About Us
Our Firm
SWS Lawyers is a dynamic corporate and commercial law firm. We strive to ensure that our clients’ legal needs are met in a timely, pragmatic and cost-effective manner.
SWS Lawyers offers our clients access to top quality specialist lawyers. Our people, size and structure allow us to deliver first rate services in a timely and cost-effective manner, resulting in exceptional outcomes for our clients.
Our senior lawyers have backgrounds in top-tier private practice or in-house roles in Australia or overseas. They pride themselves on understanding client needs and delivering exceptional legal services in a clear and concise manner. The rest of our team share this ethos.
Our values are the foundation of our business
Our values are the foundation of our business. Our people have created those values and continually strive to uphold them. We take great care in the recruitment and the development of our people to ensure that everyone shares our values. Our values are designed to provide a framework for the wellbeing of our employees, the satisfaction of our clients and the financial security of our business, while contributing to the community in which we operate.
We believe in providing a first class service to our clients, in an attractive and balanced working environment for our people, while making an ongoing contribution to the community beyond our paying clients. All of our team must buy into and share the SWS culture. While we respect and celebrate diversity, the success of our business depends on a shared vision and culture for our firm and the way we do business.
We will always strive to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations in the services we provide.
We will treat all people with honesty and respect. This includes our people, our clients and other parties with whom we deal.
We believe it is important to contribute positively to the community in which we operate. This includes assisting the disadvantaged, as well as supporting culture and the arts.
Our clients will always have direct access to the people responsible their work, including our principals.
We will deliver what we promise, when we
promise it.
We will maintain an environment in which our people enjoy coming to work and have the opportunity to develop themselves and their careers, and are able to provide exceptional services to our clients.
Our Community
SWS Lawyers believe that our role in the community extends beyond the delivery of legal services to our paying clients. We participate in the community in a number of ways
- Hunter Community Legal Centre – The Hunter Community Legal Centre is a community legal centre that provides free legal advice to disadvantaged people based in the greater Newcastle and Hunter Valley region
- University of Newcastle Legal Centre – The University of Newcastle Legal Centre is a community legal centre run by the University of Newcastle Law School. It is also the centrepiece of the Law School’s clinical program, giving students the opportunity to develop practical skills by assisting solicitors.
- Leapfrog Ability – Leapfrog has been assisting people living with disability across the Hunter Region for over 20 years.
- Ngnowar-Aerwah Aboriginal Corporation – The NACC is an integral health and welfare centre for the East Kimberley Indigenous community. Its services include alcohol and drug prevention treatment, counselling and more.
- Yacaaba Centre -The Yacaaba Centre is a specialist homelessness service that has been operating in the Port Stephens area for over 20 years. The Centre assists victims of abuse by offering counselling and information services as well as by providing access to safe and affordable housing.
- The International Women’s Day fundraising breakfast hosted by the Equal Futures Project;
- Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea (Cancer Council).
At SWS Lawyers, we believe the Newcastle and Hunter community deserves access to the best of the Performing Arts. We are delighted to be the first legal firm to sponsor the Civic Theatre Season. Our involvement began in 2014 and we take pride in knowing that our financial support assists the Civic Theatre to continue to bring a varied program of theatre, dance, music and other performing arts to the people of Newcastle. We consider the Civic Theatre to be as culturally iconic to Newcastle, as Nobbys Lighthouse is geographically iconic.
We are also delighted to be able to showcase in our reception and boardroom wonderful paintings by Newcastle artist, Paul Maher.
The University of Newcastle Law School takes a uniquely practical approach to preparing the next generation of lawyers for their career. We are consistently impressed by the local students we meet who we have no doubt will go on to confidently serve our clients and communities and represent our profession in the future. In support of the Law School, a number of our senior practitioners act as guest lecturers throughout the year and we take a number of students for professional placement and as summer clerks. We have a role on the Law School Advisory Board and our employees have also acted as judges in student competitions.
Our lawyers support the following community based legal clinics which provide advice and assistance to the disadvantaged and vulnerable:
SWS Lawyers have provided pro bono legal services to a number of community organisations including:
We are proud to have donated to Sport Access Foundation, an organisation founded by Paralympic gold medal winning triathlete, Katie Kelly, for the purpose of creating opportunities for kids with disabilities to participate in sport.
SWS Lawyers is a silver sponsor of the Fearnley Dawes Athletic Centre, a not for profit organisation whose stated aims include growing community participation in physical activities and providing opportunities to facilitate healthy lifestyle, socialisation and a sense of belonging. We are also a proud member of the Newcastle Jets 500 Club.
SWS Lawyers and its staff regularly participate in, and contribute to, local and national charitable fundraising events including: