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In this week’s episode of the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life Podcast’ I had the pleasure of interviewing soon to be lawyer Jelena Dmitrovic.  I have come to know Jelena as she has been working within my team for almost 2 years now.  This interview is both a happy and sad one for me as next week Jelena will be spreading her wings and leaving my team at Brisbane Family Law Centre to begin the next stage of her legal career at the DPP.  I decided there was no better time to get her on the show and I do love hearing the enthusiasm of our soon to be lawyers as they embark on those first official legal roles.

Jelena was born in Croatia in the midst of civil war.  It is no surprise that this alone has shaped so much of her and her family’s future.  At 18months of age Jelena arrived in Australia with her parents who had fled Croatia to safety however that decision of course left them all having to rebuild their lives almost from scratch.  Jelena shared with me her early years in Australia- not speaking english, starting school and yet being surrounded by a strong and supportive Serbian community here in Brisbane.

Fast forward twenty something years and the Jelena I have come to know and love is one powerhouse of a young woman- intelligent and determined but so very generous.  I came to learn in this conversation it is her focus on gratitude that I suspect is her super-power.  From giving back to learning Jelena had many great tips for lawyers of all stages of our careers.  I am so very glad I had the chance to capture her thoughts as she heads off to begin what I know will be a very successful career in the law.

In this interview, Jelena and I also chatted about-

• If Jelena was not a lawyer she would have been a Ballerina or a Chef! (This I did not know before!)
• Jelena was born in Croatia and had to flee her country in 1990 during the civil war. Jelena was 18 months old and her parents were in their early 20s.
• Living with her grandparents, Jelena’s family started to settle into life in Australia and she shares what her early years entailed.
• Fleeing Civil War and the effect this has had on Jelena’s outlook on life.
• Jelena’s next youngest sibling is almost a generation younger than her and her experience of growing up as an (almost) a only child.
• Knowing right from wrong was a large part of Jelena’s life and how it influenced her choice to become a lawyer at the ripe old age of 12!
• Jelena’s experience of University studying at Griffith here in Brisbane and how it took a few different turns to find ‘her thing’!
• Jelena volunteers at “Fair Share” fortnightly and tells us why she chose this organisation to support.
• Jelena has always had a love for both Criminal and Family law and finds her own lived experience has helped her be patient and compassionate with her clients.
• ‘Gather: A Place for New & Aspiring Lawyers”  is a group that Jelena and fellow young lawyer, Kiarah Grace Kelly, started to give young professional lawyers support.
• Jelena’s perspective on happiness.
• The next stage for Jelena is the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and she is very much looking forward to moving into the criminal law space.
• Jelena would love to be a barrister, a Judge or prosecutor in the future and believes in hard work to get what you want.
• Slowing down, both in her work and her expectations in and outside of the law has been Jelena’s biggest learnings this past year.
• Jelena’s Happiness Tip

Sit back and enjoy this interview with Jelena Dmitrovic

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Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa Rayward at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre-  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

Listen to last week’s episode here