6.00 AM
My alarm goes off and I roll out of bed. The first thing I do is turn on the coffee machine and make myself a bite to eat.
It's July and it's Melbourne, so you can bet that it's cold. I check my phone and see that it's 9°C, but fortunately, it won't be raining so it is clear to cycle into work!
6.45 AM
I grab my bike and begin my commute. I live fairly close to the office and find that cycling is an enjoyable and easy way to get in while incorporating some exercise into the day.
I wouldn't normally leave for work this early, but this morning I'm attending a client's office at 8.30 am to observe a witness conference, so I have made sure to leave myself plenty of time so I don't miss this opportunity.
7.20 AM
I have arrived at the office - and I'm definitely awake now!
I lock up my bike, have a shower, and get changed into my suit before making my way up to my desk.
I grab myself a croissant from the café as a treat and for some extra energy.
7.50 AM
Once at my desk, I do some last-minute preparation for the upcoming conference. I prepare a quick document for recording notes of the meeting, ensuring I know who will be in attendance, and double-checking that I have everything that I need. I also check my emails to make sure there is nothing urgent that I need to be aware of. Nope - all clear.
8.00 AM
I make my way to the client's office to meet the junior and senior lawyers on file. Luckily, their office is only a hop, skip and jump away from ours. I always enjoy getting to chat with others on the file before and after attending court or conferences. I love knowing others' perspectives on things, as this helps me anticipate how the conference will go and know which angle questions will be coming from.
8.30 AM
I have arrived at the client's offices and am ready to take notes of the conference.
I know that the points raised today will assist in our filing of a defense and advice for a discrimination matter that our Workplace Relations and Safety (WR&S) team is working on, so I ensure my notes are as accurate as possible.
I am now in my fifth week on the WR&S team, so I am pretty familiar with the lawyers practicing in the area. WR&S deals with both litigation and advisory matters across employment law, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, enterprise bargaining, workplace investigations, and OH&S concerns. This particular matter involves allegations of discrimination in the employment process.
10.30 AM
I return to the office and grab myself another coffee.
I begin to tidy up my notes from this morning but get pulled aside for a quick chat about a safety matter that one of our partners is working on. I'm quickly briefed to assist in drafting some clarifying clauses for a client's terms and conditions, to make sure that the client is covering an area of potential liability.
11.15 AM
As I begin some preliminary searches for sample clauses used in other situations for the safety matter, I receive a call from a lawyer who is assisting a client in the drafting of an enterprise agreement.
I am told that the client would like some clarification on its questions in relation to good faith requirements during the enterprise bargaining process. I am tasked with undertaking research of the relevant provisions and case law, and setting out the main points to assist in our advice in a meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
Since this task will take a bit longer (and is due at the end of the day) I prioritize this and get started by flicking through our online library resources for some background.
1.00 PM
It’s now lunchtime and I'm starving!
The grads generally catch up every day for lunch. It can sometimes be hard to coordinate (as grads are often sitting in on interesting things, such as a trial or going on a circuit) but when we can organize it, it's a great chance to chat about our days and share funny stories.
The grads are all super close, so it's always a good time.
I break off with a few of the other grads who are part of the committee organizing our firm's involvement in the Winneke Cup, an annual inter-firm AFLX and netball competition, to chat about arranging footy jumpers and bibs, our participation, and logistics for the day.
2.00 PM
Right. Back to work.
I continue with the good faith bargaining research task from earlier. I was told that the task should take 2 or 3 hours, so I should be finished shortly before the graduate seminar scheduled for 3.30 pm.
3.30 PM
It's now time for a grad professional development seminar.
We have internal educational sessions dotted around once every couple of weeks. They are a great chance to learn about a new area of law, which is useful in allocating our preferences.
The topic today? Insolvency.
I completed a subject at university in insolvency so I know a bit about it, so it's great to hear from experts in the field who can share their knowledge from a practical perspective.
4.30 PM
I head back to my desk and continue chipping away on the safety task.
I flick over the good faith research task and check that nothing urgent has landed in my inbox.
I pack up at about 5.30 pm and head home.
6.30 PM
I get through the front door at about 6.30 pm. Day done!
I've recently moved into a share house with my girlfriend and two other close friends, however, they're currently overseas traveling to where it is warmer, so it is just my girlfriend and me.
We cook steak and watch some trash TV to unwind.
10.30 PM
Time to hit the pillow.
I set my alarm and scroll on my phone for a bit before lights out. Tomorrow's a short day so I'm able to sleep in and recharge, ready for the day ahead.
Thinking of experiencing life as a Lander & Rogers Graduate? Sign up to GradAustralia to receive job alerts for Lander & Rogers