'My Aboriginal and Greek culture priceless lessons': The secret of Australia’s most influential lawyer

Matthew Karakoulakis has a true and genuine love for both Greek and Aboriginal cultures and their beautiful similarities. They both helped him a lot in his professional life and to become one of the most influential legal minds in Australia. Mr Karakoulakis talks to SBS Greek

Matthew Aristides Karakoulakis with his 98-year-old Greek grandmother

Adelaide-based Matthew Aristides Karakoulakis is the director and principal lawyer at a law firm with almost 20 years of experience in the industry.

His career began at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and he later branched out to work at both a national and top-tier law firm.

Fuelled by his desire to make a significant impact, Matthew established his law firm in 2014.

Matthew Karakoulakis

His mission was to work directly with small businesses and entrepreneurs, offering them superior-quality legal services and building meaningful, impactful relationships.

Matthew’s passion for diversity, deeply influenced by his Aboriginal and Greek heritage, has enabled him to make substantial contributions to Australia’s legal industry and community.

He and his film were honoured with the 2020 Australian Small Business Champion Awards for Legal Services and as one of Australasian Lawyer’s Most Innovative Firms.

In 2022, he was a finalist in the 2022 Telstra Business Awards and lately, in 2023, Matthew Karakoulakis was recognised as the Most Influential Lawyer of the country.

Matthew Karakoulakis's 98-year-old grandmother

In an interview with SBS Greek, Mr Karakoulakis talks about his Hellenic and Indigenous upbringing.

He talks about the three passions he had at a young age: football, martial arts, and the law.

He has been heavily involved with Australia’s migrant and Indigenous communities and he always felt different and unique as a Greek-Indigenous man.

He talks about the lessons he learned so far in his career as a lawyer coming from a diverse background.

He wishes he will be able to make some time to visit Greece and Siatista, the northern Greek town near the city of Kozani where his father was born and then migrated to Australia.

The town of Siatista, near Kozani, Northern Greece Credit: TASOS_PAPAS

Below is the Matthew's:

My father was born in Greece, and he unfortunately didn't keep his beautiful Greek accent.

He came as a young boy and I think sometimes when you come when you're very young you climatize the different cultures a bit differently.

He came on a boat with his parents. He is from Siatista, Kozani, in Melbourne and he moved very quickly to Adelaide.

I really feel grateful to have my Greek background as well as my original background where I've got my family connections.

My father met my mother when they were young and were 19 or 20 years old.

They were both working in a fashion store in Adelaide and they had a good connection and felt love, they got married and I think that it's a really good story about bringing people from diverse backgrounds together.

To be named one of the most influential lawyers in Australia it's absolutely an honour that I personally can't take full credit for because when I was granted this award the first thing that came to mind was the amazing team that we've got.

I think that being able to receive the award really is a testament, it's a tribute to the brilliant legal minds that we collaborate with.

We work with a lot of other lawyers and we work with some really great technologies and technology gurus that keep us cutting edge.

But I also believe that it's the inspiring leaders who set the vision and both community leaders and leaders within the law that have been able to work with and learn from.

My passion for the law came about as a very young kid.

I remember when I was about 10 years old, I was walking down these main streets in Adelaide called King William Road.

I still remember this particularly.

It was a Sunday morning, I said to my mum that I've got three goals: I wanted to become a football player (I did play some good footballer good level but never reached the late level).

I also said that I want to get a black belt in karate (I'm a very passionate Brazilian jujitsu practitioner and I've got my brown belt).

And I also said that I want to become a fantastic lawyer.

I always felt different as both a Greek and Aboriginal man.

I really do appreciate the fact that I carry within me the rich tapestries of cultures, I really do have these two rich cultures deep inside of me and I'm really grateful for both my Aboriginal heritage and also my Greek.

And that helps me in terms of how I engage with the world, and how I see things.

But on the other hand, we are all different, so I think it's always good to remember that we are all individuals.

And that our journeys, regardless of our cultural backgrounds and heritage, they're always going to be different and there's always going to be that element of uniqueness.

I think that the result of the referendum really, is a tragic twist to the multiculturalism for Australia.

If you look at the past, you look at the generational pain and generational experiences.

I thought that would have been great if Australia as a nation had matured enough to receive the truth and to be able to move beyond a racist past into a place of fairness that applies to the recognition.

The result shows that all Australians need to do a lot more work now because there is a great gap between where we need to be and where we are.

I'm a strong believer in creating a better future and I think that also ties in well with where we are with respectively of the voice.

But what I can say is that my own diverse background is invaluable in the way that I can interact with my clients from various cultures.

It's natural for everybody to have their own biases and their own understanding.

Coming from a Greek and Aboriginal family background gives me the ability to understand and connect when serving clients within the law.

So for example I have a number of Aboriginal clients and it often turns out that we've got the same core values, we've got the same cultural understanding.

And that creates a natural bridge of trust.

My diverse background enhances my relationships with my clients and also leads to better outcomes.

For the next generation of lawyers, I'd say to them to implement their knowledge from their diverse backgrounds, to appreciate who they are and where they come from, to connect, and therefore to understand their clients with diversity.

Unfortunately, I haven't been to Greece, it's something that I really want to do in my life.

My father has been to Greece every couple of years for the past say 10 years or so.

As I was growing up as a child my family didn't have money to get overseas, and my father was working very long hours.

Now that he has gone a bit older, he's going to Greece often.

Hopefully, in one of the upcoming trips, I'll be able to join him because I really do look forward to the time when I can be in Greece.

I've heard some stories of my family that have come to Australia from Greece to visit us and hopefully, one day to go there and connect.

I love the fact that my yiayia is 98 years old and I visit her every week or two.

I am just sitting and spending time with her and it is a great way of learning and understanding and listening.

It is a great way of learning about Greece and Greek culture.