The Plight of the Country Lawyer
Roberts + Morrow plays a key role in supporting local agricultural businesses and communities, providing trusted financial and business advice that helps farmers navigate the evolving financial landscape. With a deep commitment to integrity, professionalism, and community involvement, the firm’s expertise extends across diverse sectors, ensuring clients are equipped with the right tools and strategies to thrive. Roberts + Morrow’s holistic approach, supported by a dedicated team, ensures operators stay agile while managing growth and risk effectively.
COLUMN BY PAUL WILLIAMS | PHOTOGRAPHY by EMMA CROSS
When people hear the word “lawyer,” too often they imagine long meetings, complicated jargon, and invoices that arrive with more zeros than anyone would like. I know that perception well — and I also know it’s not the reality for most of the people we serve.
I grew up in the country, went through school in Moree, NSW, and then stayed in the country to study accounting and law at the University of New England in Armidale. Like many, I was tempted by the bright lights and opportunity of Sydney, and for more than a decade I worked in large city firms. The experience was invaluable, but what struck me most was how far removed you could feel from the real lives of clients. You might be advising directors of major companies, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t their own money or livelihood on the line.
When my wife and I moved back to Armidale to raise our kids, it gave me the chance to reconnect with the kind of clients whose futures really are tied up in the work we do — farmers, small business owners, families who have poured generations of effort into building something to pass on. That shift also meant I could offer the same level of technical expertise I honed in Sydney, but without the sticker shock of a big-firm price tag. Our overheads aren’t in the thousands per square metre, and that matters when you’re trying to keep professional advice accessible.
One of the biggest misconceptions about lawyers is that you should only engage us when you’ve got a problem. Or worse, when you’re already embroiled in a dispute. Understandably, that creates fear around cost. But the truth is almost the opposite: the right legal advice upfront saves time, money, and heartache later on.
Estate planning is the perfect example. It’s never a comfortable topic, but leaving things unsaid or undone almost always leads to costly disputes and fractured families. Putting the right documents in place at the right time is not about paying legal fees — it’s about protecting your legacy and avoiding much higher costs in the future.
The same principle applies to succession planning in agriculture or family business. These decisions aren’t just financial; they carry the weight of people’s lives, livelihoods, and identities. That’s where having your lawyer, accountant, and financial adviser working in step with one another is invaluable. At Roberts + Morrow, our legal team was built precisely to strengthen that integration, so the advice given can also be implemented efficiently, without unnecessary double handling.
We’re not trying to be all things to all people. We don’t run criminal law matters, we don’t do family law litigation, and we don’t pretend to be a courtroom firm. What we do is business and commercial law, succession and estate planning, property and structuring — the things our client base genuinely needs. And if you need someone outside our expertise, we won’t hesitate to guide you towards the right fit.
Sometimes that means playing a supporting role, making sure the advice you get elsewhere is translated into your context, so you don’t have to start from scratch with every new professional. That continuity matters. It’s not about maximising billable hours — it’s about doing the right thing by clients who trust us to see the bigger picture.
The work we do is often complex, but our job is to make sure it doesn’t feel that way to the people sitting across from us. No jargon, no smoke and mirrors — just clear advice that people can understand and use.
The most rewarding part of working regionally is that you’re not just dealing with clients — you’re working with neighbours, community members, people whose futures are tied to the same places as your own. That creates accountability, but it also creates connection.
So if you’ve been putting off seeing a lawyer because you’re worried it will be too expensive, too complicated, or too intimidating, I’d encourage you to think again. Sometimes the most cost-effective step you can take is picking up the phone early.
Lawyers don’t have to be the people you avoid until the last minute. When done right, we’re simply one more part of your team — helping you protect what you’ve built, and making sure the big decisions of life and business aren’t carried alone.
This piece was created in collaboration with Roberts + Morrow.
The contents of this article are for general information only and is not intended as professional advice. Roberts + Morrow expressly disclaims all liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information provided in this article.