For Blake Dawson senior associate Kylie Lane, her career has been predominantly filled with highlights. But there is one experience in particular that has helped turn Lane into the outstanding lawyer she is today, and which equipped her with the ability to handle any challenge thrown her way.

In mid-2007, when the global economy was still booming and the mergers and acquisitions scene had a healthy glow, Lane was approached to do a stint at New York firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Accepting a role in 2008, and taking a leave of absence from Blake Dawson, Lane could not have guessed what was in store over the next year and half.

"It was a fascinating time; the US presidential election was on ... and the [economic] crash happened, so I was in the midst of a couple of big deals when Lehman Brothers collapsed. That was a very, very interesting time to be in New York working at the pointy end of mergers and acquisitions," she says.

"It was a very steep learning curve in how to deal with situations when no-one can get any credit and you can't really value shares because the market is all over the place."

Lane is now well and truly ensconced in the mergers and acquisitions team at Blake Dawson and enjoys sinking her teeth into hotly contested takeover bids, including the BHP Billiton bid for Rio Tinto, and other sophisticated, cross-border transactions.

And it is this international aspect which Lane - who speaks Japanese and is admitted as an attorney in New York - particularly enjoys.

"I have had the opportunity to act for a Chinese state-owned entity and some other international clients and I enjoy that aspect of bridging the gap, if you like, and helping people understand the environment in Australia in terms of mergers and acquisitions and trying to make the whole experience as seamless as possible," she says.

And while Lane enjoys her job immensely, she also spends much of her time focused on the not-for-profit sector, including involvement in the Education Foundation, a division of the Foundation for Young Australians, on whose board she previously sat as a director.

"Having the perspective of sitting on a board, being involved in the hiring of a CEO and looking after the governance aspects of an organisation has been really helpful," she says.

"It gives you a different perspective; one you don't see necessarily if you've been at university and gone into private practice. It's a particular type of world and to have some experience out of that is great."

And as for the future, Lane is hopeful the economy will rally while she toys with the idea of once again taking her skills abroad. "We have a great team here. I really enjoy what I do, so I think that for the next few years, hopefully the economic climate is a bit more stable and we continue to do more deals," she says.

"We have some off-shore offices throughout Asia, so I'd be interested in doing some work more closely with them, or spending some time in other offices. I am happy with private practice and hope to continue learning and consolidate my experience over the next few years."

Click on the images to read more profiles of the Lawyers Weekly 2010 Young Guns:

>> Jnana Gumbert, Director, Stacks/Goudkamp

>> Eliza Evans, Lawyer, Minter Ellison

>> Darren Fittler, Lawyer, Gilbert + Tobin

>> Liz Hamshary, Lawyer, Clayton Utz

>> Fergus Green, Lawyer, Allens Arthur Robinson

>> Kylie Lane, Senior Associate, Blake Dawson

>> Clayton James, Lawyer, Freehills