IR Global

Why Adrian Robins thinks learning never stops – even at the top (IR Global June 2025 Member Spotlight)

JCL Law Partners Director, Adrian Robins, featured as one of the IR Global network's June member spotlights. Read the full piece below:

Adrian Robins, a Director at Brisbane-based JCL Law Partners, has built a career defined by calm amidst conflict. He balances leadership, strategy, and deep legal expertise to support clients through high-stakes commercial litigation.

“I’m responsible for managing the practice, supervising staff, and overseeing the legal work alongside Jim (Conomos),” he says. “But at its core, my role is about resolving disputes and helping people find clarity in difficult circumstances.”

With over 17 years at the firm and 20 in legal practice, Adrian has seen the firm evolve – and personally, he’s held nearly every title going. “I started here as a solicitor, moved through associate, senior associate, salaried partner, and eventually director,” he explains.

The road from Sydney to Brisbane (and into litigation and insolvency)

Adrian’s career in law began in a niche area as a legal costs consultant. “That was just something I did after I’d finished university, in part because I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he laughs.

The role gave him broad exposure to many areas of legal practice and insight into how firms operate behind the scenes. It also helped him quickly identify the practice areas he was most drawn to: commercial litigation and insolvency: “It was the sort of work that interested me the most and was most suited to my personality and skill set.”

Originally from Sydney, Adrian relocated to Brisbane through a short-term opportunity with a former firm. “It was meant to be just a bit of an adventure,” he says. “I very quickly found that Brisbane was a lot easier and a lot cheaper to live in than Sydney.”

What was supposed to be a one-year secondment turned into a long-term career and a life built in Queensland at what was then known as James Conomos Lawyers.

“Even when I was in my twenties, 17 years at a firm was exceptional. It wasn’t the norm. It just happened, I’ve enjoyed working here and with the people I’ve worked with.”

No two days alike

As a commercial litigator, Adrian is drawn to the variety and intellectual challenge of his work. “The beauty of commercial litigation is there’s no typical workday,” he says, “the litigation is the mechanics of what you do, but the subject matter varies markedly between matters.”

His role as a Director also includes supervising legal staff, managing client relationships, and overseeing strategic decisions at the firm. “There’s more responsibility for the day-to-day management of the practice,” he explains. “More of a strategic focus, I suppose.”

Despite holding a senior leadership role, Adrian continues to remain closely involved in legal matters. “I think everybody finds this, but when things get busy, you revert to type – you just knuckle down and get it done,” he explains.

In addition to court appearances, he frequently spends time advising clients, preparing for mediations, and managing complex disputes. “It could well be a whole day of conferring with clients and client meetings,” he says. “It could be a day in court or in mediation.”

However, court appearances are less frequent than many people assume: “You don’t spend as much time in court as people think. A lot of the work is preparing for court; putting your clients in the best position for when the time comes.”

Adrian’s day-to-day work also includes mentoring junior staff and ensuring the firm remains efficient and client-focused. “Not being the person doing as much of the grunt work, but trying to delegate and lead,” he adds. “It can be hard, though, particularly when the team is busy, because you often have to jump back in and do the work yourself, just to keep things moving.”

Finding purpose in people, not just the courtroom

Though he’s had his share of court victories, Adrian finds the greatest satisfaction in helping clients find peace during stressful times.

“As a litigator, one of the most satisfying things is when you have a matter that goes all the way through to trial… and you get a written judgment. It completely vindicates your client’s position.”

But often, it’s the more intangible moments that matter most. “Sometimes you can actually visibly see when you’ve put a client at ease. When they come in, they’re worried, they’re stressed…if you resolve a proceeding at mediation… sometimes you can even see the relief on your client’s opponent’s face.”

Overcoming imposter syndrome and industry pressure

Adrian is open about the challenges he’s faced, particularly early in his career. “I had a sense that I struggled to be taken seriously by more senior practitioners,” he shares.

“I suspect that was probably more a function of some kind of imposter syndrome.”

Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for senior lawyers to ignore junior correspondence and only respond to partners. “You don’t know whether that’s just because they were in a hurry… or whether it was a deliberate thing.”

Another ongoing challenge is work-life balance. “I’ve lost track of the amount of family dinners I’ve missed during the week or concert tickets I’ve had to forego,” he admits.

Stressing the importance of finding a good balance as early as possible, he warns “if you don’t pay attention to it, your health and fitness can really suffer.”

It’s OK to not know the answer immediately

To young professionals experiencing self-doubt, Adrian offers a reassuring perspective.

“One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me early on was a senior practitioner who said: ‘I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I still don’t know the answer.’” That stuck with him; learning never stops.

“What you manage to work out as a junior associate is probably just as good as what anybody else might know,” he adds.

He also stresses the value of community. “Joining professional associations, particularly those aimed at young professionals. It’s a good place to know that you’re not alone.”

His parting advice: “You just have to roll with the punches and keep proving yourself.”

Connecting through IR Global

Although Adrian is relatively new to IR Global, he’s already seen the benefits firsthand. “Several years ago, through IR Global, I was able to very quickly source somebody in New Zealand who could do the work for our client. Without IR Global, it would’ve taken a long time.”

He’s now preparing to attend his first IR Global conference in New Orleans. “It’s a long trip, so I want to make the most of it.”

Looking ahead, he’s also eager to tap into the network’s expertise around compliance. “Australia’s new anti-money laundering legislation comes into force next year, and New Zealand members, who’ve already had similar laws in place, will be a great resource for us.”

