Cooney Lees Morgan Associate Jasmine Daroch is now recognised as one of Australasia’s top young lawyers after being named a ‘Future Legal Leader’ for 2026.
Awarded by Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer, the accolade is highly competitive, celebrating a select group of lawyers aged 35 and under who are making a significant impact on the profession. Jasmine’s recognition continues a strong run for CLM, marking the third consecutive year a lawyer from our firm has been honoured.
For Jasmine, the award is both a significant professional milestone and a moment of personal reflection.
“It’s extremely rewarding to know that my hard work has been recognised – which is an amazing feeling! I’m hopeful this will contribute to my career development and help support my progression to the next stage.”
On a personal level, the achievement is deeply meaningful. Jasmine’s father, who was one of her biggest supporters, passed away around 18 months ago.
“I’ve always tried to make my parents proud because I wouldn’t have my degree today if it wasn’t for them. They’ve both worked really hard to give me the opportunities I’ve had. It feels bittersweet that I can’t share this achievement with him, but I know my dad would be super proud.
“I don’t think there is any particular trick or secret to success. You need to work hard and be passionate about what you do. If you’re passionate, you’ll naturally produce high-quality work and achieve success because you see positive results from your actions.”
Making an impact at CLM
Since joining CLM in late 2024, Jasmine has quickly established herself as a key member of our Private Client & Trust team.
She handles a broad range of residential, commercial and rural property transactions, alongside business sales, subdivisions, leases, banking and finance matters. Much of her work is complex, often involving high net-worth clients, multi-tenancy commercial assets, bespoke lending structures or large-scale developments.
What sets Jasmine apart is not just her technical capability, but the pace at which she has built momentum in a new region. After relocating from Auckland, she set about rebuilding her client base from scratch, generating new relationships and bringing a steady stream of work into our firm.
She has also played an active role in strengthening CLM internally. Jasmine supports multiple partners while maintaining her own growing portfolio of clients, mentors junior team members, and contributes to firm-wide initiatives. She was closely involved in the rollout of CLM’s new practice management system last year, helping colleagues adapt to change, and is part of our firm’s AI working group, contributing to discussions about how emerging technologies can be used responsibly in legal practice.
Importantly, she credits much of her success to the environment around her.
“The partners I work with are truly so supportive. They have consistently set me up for success and helped me excel ever since I joined the firm,” she says. “I’ve been given the freedom to attend networking events for business development, be part of internal CLM committees, sponsor community initiatives and mentor juniors.
“Without that support, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this level of recognition or be in the same playing field as some of the other candidates for this award.”
The culture at CLM has also played a key role in shaping her experience. “The colleagues I work with are incredibly supportive and always willing to help. It’s important to surround yourself with people who motivate you and make your job enjoyable, even through stressful times. CLM also prides itself on a work-life balance so that has been really awesome to see, especially coming from a city where long hours are common in the legal profession.”
A strong future ahead
Jasmine’s recognition as a Future Legal Leader continues a strong run for CLM, following Senior Associate Robbie Bennett’s success in 2025 and Patrick Anderson’s recognition in 2024, prior to becoming Partner.
While still early in her career, Jasmine’s impact has already been significant, setting her apart among her peers.
“Jasmine is a very impressive young solicitor,” acknowledges Partner Matt Tustin. “Her work is always of the highest quality. She has exceptional skills in property law and is also very strong in commercial and trust matters. She has quite a unique ability to attract work, often from people who have had dealings with her. Clients love her, and she builds positive and constructive relationships quickly.”
Matt adds that Jasmine is well-liked within our firm and always willing to help others. “We are thrilled her talents have been recognised at a national level.”
For now, Jasmine remains focused on continuing to grow her expertise and hopes to become a senior associate in the future. With this latest recognition, she is well on her way.
