Working Life

Countdown to Copenhagen for young climate change lawyer

Lawyers Weekly — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:36:00 GMT

Climate change is a corporate issue that will impact on everyone's bottom line, believes young Melbourne climate change lawyer Renee Garner, who, at 27, has already co-authored a book on the subject. Now she's off to Copenhagen for one of the world's most important gatherings.

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Firms, workloads make leaving work on time a near impossibility

Lawyers Weekly — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:27:00 GMT

A story for students wanting a taste of working life in Australia -- with the legal profession among the most overworked in the country, a plan to encourage workers to "Go Home on Time" last week saw almost half of the workers signed up to the initiative unable to leave the office on time, despite their best intentions.

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Lawyers to be trained for mental health work

Lawyers Weekly — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:34:00 GMT

Legal practitioners will be called upon to assist people with mental illnesses under an initiative to be launched ton Tuesday by the NSW Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos.

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Plain sailing: lawyers favour keeping it simple over legalese and Latin

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Thirty page letters of advice strewn liberally with legalese and Latin have become the legal cliché, but they simply won't cut it in today's commercial world. Zoe Lyon investigates the benefits of going back to basics.

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Explore the law: getting experience in different practice areas

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:00:00 GMT

While it helps to specialise, exploring other areas of law will be a great career advantage, writes Ben Carter.

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Fitting the bill: characteristics of rising leaders

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:00:00 GMT

The question of leadership, and the failings of leaders, has become a hot topic in the wake of the global financial crisis and the aftermath of the downturn has seen a new emphasis on the qualities of good leaders. We look at what are the essential characteristics of today's rising leaders.

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Nicholas Sedgwick, legal entrepreneur, Marque Lawyers

Lawyers Weekly — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:47:00 GMT

Newcastle-born Nicholas Sedgwick started with a summer clerkship at Gadens in 2004 before later being invited to join ex-Gadens managing partner Michael Bradbury at his new firm, Marque Lawyers.

For Sedgwick, it was an opportunity to pursue law while also catering to his entrepreneurial side. "Obviously I'm not starting the firm myself nor do I have a capital investment in it, but I was attracted to the idea of being at the start of something new and part of a start-up company," he says. "Also I really believed in what Michael and the other partners were trying to achieve and thought it was really exciting."

The move has already proved a worthwhile one, with Bradbury describing Sedgwick as the firm's "go to man" for corporate transactions and governance work. While

the firm is much smaller than Gadens, it's offered Sedgwick the opportunity to be part of growing a business from scratch and to step away from the traditional ties of a large firm. "There's a degree of risk in everything and lawyers are naturally risk-averse people, but I'm young and I thought 'Why not?'"

At Marque, Sedgwick has been able to combine his commercial mind and his business studies with law. His focus on franchise work, general commercial structuring and charity work is all done within an open-plan office at Marque, where lawyers are encouraged to develop long-term relationships with clients and do not charge by the hour.

But enjoying the thrills, believes Sedgwick, involves having confidence to back yourself and believing in what you do. "If you commit to it and put the effort in, it's going to work out for you - but at the same time, you've always got to enjoy what you're doing. The rest flows from that."

Grace Wong, relationship builder, AAR

Lawyers Weekly — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:34:00 GMT

Allens Arthur Robinson solicitor Grace Wong says the biggest challenge of her legal career has been learning how to manage client relationships. While this is arguably a learning curve for all young lawyers, she says that being based in the international hub of Hong Kong adds an extra element of complexity.

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Finding the right fit: generalist v specialist

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:32:00 GMT

When it comes to a lawyer's practice, there are advantages and disadvantages to being either a generalist or a specialist, but deciding on which suits best may come down to the firm, writes Ben Carter

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Young guns: Sam Indyk, Blake Dawson

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:55:00 GMT

Before Sam Indyk joined Blake Dawson as a graduate lawyer, he had provided policy research and advice to then NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus on criminal law reform and national security laws.

Sam also worked part-time for the NSW Judicial Commission, where he co-authored a study on the use of imprisonment in Australia which has subsequently been cited by the High Court.

After graduating from the University of New South Wales with first-class honours in 2008, Sam has now settled into the litigation and dispute resolution team at Blake Dawson, with the majority of his time spent on a multimillion-dollar negligence claim.

Despite the dispute already having a seven-year history, Sam has helped draft lengthy affidavits, submissions for senior counsel on complex legal questions and analysis of evidence in case with more than 700 tendered documents.

"Commercial practice - and litigation in particular - provides an ideal training ground for a young lawyer to develop their professional skills. Novel legal issues and innovative solutions are a daily diet for commercial litigators," says Sam.

