Far removed from her current role as a lawyer, Jacinta actually grew up on a Merino sheep farm in Victoria Australia, but her family encouraged her to be whatever she wanted to be, “With a passion for reading and challenging the status quo, law was a natural choice” Jacinta explains.
After qualifying as a lawyer in Australia, Jacinta built a successful career working in a combination of in-house and private practice roles before then eventually deciding to start her own virtual law firm after moving to a new area away from the city and not wishing to commute every day. Quality of life was something that was important to her.
Jacinta has been successfully running her virtual law firm business for over 7 years and continues to do so. It was while she was running her business, she was contacted by the Vario Australia Account Management team asking whether she would be interested in contract work through Vario; “My experience with Vario has been seamless. Not only can I continue to work remotely with my private clients but I can plug into Pinsent Masons’ global network of resources and clients” she comments.
After being interviewed and screened through Vario’s robust onboarding process, Jacinta was accepted into the Vario hub and was then matched to an external assignment. Describing her most recent assignment through Vario, Jacinta notes, “My most recent assignment was a great success. I worked for a client to facilitate the completion of a cloud subscription agreement. This was a complex negotiation and I assisted negotiations with the vendor who was based in Sydney to get the deal completed.” For Jacinta, the ability to choose whether or not to accept opportunities offer to her or to focus on her own business has been a huge benefit to her; “I have always been committed to having a strong work/life balance. Vario has enhanced this further by enabling me to work with their international client base which may not have been accessible to me as a small virtual law firm” Jacinta says.
The improved work-life balance has enabled Jacinta to find more time to enjoy her passions, “I love travel. My husband is French and we love travelling to Europe with our family. Being a Vario and working a lot of the time remotely allows me to still enjoy travel. We also live by the ocean, so spending time at the beach and daily exercise whether that is running, swimming, yoga or just reading, is a priority” she describes.
For others thinking of joining Vario, Jacinta gives the following advice;” If you like flexibility, working independently and maintaining a work-life balance I would not hesitate to join Vario.”
If you’re seeking a better lifestyle to fit around your legal career like Jacinta, get in touch with the team today.
READ ANOTHER OF OUR STORIES
Lucy Begbie
Sourcing High Quality Legal Work as a Paralegal.
Starting a new career in commercial law is challenging enough but coupled with the pandemic, finding quality legal experience as a paralegal has made the task even harder. Lucy found her first foothold with Vario Flexible Services.
Lucy Begbie
Ellie Wood
A New Avenue for a Qualified Junior Lawyer.
Entering the world of legal work during a global pandemic. Joining Vario’s legal bench helped this junior lawyer gain precious legal experience.
Ellie Wood
Colin Sloan
Sourcing rich legal work through Vario
Experienced Lawyer Colin has been able to find exciting short-term legal projects through Vario, allowing him to enjoy a much more flexible lifestyle.
Colin Sloan
Andrew McLean
Vario within the Financial Services sector
Andrew has been a Vario for almost three years and has spent much of that time on assignment with a major bank. Quite a change from his previous life as in-house counsel for a whiskey manufacturer!
Andrew McLean
Elaine Quinn
Vario and founder of The Conscious Lawyer
Elaine joined Vario in 2013 and has experience of both in-house and Pinsent Masons’ internal assignments. Alongside her three-day week as a lawyer, she has launched theconsciouslawyer.co.uk, a publication exploring a more mindful approach to law.
Elaine Quinn
Kate Halliwell
Vario within Banking and Finance
Having been a Vario for four years, Kate enjoys the flexibility that comes with being a freelance lawyer. In her current full-time role, she works from home one day a week, allowing her to stay involved in family life and achieve the balance that matters to her.
Kate Halliwell
Doris Woo
Vario specialising in IP law
After graduating with a degree in computer science, Doris began working in the IT sector. A colleague then suggested one day that she should consider pursuing a career within IP Law as she would be best placed for it with her existing technical knowledge.
