How did you get to your current job position?
I have had the goal of being a lawyer in an international law firm for as long as I can remember. I knew I wanted a career that would challenge me, open doors for me to work overseas, and involve high-profile matters and clients. I graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Business (Economics) from QUT at the end of 2021. I completed a clerkship with the Competition team in the summer intake of 2021. I was very grateful that I was offered a position to join the graduate cohort of 2022.
During my graduate program, I rotated through the Real Estate, Dispute Resolution and Corporate Transactions teams. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of my rotations but once I had experienced the litigious work that the Dispute Resolution team did, I knew that I wanted to pursue this area of the law. I am now a lawyer in the Dispute Resolution team, working across three practice areas – construction arbitration, general commercial litigation, and defendant insurance.
How did you choose your specialisation?
Choosing a specialisation following my graduate program was difficult for me because I enjoyed different aspects of all three of the teams I rotated through. However, ultimately what attracted me to Dispute Resolution is the problem-solving aspect of resolving complex issues (whether that be with a legal or commercial strategy), the variety and breadth of work, and the fact that it often involves the defense of legal rights.
What was your interview process like?
Although the clerkship process in itself is quite an overwhelming and draining process, I had a really positive experience interviewing with Ashurst. The questions I was asked were clearly designed to take away the nerves of interviewing at a top-tier law firm and let me open up about my work and university experiences, and who I am as a person. It was very conversational and engaging, with many of the questions being related to previous experiences I have had working across retail, hospitality and legal industries.
What are your areas of responsibility as a junior lawyer?
Junior lawyers in my team are always given a "first cut" at anything (such as advice to clients, court documents, and correspondence with other parties). As a junior lawyer, you are given a fair level of autonomy and responsibility in which you can see you have a genuine impact on the client and outcome of a matter, with reasonable expectations by seniors about what you will be able to deliver. This is of course coupled with senior associate and partner review and support to ensure the highest level of quality work is delivered to a client and the junior's learning and development are advanced.
The insurance practice in particular has a higher level of autonomy. Junior lawyers are allocated files to work on with a partner and are in charge of running the matter to settlement (with as much or as little assistance from a senior/the partner as needed!). It is an excellent way to develop strong advice writing skills and learn strategies to settle matters.
Can you describe a typical workday?
A typical workday can involve any (and likely all) of the following:
What are the career prospects with your job?
A litigator plays a critical role in the legal system and as a result, there are many different and rewarding career pathways.
The most obvious to me is progressing in private practice, such as Ashurst, which represents clients in a wide range of industries and allows you to develop your specialty as broad or as niche as you like. There is a clear pathway in private practice to work up from clerk, graduate, lawyer, senior associate and ultimately partner or special counsel.
A common career pathway for litigators is to go to the bar. This gives you the opportunity to specialise in a particular area of law and appear informally and in court to resolve legal issues. This pathway is appealing to those who enjoy advocacy and representing clients in court.
Another pathway is in-house counsel. This is a great opportunity to work directly for a client, representing them in legal disputes and providing advice on any legal matters that arise.
What do you love the most about your job?
I am very passionate about my job because I enjoy the challenge of legal matters, the high calibre of clients involved and the day-to-day variety of work. I love that I work in a team that is supportive, invests in mentoring juniors, and makes coming to work enjoyable. The firm as a whole is progressive, innovative and collaborative, and it makes me proud to be part of the Ashurst team.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student?