From Journalism to SLB Legal: How Sarah Burke Built a Practice That Works for Her Life (and Clients)

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 SELLChapters00:00 Intro & why self-employment00:32 Journalism → law: the pivot05:20 First role at Maddocks (no clerkship path)06:43 Discovering contracts over litigation07:39 Study vs practice (it’s not Suits)09:10 Moving in-house & secondments10:45 Telstra years: becoming commercial & practical13:30 Press pause for family; reassessing career15:59 SLB Legal: the soft launch19:27 Building systems slowly (then scaling)21:18 How SELL helps (community + playbooks)25:40 AI: where it helps, where it falls short31:18 Contracts as strategy & storytelling32:50 “Outsourced in-house” for SMEs34:50 Why small businesses are inspiring35:25 How to contact Sarah (site, LinkedIn, phone)Show notes & linksSarah’s firm: SLB Legal — www.slblegal.com.auConnect with Sarah: LinkedIn (search Sarah Burke, SLB Legal)Call: 1300 091 014Learn about the Self-Employed Lawyers League (SELL) https://thesell.life