“Maybe the right thing for me is to inspire others and support them; maybe that’s the biggest impact I can have.” – how a legal advisor becomes a life advisor in his free time and how humanity matters in business.

Peter Jackson, Partner, Jackson Smith Solicitors, Sydney, Australia

We heard about Peter Jackson in China. Andrew Lee, a young Chinese-Australian, now training Chinese in conflict resolution in Beijing, told us about Peter’s impact on his own career. He described him as a very humble person with a great respect for everyone; whether Chief Justice of Australia or a small, poor farmer from the outback. Andrew was fascinated by the way Peter was able to mentor him and encourage him to find the right way for himself by asking the right questions at the right time. After this introduction we were curious to meet Peter and hear from him how he saw his role in the life of people surrounding him, and what he wanted his impact to be. Peter is a very successful and experienced legal advisor in Sydney and has a highly ethical attitude towards life, business, and human relations.

Enjoy reading selected thoughts and statements from our discussion with Peter Jackson in the quotations below. You may be able to read more about his mentoring and role as “connector” in our book “MyImpact”.

Peter Jackson’s selected quotations:
“I am a specialist in banking law; I help people to get richer. What I try to do is to bring some humanity into a fairly uninspiring job.”

“I believe that I do have some talents and I feel an obligation to do something worthwhile with them. What I like doing is to listen, mentor, advice people in their personal life challenges. I recognize in others what they are capable of doing.”

“I seem to be able to motivate people, to listen and advice. I don’t really know why but I seem to be the place where people come to hear what they can do with their life.”

“Being human means being with each other, relating to each other.”

“In a way I would like to do more, to make a difference. I am not sure what and how, however. Maybe the right thing for me is to inspire others and support them; maybe that’s the biggest impact I can have.”

“I currently have two friends with successful business careers and both of them want to get engaged in something more meaningful. We spend evenings discussing options, and I try to connect them with projects that would mean the greatest leverage of their skills.”

“I think practicing law in a very ethical way is another contribution I can make. I turn down clients with requests that do not fit my values and I try to bring as much humanity as possible into the business relations.”

Some background on Peter Jackson:
Peter Jackson was admitted as a solicitor in 1973 and has worked principally in the areas of banking and finance litigation, enabling him to provide much-needed assistance to people from all walks of life. As a specialist in this area, he has taken on many difficult cases and his innovative approach has resulted in considerable success for clients in both court victories and settlements.
He has also worked extensively with farmers in the area of banking and finance law and has examined the Farm Debt Mediation Act in detail. He has assisted in around 100 mediations in relation to problems farmers face with their bank.
Peter also actively assists clients in business development and has worked closely with clients on a number of joint venture projects, including a major initiative in China to build its beef cattle industry.

Some background on Jackson Smith Solicitors:
Jackson Smith Solicitors was established in March 1996 by partners Peter Jackson and Greg Smith. They provide personalised legal service, particularly to individuals or small businesses needing assistance with business restructure, family disputes or financial hardship caused by problems with their banks.
This can involve providing advice on:
• The best course of action to take in relation to a legal problem
• Negotiating on a client's behalf with lawyers, bankers and members of the business community
• Using the expertise and resources available to the firm to obtain a successful resolution through the court system.

If you would like to engage with the work of Peter Jackson or get to know more about Jackson Smith Solicitors please visit www.jacksonsmith.com.au,
or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.