This article was written in May 2020, when K&L Gates was operating under mandatory work from home protocols. We have tried to give you the best indication of what a 'Day in the Life' is like at our firm, and have reflected on what a typical day looks like for our people when we are working from our offices.
7.00 AM
I get out of bed around this time when I don't plan on going to the gym in the morning (in which case, I wake up at about 5.30 am for an early morning Pilates session).
8.20 AM
Regardless of whether I make it to the gym or not, I usually get to work around this time. I grab a coffee from the coffee machine on our level and start the day by checking my emails. Given that we often work closely with the US and EU offices (particularly in relation to privacy advice), we tend to receive emails early in the morning regarding the Australian privacy regime. As a globally integrated law firm, we often get asked to help out on international matters as well as matters in the other Australian offices. Recently, I had the opportunity to assist the US and EU Commercial Technology & Sourcing teams in relation to a privacy breach that touched four continents.
I work closely with the senior privacy specialists in my team who start work earlier than I do, so I have a quick chat to them about the issues and start gathering the relevant materials for responding to the emails.
9.00 AM
My supervising partner has arrived in the office. I check in with him to confirm the deadlines for my tasks as well as letting him know my workload. If I am not busy with client work in the morning, I look up news items relevant to technology and privacy. In the CT&S team, it is important to stay on top of developments, as things are constantly changing. We also run a blog called CyberWatch: Australia, which can be accessed at - https://www.cyberwatchaustralia.com/. I frequently contribute to the blog in collaboration with other team members.
9.30 AM
I usually suggest a topic for a blog post to my supervising partner, which may be of interest to our readers (anything from cool new tech to notable privacy breaches in the media to cybersecurity guidance), and by around 9.45 am I am blogging away. I really enjoy this aspect of working in the team as I get to pick other team members' brains on what they think about the topic. It's also a great way to build knowledge in a specific area of the practice group.
10.30 AM
I have finished drafting the blog with the other members of the team and have had the blog approved by my supervising partner. I post it on CyberWatch.
10.45 AM
I have received an email from the Special Counsel in the Sydney CT&S team to help out on a matter. Just with the US/EU offices, junior lawyers often help out the Sydney CT&S team. We also work closely with other practice groups, such as Labor, Employment & Workplace Safety. So it's not uncommon to receive emails around this time from the Australian members of the firm regarding technology and privacy.
The task involves a contract review for a client. This is a great way for a junior lawyer in technology transactions to learn about technology contracts, as you would draft an issues list which points out specific issues with certain clauses in the contract for the client.
I've also been asked to help out my supervising partner in amending a SaaS agreement. This takes priority, so I let the Special Counsel know of this, and take instructions from my supervising partner regarding the agreement.
1.00 PM
It's time for some lunch. I usually bring my own lunch, however, I tend to buy lunch during busy periods. I eat lunch with my colleagues who work in the broader Corporate/ Transactional practice area. We attempt the lunchtime quizzes. Needless to say, those can get competitive!
2.00 PM
It's time to sit in on a teleconference with a senior privacy specialist in the Melbourne team and a client regarding the client's website or app Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. The client may be local, interstate, or overseas! This task involves us gaining an understanding of the technology collecting customer data, the operation of analytical tools, and any relevant agreements with third-party service providers for storing and processing data collected (which usually takes place in other countries such as the US). Gathering such information and gaining a deep understanding of how personal information (if any) is collected is vital, as this will inform how the privacy regime applies to the client and what their obligations are in collecting, disclosing and storing personal information.
I will usually send out a Privacy Questionnaire to the client after the teleconference, asking them for further information. Using this Questionnaire, I will draft the T&Cs and the Privacy Policy in the next day or two (unless it is urgent).
4.00 PM
Having finished the amendments to the SaaS agreement, I email the document through to the partner and print it off. I deliver the document to the partner as he prefers to review documents in hard copy. It is then back onto drafting the issues list for me. Realising that there are still quite a few schedules to review, I call the Special Counsel to let him know of my progress and so I can figure out if I need to stay late tonight to finish the review. He indicates that tomorrow is fine for the review and the issues list.
6.30 PM
I finish up my review of the contract and have begun drafting the issues list. I plan to come in early tomorrow to finish the list. I check in with the rest of my team to see if anyone else needs anything from me tonight before heading home. I catch the train home, put on some Netflix and cook dinner.
10.30 PM
By this time, I have watched a documentary (or at least the first two episodes) on Netflix. It's time to call it a day and recharge myself for another big day at work tomorrow.