SLB Legal — www.slblegal.com.au
Connect with Sarah: LinkedIn (search Sarah Burke, SLB Legal)
Call: 1300 091 014
Learn about the Self-Employed Lawyers League (SELL) https://thesell.life