IT ALL began with giant leap of faith and a good dose of gritty determination, and five years later continues with a celebration.

Warwick lawyer Rebecca Lancaster said her decision to return home to Warwick and take over a law practice as the best thing she ever did.

"I didn't think I'd ever move back,” she said.

"I was relatively fresh out of uni and this opportunity came up.

"It was a gamble, I don't know whether it was bravery or naivety on my part, making the decision to move back intentionally to buy my own practice, but I reckoned it was something I'd be able to do.”

That was five years ago and today Maxwell & Lancaster Solicitors continues to thrive out of their ever-expanding Guy St office.

Ms Lancaster said taking on the business came with a steep learning curve.

"I came in to a close-knit, long-standing team and that threw up its challenges,” she said.

"Law is a profession that can be seen as a bit old and stuffy, but that's not my mentality, so I set about building the team around the way I approached the practice of law.

"Building a friendly and approachable team, a team people come to see for a coffee and a chat.

"I love the culture we've built here, I love the team and I love the way we work.”

Ms Lancaster said her working life in Warwick had been surprising.

"I never thought I would know so much about sorghum crops and water allocations,” she said.

"This area is rural and regional but still with a city side, so the work is incredibly varied.

"One day we could be working with a multi-million dollar farming property and the next day it's a commercial lease on Palmerin St.”

There have been other major changes over the last five years as well.

"My family has grown in that time too,” Ms Lancaster said.

"I have two young children now, so I've been thrown right into the middle of balancing work and family, as well as working to accommodate a flexible working environment for my staff, taking into account their lives and families.”

Ms Lancaster said being business owner had thrown up many challenges.

"There's certainly been some difficulties and learning how to be a good business and people manager would be one of the toughest parts of the job,” she said.

"It was just me doing my job it would be a breeze but I couldn't do my job without my team, so working to have everyone moving in the same direction and working as a team has been a priority.

"It's an important role to be an employer in a place like Warwick, offering those opportunities to the people here.

"This business just doesn't support my family and I, there are 12 other families as well.”

The Maxwell & Lancaster team celebrated their milestone this week with a lavish cake from Cafe Jacqui's and a team lunch.

Ms Lancaster said the next five years would see more growth.

"With the way technology is moving and electronic communication, there is the scope for us to service clients much further afield,” she said.