Preparing for the future, and embracing the unexpected

For now, Adrian sees the firm continuing on its current path, but keeping a close eye on how technology will continue to reshape legal practice. “In the 20 years I’ve been in practice, technology has had a significant impact,” he says.

“The buzzword at the moment is obviously AI, which is going to change things in ways that we can’t even imagine.”

He’s also watching blockchain developments. “Things like smart contracts and tokenisation, that also potentially has the ability to change the way that law is practiced.”

Adrian stresses the importance of staying current. “It’s not going to make litigators obsolete, but it will change the way we work.”

Swimming lessons and dinosaurs

Outside the legal world, Adrian’s life has shifted into a new phase: fatherhood. “Despite being in my mid-forties, we’ve got a three-year-old toddler. That’s my life outside of work at the moment,” he laughs, “swimming lessons and dinosaurs.”

Adrian’s other hobbies have included photography and attending live sporting and music events. “Just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I took up digital photography as a hobby, but unfortunately that has taken a back seat lately.”

Still, he’s embracing this time fully: “You never get that time back, he’s only going to be young once. He won’t always want to hang out with me, so I’m making the most of it now!”

by IR Global

Optimism in the face of uncertainty

How can proactive risk management strategies help businesses navigate regulatory and economic uncertainties?

Typically, crisis planning involves the management of many sorts of risks. No matter what industry, you should have risk plans in place that are relevant to your industry. Whilst it may not be possible to plan for every eventuality, a risk plan ought to be in place for the challenges you can predict, also called known unknowns.

Firstly, having a risk management strategy is important, even if it is costly to establish because being prepared minimises risk. Secondly, if you operate effectively then changes in economic policy are less likely to drastically affect you. When designing your risk management strategies, commonly, the following steps are useful:

Assess the impact of the uncertain regulatory issue on your firm, then assess your degree of regulatory
uncertainty. Next you should identify your current coping strategies, including a review of their breadth and consistency. Finally, using this knowledge you can devise an appropriate strategic posture. Further potential strategies include:

• Investigation: Collect additional information; draw on professional expertise to be applied in decision making.

• Influencing: Manipulate determining circumstances or actors that constitute uncertainty.

• Stabilisation: Implement standard procedures or establish long-term contracts.

• Integration: Restructure business portfolios through divestitures, acquisitions, and mergers.

• Internal design: Change organisational design by establishing modular structures, low degree of formalisation, or decentralisation.

• Postponement: Defer decisions and wait for more certainty.

• No-regret moves: Execute activities that are advantageous regardless of how uncertainty resolves.

• Substitution: Replace uncertain decision criteria with assumptions derived from comprehensive consideration or detailed analysis.

• Cooperation: Collaborate with suppliers, customers, or competitors, e.g. in research or production; engage in trade associations.

• Imitation: Examine and copy the strategy of your competitors.

• Withdrawal: Exit the business in uncertain markets and focus on predictable environments.

In times of economic distress and change, how can professional services firms assist in maximising value while minimising disruptions?

Typically, the size or structure of a business will dictate how to minimise disruptions. In a large firm, there are greater resources, whereas in a smaller firm, there is greater scope to react quicker to change. The ability to modify an organisation’s business model as a consequence of a crisis is called antifragility.

The issues to consider include being flexible enough to enable change where necessary. As an example, smaller businesses tend to be able to address change promptly because they can make faster decisions, with potentially better results. Larger businesses have a larger bureaucracy but may have greater resources to enable experienced person to make prompt decisions. To make the best decision, it is important to have strong and decisive leaders.

Also, embracing technology is key in any business, large or small. During COVID-19, shifting quickly to online + digital services was vital to survival.

How can clients approach the risk of uncertainty and turn it into opportunity?

In general, risk and uncertainty are different concepts. On the one hand, risks are generally known unknowns,
whereas uncertainty deals with unknown unknowns. Being flexible and optimistic enables one to have the best mindset, which involves thinking “how can maximise this opportunity?”, rather than “how do I minimise this risk?”. In this respect:

Firstly, human resource management is critical, you should make sure the person who can create the most value is on the project/task.

Secondly, it is critical to make sure that your business is generally aligned with customer needs.

Thirdly, knowledge is always key and therefore overconfidence needs to be avoided.

Fourthly, it is wise to underestimate the value of any kind of knowledge gained from previous experience.

Fifth, having a proactive risk management strategy is also an effective way to know how a situation should be handled.

The real issue is failing to embrace uncertainty and subsequently failing to innovate, which can lead to failure. History is littered with examples of businesses failing to take risks and thereby missing out on opportunities – for example, Kodak missed the opportunity to invest in Instagram when available, while Yahoo passed up the opportunity to buy Google for $1 million in 2002.

Key Takeaways

1. Developing a comprehensive risk management strategy helps businesses navigate uncertainties by minimising risks, adapting to economic changes, and leveraging tools like AI. Effective strategies include assessing regulatory impacts, adopting flexible structures, and employing techniques like stabilising operations or diversifying portfolios.
2. Flexibility, decisive leadership, and embracing technology are vital for mitigating disruptions, especially during crises. Smaller firms can quickly adapt due to agility, while larger firms benefit from extensive resources. Antifragility—modifying business models during crises—ensures resilience and growth.
3. Viewing uncertainty as an opportunity fosters innovation and growth. Aligning with customer needs, leveraging human resources effectively, and learning from past experiences can uncover new opportunities. Failure to embrace uncertainty risks missed innovations, as seen in Kodak and Yahoo’s missed investments.

This is James Conomos' submission to IR Global's 'The Visionaries'. Read the full publication here.

by IR Global