First-hand experiences

Transcript

Is your career in the legal profession any different then you envisaged it would be?

I envisaged that a career in the legal profession would be very hard work and it is, but what I do find is it’s also very fun. I think that boils down to two things. First of all the work is very challenging, but that’s not necessary a problem, because we work with people who are at the very top of their game and it’s very easy to ask for help. The second reason why it’s good fun is the work is very varied. We’re working across all business sectors and every single day is different.

What advice would you give to those starting out?

I think my words of advice would be try and be proactive and also be ambitious. It’s a theme that runs through the Firm. We try to go that extra mile for our clients, whether it’s providing innovative solutions to their commercial problems, or just an alternative way of thinking about how they might want to proceed in litigation.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I think the most rewarding aspect of our job is having a happy client. The work that we do is rarely simple. Everything from understanding the client’s problems, strategising how to solve that, delivering a product and to see it all come to together and the client to give you a thumbs up, that’s very rewarding.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

One of the most challenging aspects is staying current. We work in an environment where things change very quickly. So for example, the law changes on a day-to-day basis and also the commercial situation changes as well. The Firm helps by having a know-how system, which emails us legal updates every week. I’ve just finished an intellectual property diploma and the Firm also runs training at all levels including trainee and associate.

Law is a demanding profession – how do you achieve a worklife balance?

Law is a very demanding profession and it’s important to take time out. So in my free time I am a dive instructor and I’ve dived all over the world, including Australia and also the Red Sea. I also take part in a Pro Bono project which is actually run by the Firm, this happens at the Blackfriars clinic. We send down advisors, who advise on all sorts of aspects of law, including housing, debt and employment. We’ve seen over a thousand clients now and we’ve just won the Law Works Pro Bono award for that.