Carly Traeger’s career pathway has always been an unconventional one. She is one of the few lawyers in QLD who has gone from private practice to police officer, employment lawyer and to in-house and then finally back again to private practice.



Like many women, Carly’s career trajectory has been impacted by difficult decisions around relationships and family. Whilst she loved her role in the police force, which included time being outside, away from a desk, helping people and lots of challenging variety in her days. She felt she had to walk away from a promising police career because they wanted to station her 6 hours away from her partner at the time. She felt forced to choose between her relationship and her career.

Managing family life

It was after Carly had children that the real juggle began. At 3 days a week in private practice she felt like work had to be handed over to colleagues on the day’s she was not there. If a child was sick it fell to her to manage and most of the domestic workload fell to her as a “part-timer”. When a redundancy came about Carly took an in-house role at a former client.

Any working mum knows that the pull from home is hard to balance. Societal norms still often weigh the caring responsibilities for children on the shoulders of the working mother. Even those that acknowledge having a fulfilling career makes them a better parent still battle with ferocious parenting guilt much of the time. It is really challenging to return to work with multiple children and progress your career, and no less so in a legal career.

Many women try different balancing acts. Less days, more time at home, or more working days traded for more time in care. Carly eventually stepped up to 4 days, and found the balance felt better, she was more available for her job and the responsibilities at home were being shared by her partner. She felt less “part-time”.  

Taking on too much

Whilst Carly enjoyed her role in-house which was largely in a HR role with an employment law focus, its workload eventually led to mental health challenges. She just took on too much. Like many of us she didn’t want to let the team down or seem averse to opportunities when they were offered. When she was asked to take on a short-term leadership role on top of her usual responsibilities she said yes.

What she then faced was a workload that was too intense almost all-consuming. Carly felt that she was giving everything to her job and did not feel present with her children or husband. She was just too tired to do much on weekends or her day off. Carly says, “I felt like I couldn’t cope anymore. I didn’t want to go to work, I had no confidence. It was a really tough time.”

The additional responsibilities quickly led to burn out and Carly found herself taking some time off to recover. She thought to herself that she just needed a few weeks, was tired and needed a break.

It was only when the EAP psychologist Carly was seeing described what she was experiencing as anxiety, that Carly broke down in tears. She was shocked. She didn’t want a label like that. She didn’t want to experience mental health problems. But here she was in the trenches.

Carly took some time off. She spent some time reprioritizing and focusing on her wellbeing. She spent time with her family and self-care. It was the best thing she could have done.

The Recovery

Working with the psychologist over time helped her eventually bounce back. She was advised not to make any rash decisions about her future, but to approach her return to work as an opportunity to work through what was making her anxious and to confront it head on. It would have been easier to walk away, but Carly bravely returned to work and to the environment that had started the problems.

It was with the massive support of her colleagues and being very up front with what she was experiencing that Carly began to work through her anxiety. She found that by speaking up she had given people around her permission to share their own experiences and those of friends and family. Carly certainly did not feel alone and began to understand that what she was feeling was quite common. Her colleagues were constantly and authentically checking in with her, asking how she was going and whether they could help.

Carly acknowledges that the skills she gained whilst working in-house have helped her gain credibility for future clients. She understands from a commercial perspective how a business operates, and how to assess risk. She has been involved in a broader range of tasks than she would have otherwise such as projects, presentations, managing stakeholders and leading a team.

What Carly Learned

Like any life experience, Carly’s anxiety has delivered lessons for the future. Many lawyers feel that they have periods where they are working too hard or are stuck in-the-grind. They might wonder how they get off the hamster wheel. Carly’s advice to others is that it is ok to say no. If faced with the challenges that lead to her burnout again, she would feel comfortable saying no. Or asking for support to take on aspects of her existing role. She has learned to value herself and her mental health and not to trade it for some imagined moment of being a team player.

Carly has learned to assess what is on her plate and to understand that she can’t just keep adding to it infinitely. Carly now practices yoga and meditation. She will even meditate on the bus on the way home before she picks up her children from day care. It helps her switch off from work. She is aware of how she is feeling and her own emotions. She can recognise when she is too busy and take steps to manage her workload before it gets to crisis point. She practices self-care.

When Carly took time to reassess what she wanted from her career having overcome her difficult year, she stepped back towards private practice. She took time to find the right role, with the right 4 day a week flexibility, the opportunity to work from home and the right supportive Partner.

She is now thriving amongst interesting legal work with plenty of support including researchers, paralegals and her own secretary. The day off a week with her family has better boundaries and the future looks bright. We think it is a testament to her courage, life experience and tenacity.

Like Carly, many lawyers consider making career changes once the juggle of family life comes along. The industry is starting to become more flexible and we are even seeing working from home becoming a permanent working arrangement. If you are finding yourself stuck in the grind and on the look out for a change, get in touch, we can help!

If you are considering your next career move, we can help. Contact us for a confidential career consultation where we can help you understand your market value and what is on offer in the Brisbane legal industry. You can make an appointment by emailing us at info@alexcorreaexecutive.com.au.