Hamish Glaspole

6.30 AM

The first of several of my alarms goes off and I hop out of bed and into the shower. I’m definitely not a morning person, so the night before I prepare my lunch and leave out my clothes, bag and anything else that I’ll need for the day. Getting out of bed can be tough, so it’s nice to have a few less things to worry about. Macpherson Kelley’s dress for your day policy means that I can wear clothes that suit me. I know that I don’t have any client meetings today, so I’m wearing a collared shirt and chinos. 

7.45 AM

I leave home to catch the train. My team has organised a lunch for today in the food court below our Melbourne office, but normally we’re free to choose whether we go to Melbourne, Dandenong, or work from home. There’s plenty of flexibility in choosing our working arrangements. 

On the train in, I message my team to say good morning, and that I’m on my way. I’m currently rotating through our Private Clients team, specifically in Family Law. 

8.30 AM 

I arrive at the office, put my lunch in the fridge, sneak a Freddo from the snacks cupboard and head to my desk. I always check my emails first thing in the morning, in case I’ve received anything overnight. 

This morning, I’ve received an email from a client who’s worried about their upcoming mediation and the effect that will have on their property. I’ve also been notified that further documents have been added to our e-Brief. I check my Principal's diary and organise a time for us to chat about the matter. 

I’ve also received some positive feedback on a letter of advice I drafted yesterday. A few minor edits, but I’ve now gotten approval from my Principal to send it to our client. 

I add my tasks to my to-do list and check if I have any other outstanding tasks for today.

9.00 AM 

I head downstairs with a few of the other grads to grab coffee number 1 for the day. I know that I’ve got a few things on today, so it’s nice to catch up with people before getting stuck in. It’s also a great way to stay connected with my friends from other teams. 

After heading back to the office, I switch my Teams status to ‘busy’ so that people know that I’m doing work and may not be able to respond straight away. 

9.30 AM

I meet up with my Principal to discuss our upcoming mediation. One of the great things about being a grad is that I’m able to be involved with pretty much anything I’m interested in attending. 

As our client is the respondent in these proceedings, we need to start drafting a response to initiating the application, an affidavit, and other relevant court documents. I’ve drafted affidavits in my rotation before, but nothing of this size. I put my hand up to draft the response to initiating the application and affidavit. I know my team is there to help me out should I get stuck, and that education is a massive part of my graduate rotations. 

11.30 AM

My first draft of the affidavit is nearly ready to go. I check in with a buddy to see if she has any tips about what to include, and she shows me some precedents that she prepared earlier. It’s great having this support around me. 

I send the affidavit off to my Principal for review.

12.30 PM

Time for lunch! Our team head downstairs and decide to go for sushi. It’s great to catch up and chat about our lives outside of work. It’s also a great opportunity to get across what my team is working on, and if there are any opportunities for me to help out. Your grad year is all about getting as much experience as you can across all areas. 

Draft legislation has been announced that proposes changes to the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility in the Family Law Act. I put my hand up to do an insight article about this change’s context and its operation. 

1.30 PM

Back to the office, and I get started with researching and drafting the insight article. Whilst doing so, I get a call from our client about their mediation. I take down her questions and pass them on to one of our lawyers, who helps me with answers. I then draft an email in response to her. It’s great having the responsibility to manage different files and really feel like I’m part of the team. 

3.00 PM 

There are a few matters which I need to finish off before the end of the day. I head to one of our focus rooms and put my head down – my insight article is coming along nicely, but I also need to continue drafting the response to initiate the application. 

4.30 PM

I get an email from the special counsel in our team, asking if I’m free to attend a client intake meeting tomorrow. The client is having issues with a parenting arrangement and needs our advice about obtaining more time with the child. I read up on parenting arrangements and ask our special counsel what she expects.  

5.30 PM

I finish up with the response to initiating the application, and generate a template for the letter of engagement. My Principal has reviewed my insight article and has given some positive feedback. They point out to me another piece of information that could be good to add to the article.

5.45 PM

Home time! I pack up my desk and say goodnight to my team. I’m catching up with my mates tonight to jam some new songs we’ve been working on. Having a work/life balance is important. I know that my team understands that I have obligations outside of work and they encourage me to keep pursuing my interests.

8.00 PM 

I get back home and enjoy some dinner with my family. I do some meal prep and force myself to do some ironing for tomorrow. 

I sit down, watch some episodes of Ozark, and then head off to sleep at 10.30 pm. 

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