What's your job about?
I work at the Townsville branch of wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers in the area of Commercial and Property law.
Commercial and Property is a broad area of law, which can include Business Law, Consumer Law, Taxation Law, and Company Law. This means that there is no “typical” workday, every week we receive instructions for a new matter that involves something different!
Working in Property often involves work on conveyancing files, that is, representing a client who is either buying or selling Property, this Property may be commercial or residential. On the other hand, working in Commercial Law, you never know what type of file you will get. For example, I may be assisting clients with a lease, the incorporation of a company, or the development of a lot.
My workday usually involves interaction with clients, solicitors and partners, accountants, real estate agents, and banks. This happens to be one of the favourite things about my job!
What's your background?
I was born in Mareeba, a small town in North Queensland, with a small population of around 10,000! I attended a public school in the even smaller town of Biboohra (which was a 15-minute drive from Mareeba) and graduated from Mareeba State High School in 2016.
I decided to start University straight after High School, commencing study at James Cook University in 2017. I completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), graduating in 2020. During my final year of university, I volunteered for the tax clinic, a flood relief legal program, and undertook a subject that allowed me to volunteer at Townsville Community Law. These volunteer roles allowed me to conduct interviews with clients and start applying the various legal skills I had learnt throughout University. I was lucky enough to score an interview with wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers, where I was offered the opportunity to undertake my Practical Legal Training at the firm. After two weeks at the firm, I was offered a full-time position as Trainee Solicitor in the Commercial and Property workgroup! I have now been working at the firm for almost three months.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely, someone with a different background could do my job! A law degree is essential to become a Trainee Solicitor, however, the volunteer opportunities I undertook are not. My job requires dedication, focus, hard work, and most importantly, good communication skills. Without good communication skills, it would be difficult to gain good rapport with our clients and it would make our job a lot more difficult.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love about my job is the people I work with, that everyone around you is willing to lend a helping hand and put in the extra hours to provide our clients with the best possible outcome! A supportive work environment is crucial to maintaining a healthy work/life balance and working at wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers has made that easy for me. I also love that most of my files allow me to meet our clients in person, whether it is a short meeting to sign some legal documents or a long initiating interview, it really helps me understand what the clients are looking for from us and motivates me to achieve that for them.
What are the limitations of your job?
The greatest limitation I face working in Commercial and Property is time limits – Property Law involves a lot of important dates that need to be monitored and satisfied. This means that sometimes the work will require me to stay late, come in early or work through my lunch break. The work can also be frustrating at times – when a matter is delayed due to a third party for example and through no fault of your own.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...