The clerkship application process can be an absolute whirlwind. The flurry of events, drafting applications, and firm research can leave you feeling like you’re drowning in information. When it comes to understanding the different workstreams in a commercial law firm, it is even more challenging, especially if you’ve never set foot in one before. When I was applying for clerkships, I remember finding it difficult to articulate my interest in an area without having any firsthand experience in it.
This article will give you an insight into the type of work we do in the Corporate Advisory team at Gilbert + Tobin (otherwise known as G+T). Hopefully by the end, you will have a better understanding of the reality of corporate work, and who knows, it might ignite a passion for you to clerk in this area!
The work we do in Corporate Advisory
G+T has one Corporate Advisory team which deals with a large variety of work. The work falls into three key categories: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Equity Capital Markets (ECM) and Corporate Governance.
M&A is at the core of our practice. We assist clients with the buying and selling of companies. Our team has extensive experience in both public and private M&A transactions and is frequently involved in the most significant commercial transactions. Private M&A relates to the buying and selling of businesses through private contracts and public M&A relates to transactions that are governed by the Corporations Act, including takeovers and schemes of arrangement. This area also involves helping clients to navigate the regulatory requirements of the ASX, ASIC and FIRB.
ECM work is all about helping companies to raise capital, for example by issuing shares. We advise companies on becoming publicly listed through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) as well as launching share purchase plans and stock placements.
Corporate Governance work involves providing guidance to companies and their directors on ensuring compliance with the Corporations Act. This includes advising on issues like directors duties, continuous disclosure, payment of dividends and shareholder communication.
What is it like working as a grad in G+T’s Corporate Advisory team?
Working in G+T’s Corporate Advisory team is a unique experience. There is always an immense variety of challenging and stimulating work on offer. Our clients comprise a diverse mix of private companies, ASX listed companies and private equity investors.
The benefit of the Corporate Advisory practice group at G+T is that, as a graduate, you can work across all areas of corporate work and for a variety of partners. This approach is quite unique as some other firms choose to split that work into specialised teams. As a result, I’ve found that you can expect to gain a breadth of corporate experience in the team at G+T.
A few of the tasks you will get involved in as a graduate include assisting with due diligence for M&A transactions (which usually involves reviewing lots of contracts), conducting research, lodging documents with ASIC and ASX, drafting advice on governance matters and liaising with specialist teams.
I have been given lots of responsibility and ownership over tasks. Despite my limited experience in corporate law, the partners and lawyers involve me on complex matters and encourage me to take an active role in the team. I have attended client meetings, been given real work and am encouraged to form and share my opinion on the tasks I am doing.
The partners and lawyers in the team are highly regarded in the field and working directly with and learning from them is an invaluable opportunity for a graduate. The team places a large emphasis on mentoring, with more-experienced lawyers taking the time to regularly check in with juniors and provide guidance. We also have fortnightly team meetings where lawyers share knowledge about transactions they’ve recently worked on, discuss issues in the market and share practice tips.
Aside from the work, we also have a lot of fun. G+T organises fantastic social events and we have a very connected graduate group. Most days, you can find us gathered in the kitchen for lunch chatting with colleagues from other teams and enjoying the views over Melbourne. Within the Corporate Advisory team, coffee catchups with colleagues are also a common occurrence.
Takeaways
I hope this overview has provided you with a better idea of what it’s like to work in a corporate team. If any part of it caught your attention, I strongly encourage you to give a corporate rotation a try in a clerkship! Before my clerkship at G+T, I was initially sceptical of whether I would enjoy corporate work but am very glad that I made the decision to give it a go.
I also want to clear up any misconceptions that a commerce degree is a pre-requisite to work in this field. It is absolutely not. I completed a double degree in Law and Criminology at Deakin and many people in the G+T team have diverse academic backgrounds. If you are an arts student, don’t hesitate to explore a clerkship in a corporate team. You will never know what practice area you might like until you try it yourself.