Doris Woo
Meg Berlin
Vario and founder of Dancing Vine
A natural-born multipotentialite with a true portfolio career, Meg continues to work in-house for leading international companies whilst completing a Psychotherapy degree, establishing a private therapy practice, and running a ‘mindful wine’ company, www.dancingvine.co.uk.
Meg Berlin
Rose Johnstone
Belfast-based Vario
Based in Belfast, Rose joined the Vario community early on in her career, and has already worked on a variety of assignments. Rose shares with us her philosophy on life and work, and how Vario has given her the independence and control she desires.
Rose Johnstone
Ross McAlister
Paralegal Vario
Ross is a paralegal based in Edinburgh who signed up to Vario to gain further exposure and experience in law ahead of commencing his training contract.
Ross McAlister
Samantha Byrne
Paralegal Vario
Samantha is a paralegal soon to start her training contract. She joined Vario to gain a greater understanding of work and the legal industry while enjoying a flexible work-life balance.
Samantha Byrne
Alan Blinder
Family, friends, fitness, food and fun.
Freelancing as a Vario allows Alan to have more time for what he values most in life.
Alan Blinder
Lisa Akinrele
Passions for travel, fashion and foreign languages.
Becoming a freelancing Vario allows Lisa to dedicate time to following her passions but also work on high-quality assignments.
Lisa Akinrele
Jaimie Hunter
Training for a Traineeship.
Ahead of commencing her training contract, Jaimie is gaining experience and skills as a Vario.
Jaimie Hunter
Zoe Harris
A Class Act.
Working as a Vario, Zoe is able to pursue her passion for acting as well as a career as a lawyer.
Zoe Harris
Lola Dawson
Smelling the Sweet Roses of Life.
Junior Lawyer Lola decided to forego the traditional career in law and became a freelancer instead. She’s now reaping the rewards.
Lola Dawson
Rachel Wood
From practising solicitor to project management. Rachel found a permanent position through Vario.
Rachel originally qualified as a solicitor in corporate law, moving from a fee earning solicitor role at 5 PQE into a PSL position at McGrigors LLP in their corporate team as one of the firm’s first PSL lawyers.
Rachel Wood
Michael Thomas
Growing up, Michael actually dreamed of studying architecture and design, but it was his traditionally-minded father that persuaded him to become a lawyer.
After working 8 years at a firm, Michael decided it was time to make a new start and launch his own firm in October 2017, he then discovered Vario.
Michael Thomas
Will Buswell
From Lab to Law
After years studying life sciences, Paralegal Will Buswell is now seeking new challenges in the legal world.
Will Buswell
Nicola Allan
Nicola always had a passion for illustration, but her professional career steered her towards law. Working as a Vario, she can now enjoy both
Nicola enjoys seeing more of the world and her lifestyle needs a flexible career to support it. Working as a freelance lawyer through Vario allows her to do just that.
Nicola Allan
Jenny Wilson
Employment Law to Musical Score.
From employment law to jazz; to Canada and back; to part-time working; to psychotherapy and coaching; Jenny Wilson is bringing as much colour as possible to her life as a Vario.
Jenny Wilson
Emma Sinclair
Seeking balance within a career path.
Significant travel, tight deadlines, demanding clients and a continually changing industry was keeping Emma away from quality time with her children. Joining Vario allowed her to
Emma Sinclair
Jacinta Bayard
From Merino Life to Marine Life.
After a successful career working in a combination of in-house and private practice roles in the city, Jacinta moved to the coast for a more relaxed pace of life but finds work which suits her through Vario.
Jacinta Bayard
Ian Barrie
Vario living in Italy and the UK
Ian works on Vario assignments predominately during the summer months, allowing him to fund and run his own independent ski travel business, www.glaciustravel.com, the rest of the year.
Ian Barrie
Ruth Chapman
Vario living in Italy and the UK
Ruth is a senior property lawyer and has worked as a Vario for five years, primarily within Pinsent Masons’ teams. She lives across Italy and the UK, and works almost exclusively from home.