Anthony Guerrieri

8.30 AM

I arrive at Barangaroo, where our offices are located. The first thing I do is grab a coffee from a local cafe and then walk to our building along the beautiful waterfront promenade in Barangaroo.

Once I arrive on our floor, I head to my desk, log in and check my emails. A number of emails have come in overnight. This is often the case, as we work with clients and colleagues in other offices all over the world in different time zones. I love this part of the role, as you feel so connected to the rest of the world. One day, I hope to take advantage of the Firm's Associate Training Program, so I can experience working in one of our many offices around the world.

Once I've caught up on emails, I make a note of everything that I need to action for the day.

I am currently doing my first rotation in our IPTech team. Before starting as a grad, I was actually a paralegal in the IPTech team for 2.5 years and I really enjoyed the work. During my rotation, the team again has lots of interesting and exciting work - and I am often involved in transactions, disputes and advice work for some of the biggest brands in the world!

9.20 AM

Many of my colleagues have now arrived, so I take a walk around the floor and briefly catch up with them. Along the way, I admire the view of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and 360 views of the rest of Sydney. It is a sunny day in Sydney, which is a bonus!

9.30 AM

It is now time to delve into some of my billable work for the day.  This morning, I am preparing advice for a client (an international private equity firm) on a claim against a third party for trade mark infringement and misleading and deceptive conduct. Having spoken with the relevant partner about the task yesterday, I now have the autonomy to prepare the draft advice myself. This is something that stands out to me at Baker McKenzie - junior lawyers are trusted with challenging work early in their graduate program.

11.30 AM 

I have finished the advice and have sent it to the partner for final review. I now join a Zoom client call with my supervising partner and an associate in my team. The call is to advise the client on how to handle a dispute against a third party selling counterfeit programs. The client is a leading global technology company. I really enjoy the client-facing aspects of my job and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to meet with clients like these regularly so early in my career.

1.00 PM

It is now time for lunch. A new associate has just joined our team and I have been invited to a "buddy" lunch to welcome them, along with two other colleagues in my team.

We are going to Zushi which is along the waterfront in Barangaroo. It is terrific that the Firm consistently gives us opportunities to socialise and build relationships within our teams.

2.00 PM

Once I have returned from lunch, I message my graduate cohort and we agree to go upstairs to level 46 for a coffee at the Firm's cafe. Having our own cafe and barista is an added bonus! 

Once I have returned to my desk, I take 20 minutes to do some wider reading - to understand recent developments in the IPTech space. I try to do this at least three times a week, to aid my professional growth and have useful background information when receiving new tasks.

2.30 PM

I now have a call with a partner and a group of associates from the IPTech and Dispute Resolution teams to discuss a new matter. It is a large regulatory matter in the healthcare area. I am very much looking forward to getting involved in this! Often, we work with different teams in our own offices on matters. It is a great way to network and meet people across the Firm (which is helpful for our rotations).

3.30 PM

After this call, the majority of my afternoon is spent preparing a declaration and supporting evidence for a trade mark opposition on behalf of a well-known global fast-food restaurant chain. It is exciting to have the opportunity to work on global matters with such big-name clients and also rewarding to be trusted with such important work as a junior lawyer.

5.30 PM

I finish the day by updating my to-do list, closing my time sheets and preparing for any calls/meetings I have tomorrow. I have a fair bit to get through tomorrow, as we have a national team retreat day later this week.

I cannot wait for this wonderful opportunity to connect with the broader team!

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