CCBR Business Review

5 CO V E R S T O R Y to learn and grow through hands-on experi- ence in and out of the courtroom. Conditsis Lawyers is a law firm focused on delivering excellent outcomes for regional clients. In line with this focus, a key business strategy for achievement during FY20/21 was to open a new regional office in Newcastle. The firm also has satellite offices in Sydney and Wollongong. Another strate- gic objective was to invest more time and capital into increasing brand awareness and engagement. Manny and Michal created a new position, General Manager, Marketing and Operations, engaging experienced local marketing professional, Justine Dittel, to the role in November 2020. Justine said, “During the past twelve months, Manny and Jamie Clements, Emma Sutton, Manny Conditsis, Alexandra Bailey and Justine Dittel finance. “Agents loved me because I was able to arrange finance for the difficult ones they were going to lose,”he said. The conveyanc- ing practice and Manny’s reputation thrived, and some of the Coast’s largest developers retained him as their lawyer. At the same time, he was gaining broader experience in civil litigation, family law and criminal law. Manny conducted his first jury trial in 1987, a serious assault case in which his client was acquitted at Gosford District Court. Ten years later, his first murder trial, which saw him successfully represent Dean Waters, put him squarely in the media spotlight. “I wasn’t thinking ahead, I was just doing what I believed I was meant to be doing, representing the underdog, which aligned with my passion and ena- bled me to use my advocacy skills to fight against injustice,” he said. Since then, he has appeared in four further murder trials. Manny became an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law in 2001 and the firm has spe- cialists across all areas of practice. He won the NSW Law Society President’s Award for Pro Bono Services in 2012. In terms of pro bono work, Manny says it’s about merit on a case-by-case basis, not an annual target. “I carefully assess all relevant factors and the personal plight of the prospective client. I can relate to an individual being on the backfoot.” As the practice’s founder and sen- ior mentor, Manny has always led by exam- ple and maintained an open-door policy. He and Michal encourage all their lawyers, particularly in criminal law, to become Advocates and constantly challenge them Corporate Insolvency & Personal Bankruptcy Specialists www.shawgidley.com.au Michal were committed to growth, and they weren’t going to let the pandemic stop that vision. We have grown the team by 38% and enquiries have increased month-on-month since January.”Manny said, “Justine has been a tremendous contributor to all of that. So, to businesses, I would say, when times are tough, maybe that’s when you need to take a punt, back yourselves and put on staff who will help you get through that period. We’re still in COVID times and we have opened a new office with the intention to grow it over time.”With a new management team in place to drive the firm’s growth targets, including strategic business acquisitions, Manny has no intention of placing limits on the growth of the practice. CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW JULY 2021