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McGrathNicol

4.2
  • #11 in Accounting & advisory
  • 100 - 500 employees

Tom Flannery

6.15 AM

I resist the urge to snooze my alarm and gradually roll out of bed. I grab my bag and head out to the bus on my way to the gym in the city for my morning exercise.

7.45 AM

I arrive at work feeling fresh and awake following my gym session. Our Sydney office has great washroom facilities in our basement, including fresh towels, which conveniently allows me to get ready at work.

8.15 AM

I’m at my desk and scrolling through my emails while eating the breakfast that I keep in our kitchen. I generally start the day having a read through the AFR morning updates which allows me to catch up on news and current events. Once I’m finished eating, I respond to any overnight emails that need my attention and take note of the meetings I have in my calendar for the day. 

8.30 AM

Now I’m ready to plan out my day. Our line of work can be unpredictable and fast-paced, therefore it’s important that I set out any urgent tasks that must be completed by the end of the day. 

8.45 AM

I have a 9.00 AM conference call with a client based in New Zealand for one of my current working capital advisory projects. I’m sitting in on the call with a Partner and Manager so I’m keen to make sure I am fully prepared. I take the time to read through our previous correspondence and note a couple of potential improvements to their debtor collection processes that I can raise with the client.  

9.00 AM

The call begins and we discuss some of the outstanding pieces of information we have previously requested as part of our review of the client. I take notes on the call and raise a number of queries I had previously identified. The call ends and the Partner takes us through some of the key action points from the call. Overall, we are all pleased with how the call went and set out a number of tasks to action prior to our next catch up. 

10.15 AM

I’m feeling a little less fresh after a busy morning, so I grab a few of my fellow graduates and we head out for a coffee. We are lucky that our office is in Martin Place and are spoilt for choice with great cafes. We decide to try out one that has just opened up in a newly refurbished lobby close by – it doesn’t disappoint!

10.30 AM

I’m part of a retail industry focus team which compiles retail statistics once a month and presents an opinion piece on the current state of the industry. I prepare for the release of the statistics from ABS and put together the relevant graphs along with my opinions. I then take it to the Director on the project team for review. They make some minor changes, but overall they’re pleased with the quality of my findings.  

12.00 PM

We have one of our monthly training sessions scheduled for lunch. Today’s training is a little different than some of the more technical-based training we’ve had in the past – it is a Young Gun Partner Panel. We have the opportunity to listen to the past experiences of some of our newer Partners and the different paths they have taken to get where they are today. The firm kindly provides a catered lunch for this training, with a mixture of gourmet sandwiches and salads on offer – the catering provided is always second to none!

1.00 PM

Following the training, I return a number of missed calls for a listed engineering company that I have been working with for the past month. Given the size of the project, I have to be able to communicate with a number of stakeholders including shareholders, employees and creditors. 

1.45 PM

I have a meeting for the same listed engineering company with our core project team based in Sydney. As the most junior member of the team, ahead of the meeting I worked through some of the key issues, allowing me to lead some of the discussion. It’s always a great experience being able to lead a discussion with more senior members of the team and learn from their wealth of experience. 

2.00 PM

After the meeting, my manager and I call the lawyers who have been advising us on this matter to discuss their interpretation of a key issue. It’s an interesting phone call with two different viewpoints on the best way forward, so we prepare some notes for a later discussion with the Partner appointed to the job. 

2.45 PM

I’ve been tasked with preparing a ‘fee pack’ to distribute to our secured creditors to approve our proposed remuneration. I have to implement some of my newly learnt Excel skills to ensure the WIP reconciles and is able to flow through the spreadsheet to the summary table I will present to the Partner. Luckily, there aren’t too many discrepancies and I am able to reconcile my summary accurately. 

5.45 PM

I quickly skim through my task list to ensure I’ve completed everything urgent for the day.  As I’m about to pack up, I remember to complete my timesheet for the day – it helps ensure it isn’t all one big rush before I finish for the week on Friday. Once this is done, I walk to the bus to head home for the day.

6.15 PM

It’s the local pubs' meal deal night, so my housemates and I head up the road for some dinner and a drink to talk through our days. 

7.30 PM

Time to head home and switch on a movie. Half an hour later we finally agree on what to watch! 

10.30 PM 

The movie finishes and it’s time for bed. I throw my gym gear in my bag ready for tomorrow’s lunchtime run with the work crew.