Why is it so important to reflect and give back?

JARED Zak is the Principal Solicitor and founder of Dott & Crossitt, with more than 20 years’ experience in law and finance in Japan, London and Sydney.

He founded Dott & Crossitt in 2014 with a vision to build a client-centric law firm focused on genuine engagement and reducing the stress associated with property transactions.

He says that at its heart, there is a belief that buying a home is a pivotal life event, and that the legal support behind it should be accessible, human, and exceptional.

Dott & Crossitt has grown from handling just five transactions per month to now managing more than 500 per month across six offices.

Success has taken a toll on Jared’s personal time, yet he still leaves space for a contribution to the world around him in the hope it will make a difference. He is active in the work of Homes for Homes and The Anawim Society – both of which serve socially disadvantaged people.

What motivates him? “Dealing with thousands of property transactions each year, most of them being worth millions of dollars each, and making a successful career out of that, does bring a significant amount of Christian guilt,” he says

“I’m reminded that there is a dark side of the property market – those being left behind, the ‘have nots’. I feel we have a responsibility not to forget the homeless or those struggling to financially to accommodate their families.”

As his business career scales, Jared says he makes a conscious effort to pause, reflect, and assess.

“It (charitable interest) was not something present in my mind early in my career, I was too focused on getting Dott & Crossitt to the position it is today,” he said.

“But nowadays with more time to reflect and the very obvious social problem that is house price affordability and homelessness, it is much more on my mind.

“I was raised a Catholic but for many years in early adulthood stopped attending church and rarely reflected deeply. Recently, I’ve started going again, inspired by good friend Father Thomas Stevens, who is the founder of Anawim. Anawim comes from the Hebrew word for ‘the afflicted’ and is a charity supporting homeless people, specifically putting on meaningful dining experiences for them as an expression of ‘service’.

“Father Tom Stevens is very much a role model for me. We have great conversations about the concept and importance of ‘service’, usually over a few of glasses of red.

“It certainly feeds the soul. Focusing relentlessly on your own business or personal pursuits can be very corrosive on the soul. Take time to take care, no matter how busy you are.”