I’m a lawyer in our Dispute Resolution team in Canberra, having moved down with my partner. In my various teams I’ve been able to see a variety of work including front-end and back-end work.
In my time at the firm I’ve been fortunate to work as a paralegal/clerk in our Workplace, Real Estate and Insurance and Corporate Risk teams. As a graduate lawyer I’ve rotated through our Insurance teams and Dispute Resolution teams. After having these experiences I am certain that I will build a career in litigation.
I decided to apply for MinterEllison as I knew that as Australia's largest law firm I'd have the best exposure to a diversity of work, and be sufficiently challenged. It was also important for me to apply and work for a law firm that values diversity and inclusion, given that I am both part of the LGBTQ community and am a dual citizen
I’ve had some excellent mentors and colleagues at MinterEllison. My colleagues have always provided me with feedback on my work and given me examples of work to learn from and to build on. I also have been supported in my court appearances so that I always felt confident.
Be sure to learn the basics. Although it was easy to get invested in the each individual subject, it is important to remember how the various subjects connect with each other and that the law is not a “patch work” blanket but more like a complex tapestry . Particularly in litigation, you will be shocked how often a return to basic principles is the best way to address any situation.
”Be sure to learn the basics. ...it is important to remember how the various subjects connect with each other”
For me it's definitely best to have a combination of both! I find working from home allows me to tackle tasks that are best dealt with individually and in my own time.
However working from the office is best when I need to collaborate with the team and socialise as well! Either way, I appreciate that both styles of work as I can manage my day so that I can still fit in the other important things in life, like exercise, time with family and some social time as well.