Allens

What's your job about?

Allens is one of Australia's leading commercial law firms advising businesses on complex legal problems. As a graduate, I rotate through two different practice groups over two years. I am currently in Disputes and Investigations, having previously spent a year in the Competition, Consumer and Regulatory team.

As the most junior person on my matters, my work includes legal research, drafting advices and submissions, reviewing large volumes of documents, and preparing client presentations. Almost everything I do is new, so the learning curve is quite steep. I am not only learning the law, but also how different industries operate, how clients like to work and how different types of matters are run within the firm.

The part of this job I did not expect to experience so early in my career has been being involved in large trials. This involves our team being in court every day, preparing research notes for barristers, ensuring our team has the right documents at the right moment and answering questions quickly about a piece of research or a document you helped draft. It is intense, but I really enjoy working in that fast-paced and challenging environment, particularly because I am constantly learning from the people I work with.

What's your background?

I grew up in Albury and went to a public high school. No one in my family had been to university, so when I started thinking about it in Year 10, I was figuring it out as I went. I moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in criminology and gender studies. I didn’t have a clear career plan at the time, but I chose those majors as they genuinely interested me and I enjoyed writing in high school and those subjects involve a lot of essay writing. 

After that, I stumbled into law school. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do for work, but I knew a law degree would keep a lot of doors open. It wasn't until the third year that I realised I actually wanted to be a lawyer, when I took the elective Advocacy. This was a very practical subject focused on trial advocacy skills such as developing a case theory, making oral opening submissions to the judge, and cross‑examining witnesses. That was the first time I felt certain about what I wanted to do and that going to law school had been the right choice.

I applied for a clerkship at Allens specifically because of the firm's reputation in disputes. That clerkship led to a paralegal role in the Competition, Consumer and Regulatory team, an area of law I had never studied but I ended up loving it. I really enjoyed the subject matter of this area of law because, while it involves complex legal and economic concepts, it always comes back to how business conduct affects everyday people, from the price you pay for groceries to the ads you see while watching a YouTube video.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes, absolutely, doing well as a lawyer is about having the right attitude and wanting to learn as much as you can. Allens looks for people who are genuinely eager to learn and grow – not for a specific type of person who has a specific background or specific knowledge. The qualities I’ve found most important for this role are attention to detail, strong communication skills, humility, the ability to work well with others, resilience and staying calm under pressure. These provide a solid foundation for developing as a lawyer, especially in a role where you are constantly learning and where the expectations can be high.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

Clients come to Allens when they are dealing with challenging and complex problems, like regulatory investigations, major commercial disputes and matters that will affect their whole business. They trust our team to help them navigate some of the most difficult times their business will face. I like our role as lawyers in that context. It's very rewarding being part of a team that is working to advise a client when they are under a lot of pressure, and they really rely on our legal expertise and experience. Although I am very junior, and the work can sometimes be demanding or involve long hours, I can clearly see how each task is developing my ability to analyse complex legal issues and make a meaningful contribution to my team’s work.

What are the limitations of your job?

Managing competing demands across multiple matters at the same time is one of the hardest parts of this job. Priorities can shift very quickly, and often urgent work pops up which means everything else gets pushed back. Because you are not always working with the same people, it’s important to be proactive and clear about your capacity and how much time you have to take on work. While senior lawyers are genuinely supportive in helping manage workloads, the responsibility sits with you to communicate early, set expectations, and ask for help when needed. Learning to advocate for yourself, rather than waiting until deadlines become unmanageable, is important for this job.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

First, pursue what genuinely interests you and plays to your strengths. Building skills in an area you enjoy is far more rewarding and sustainable than forcing yourself down a path because it looks impressive or was what everyone else was doing.

Second, find a form of exercise you enjoy and make time for it. It makes an enormous difference to your health, energy and overall wellbeing, especially in a demanding role.

Third, take your work seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously. Perspective and a good sense of humour go a long way.