What's your job about?
Clyde & Co is an international law firm specialising in providing advice to insurance companies in a variety of industries. As a graduate it is my role to assist with supporting the lawyers where needed to ensure an excellent work product is provided for our clients.
My day-to-day is ever changing and no one day will consist of the same tasks as the day before. For example, one day I may spend majority of my day conducting document review on a multi-million-dollar construction matter and the next I am drafting responses to a professional regulatory investigation on behalf of a client. My weeks are filled with different tasks such as drafting correspondence, instructions to counsel or court documents, calling clients and collaborating with other parties, preparing large briefs to counsel and experts, and attending meetings.
More specifically, the team I am currently on rotation with is in the process of preparing for a large trial so many of my days will be dedicated to preparing for that. This includes gathering expert and lay evidence, briefing counsel, and collaborating with the other defendants on the matter to ensure the best outcomes for our clients. I have never prepared or been to trial before, so a lot of the work is new and challenging but I look forward to seeing how it all pays off in a few months.
What's your background?
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and in 2008 my family moved to Brisbane. My family’s mindset has always been very global with my parents both travelling extensively for their respective professional roles. As a result, I effectively grew up with a travel bug mentality. As soon as I graduated high school, I leaped at the opportunity to live abroad. So, in 2015 I moved to The Netherlands for 6 months for an exchange program where I got to live with a Dutch family and experience school and life in a small Dutch town. I was lucky enough that with my Afrikaans background I could pick up the language quickly and ended up having the time of my life.
Before moving to The Netherlands however, I was very unsure of what my career would look like or which direction I would go into. One day my host dad took me to The Hague and showed me all the UN and international legal bodies like the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. Since then, I have had my heart set on two things. The law and the international landscape. I came back to Australia and studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations and Economics followed by my Bachelor of Laws which I finished in 2022.
While studying I was lucky to work with the Queensland Law Society’s Legal Policy team for over 2 years before moving to Clyde’s. I have been with Clyde’s since late 2021 when I started as a Summer Clerk. I then stayed with the firm for a year as a paralegal in the Financial Lines and Directors and Officers team and have just started my rotations as a Law Graduate in February 2023.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Anyone could do this job regardless of their background if they are willing to study and work hard. Being a law graduate with Clyde’s is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and if you have the right tenacity and perseverance, you will love it just as much as I do. Some of the most important skills you need to do this job are having attention to detail, being protective and asking questions, being able to receive and act on feedback and having the confidence to try new things.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
When I am given a task I have never done before, for example drafting instructions to counsel, a letter to the other side, an email to a client (whatever it may be!) the moment I realise “actually, hold up, I got this” is the coolest part of the job. I love being given tasks I have never done before and using all the skills I have learnt during my degree and through my experience to give it a go. I get this nerdy buzz when I feel myself stepping out of my comfort zone and growing.
Being a lawyer has its challenges. You have targets and deadlines you need to hit every single day, and this may often mean you have to work late, start early, or log on over the weekend. It isn’t that way all the time and you must be able to adapt to the busy periods and the quiet periods, manage expectations and ensure you continue to set your own boundaries. Sometimes maintaining those boundaries can be difficult and you have to be willing to let go of them at times to get the job done.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...