He also has a passion for pro bono legal work, having advised disadvantaged clients facing eviction or seeking compensation claims. He has also made a submission to a parliamentary inquiry on intellectual disability and mental health issues.

He believes that pro bono work contributes to the development of young lawyers' professional and people skills which can then be applied in commercial practice and that it is also an important social justice initiative.

"It can often be difficult for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enforce their rights and protect their interests. Pro bono legal work is especially important during an economic downturn when everyone is doing it tough," he says.

Supervising partner Peter Voss says Sam has quickly demonstrated many of the necessary attributes for success. "He is technically strong - marshalling and communicating complex legal principles and factual situations clearly and succinctly. He is proactive, analytical and creative. He is efficient and great to work with," he says

Holding steady: Chris Lovell, Managing Partner

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:53:00 GMT

"I graduated from Melbourne University in 1974. From there I went to work with the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (OCBA) in Canberra. I left to do my Masters of Law in London, which I completed in 1978, and I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do after that. I hadn't really planned on being a lawyer, but I thought I'd better get a job so I applied for articles at 10 firms in Melbourne and got accepted by every one.

It was pretty rare to have a Masters in those days so I think I was seen as a promising commodity, but I knew very little about the legal profession and I was at a bit of a loss. I spoke to Gareth Evans (then an academic at Melbourne University and a part-time commissioner for the Australian Law Reform Commission) who said that Holding Redlich was an interesting firm, so I joined, and I've been there ever since.

I became a partner in 1984 and managing partner about five years ago. One of the biggest challenges was realising that I just couldn't do all the legal work that I had been doing and that I liked doing - realising that I was going to have to delegate a lot more, but also keep my finger firmly on the pulse.

Another really difficult thing - which I think is probably common to a lot of partners - has been adjusting to being a manager. I'd say 25 per cent of my time is spent talking to other partners. I think I was originally seen as pretty gruff and not very understanding of partners' concerns, so I've had to learn to be more empathetic.

It's amazing how the law keeps going. Lots of things that used to be lawyers' domain - simple issues like conveyancing, probate and wills - have largely fallen off the back of the truck. It's certainly different to when I started in law. Back then there were changes, but they were at nothing like the speed, or the magnitude.

I think it's largely a response to the complexity of life and business and that the current financial situation is going to lead to more complexity. It's been a response to demand - sometimes quiet and sometimes noisy - for things like consumer protection and privacy laws."

Interview by Zoe Lyon

A Mighty Heart: Claire Hammerton, Deacons

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:49:00 GMT

Claire Hammerton is part of a vanguard of young lawyers who are seeking hands-on ways to engage with human rights and social justice issues.

Claire Hammerton is living proof that commercial acumen and a social conscience can happily co-exist in the heart and mind of a corporate lawyer. A dispute resolution lawyer with Deacons by day, and Vice-Chair of the NSW Young Lawyers' Human Rights Committee after office hours, Hammerton has recently returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India.

As one of only two Australians chosen to take part in the PRIA International Internship Program, Hammerton packed her bags and set off for India to take part in an eight-week crash course in participatory development. This involved a week of theoretical training at PRIA's Centre for Participatory Research headquarters in Delhi and six weeks working on a field project studying ways to improve elementary education in the country.

"My motivation for applying for the internship was mainly because I felt that I had a strong theoretical background when it came to development issues and human rights, but I was really lacking grassroots exposure," Hammerton says.

"I was able to see the incredible value in running these workshops before you go ahead and make assumptions about what the community wants. It's vital that, from the outset, you engage with the people that you are attempting to help."

Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the level of poverty encountered among the communities she spent time with.

"I have travelled to some developing countries in the past, but the poverty in India is really far more prolific than any other developing country I've been to. It really just engulfs you from the moment you step foot into the country.

"From the minute you step foot in the country the poverty is everywhere, and you are immediately talking to people who are in really dire circumstances ... [but] through the various discussions that we had with the local communities I feel I gained a lot in terms of my knowledge and skills in participatory development and community engagement."

Now that she's back in Sydney, is it a challenge to combine her passion for human rights with a career in commercial law? Not at all, Hammerton says, because of the supportive approach of management and the involvement of her colleagues.

"I really feel that there's a culture here of social conscience, and being aware and having a perspective of what else is out there, and [an understanding] that you don't have to focus all your time and energy on the work you do with the firm.

"Everyone I work with is aware of my interest in this area - my supervising partner in particular has been very supportive, and has said to me that I should never feel that there's a conflict there."

Sarah Wainwright, family lawyer, Lander & Rogers

Lawyers Weekly — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:48:00 GMT

I graduated from Monash University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons). My interest in family law stemmed from my study of sociology. I liked the idea of working with people and helping them deal with the difficulties of family separation.

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