‘Every file is someone’s life’: Patterson & Co Family Law raises bar for Toowoomba
A leading Queensland family lawyer has launched a firm on the Darling Downs, providing the Toowoomba region with access to high-quality expertise, specialised experience, and fierce support.
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A family law firm has opened on the Darling Downs providing regional Queenslanders an unmatched level of expertise, specialised experience, and fierce support during what can often be one of the most challenging times of their lives.
Patterson & Co Family Law, based in Toowoomba, celebrated its official opening on Friday, February 7, at the Rowes Precinct where its office is located.
Highly regarded family law solicitor and Patterson & Co Family Law partner John Patterson said it was an honour to open his firm in the town where he grew up.
The former Highlands Christian College boy returned to the Darling Downs in 2020 after leaving for Brisbane as a 19-year-old.
“I’ve grown into a real fondness, a real love for the Toowoomba community. Having grown up here you sort of take it for granted and leave in a huff,” he said.
The 34-year-old said he originally planned to work internationally, but quickly realised he wanted to start his legacy in his hometown.
“If you enjoy working with people then it doesn’t matter where you’re working from, whether it’s Brisbane, London, or New York, or wherever else, they’re all still flesh and bones with a bunch of emotions,” he said.
“And the people here are just as important to deal with as anywhere else, so once I had that light bulb moment that I didn’t need to go scouring the world to find important work, it was kind of right in front of me.
“But there was never any grand plan to leave and come back in a blaze of glory.”
Unprecedented access for regional Queenslanders
The Doyle’s Guide endorsed solicitor was admitted to practice in both the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia, and has been a fierce advocate for clients across the Darling Downs, Western Downs, and Brisbane regions for over a decade.
“We do things to a standard - a very particular standard,” Mr Patterson said.
“Professionalism is incredibly important for us.
“I think it’s harder for people in regional communities to access the level of professional legal service they deserve, should be able to access, and that people in the capitals can already readily access.
“I’m fortunate in that I have the experience and training in those areas and I love living here, so I can take that and deliver it here.”
The family law firm opened its office doors in July 2024, prior to which Mr Patterson was a legal partner and director at Wilsons The Family Lawyers and an associate at Best Wilson Buckley Family Law.
“It’s been a real privilege,” he said.
“The conversations I get to have with people that haven’t known me forever are pretty close to the bone.
“And they’re conversations a lot of people don’t get to have with their close friends.
“It can be a lot, but it’s truly a privilege which I really enjoy.”
He said one of the drives behind opening in Toowoomba was to raise the bar of expertise and service to a level the community deserved.
“People in this town, and quite rightly so, are not just going to trust a random blow in from Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne, who comes in and tells them how to live, and nor should they,” he said.
“I suppose a part of the reason why we wanted to set up was the blend of experience from those places and a real fondness for this community particularly but also regional communities.
“But you can’t create that overnight, it takes a lot of investment.
“I think the cure is of course financial investment from governments and our leaders but also personal investments from business owners.
“We’ve got to find good people and teach them how to be good lawyers and members of our business community and that’s not that easy.”
He said there were many great practitioners in Toowoomba but people in town and the broader region had limited options.
“There’s not any name that I can really think of… anywhere that would make me nervous and that’s a great thing for the profession in the town, a great thing for the people in this town, a great thing for young lawyers in this town, and students,” he said.
“The more good, strong, and professional practitioners we’ve got, the better for everybody.”
He said he was ready to “live and die” by his high level of standards and ensure it was delivered in a way that recognised people’s dignity which can be often forgotten in family law.
“That means if it goes really well we can pat ourselves on the back and if it doesn’t we have no one else to blame and know that the standard that’s going to be delivered across the board, is going to be our standard,” he said.
“It’s my job to protect (my clients) and to get a great outcome for them.”
“Every file I have is someone’s life,” he said.
Photos taken at Patterson & Co Family Lawyers opening:
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Originally published as ‘Every file is someone’s life’: Patterson & Co Family Law raises bar for Toowoomba
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