5.30 AM
Early mornings are my favourite time of the day. I’m incredibly grateful to live near the coast – I’ve discovered a few local running tracks with sunrise views over the ocean or the harbour. I’ll get up early, stretch and read for a little if I have time, and then go for a long run by myself or with mates. At the moment, there are whales and dolphins everywhere – it’s so special to start the day moving in nature, feeling peaceful, present and mesmerised by our slice of the world.
If I’m not running, I’ll jump into a HIIT or a pilates class at one of my local gyms. One of my best friends introduced me to a HIIT studio that’s just below our office, and doing classes there a few times a week has been the best investment and the loveliest way of meeting new people that work in the same area or in similar industries. Working out right below our office block is perfect – it leaves time to shower and have a coffee before starting the day.
7.30 AM
Our work structure is very flexible, with options for working from the office or home.
If I’m working from home, I’ll shower post workout and make a hot breakfast before logging on early. I find that working from home once or twice a week can be really useful – it gives me a little bit of extra time to get ahead for the week, or to power through more complex tasks while I’m feeling really fresh in the morning.
If I’m going into the office, I can commute by ferry, train or a half an hour walk through the Botanic Gardens.
8.30 AM
Arrival time! One of my favourite parts of the morning is arriving in the office and getting to catch up with whoever is in from our team. I’ll get settled at my desk, put my lunch in the fridge, check my emails and plan out my workflow and key priorities for the day. I find a paper diary the most helpful thing for this – it’s great to be able to get a visual on what your day will look like, and when upcoming deadlines are.
I’ll also use this first hour of the work day to focus on any urgent tasks, or anything that I am finding especially complex or challenging.
9.30 AM
I am working on the Environment & Planning Team, which meets at 9.30 every morning to discuss everyone’s capacity and schedule for the day. Hearing what each team member has on is a really useful way to understand the work of more senior staff and how I can support them.
Our team is involved in transactional, advisory and litigious work, and is also frequently engaged to carry out policy development and reform projects. I usually have a mix of three or four of the work streams on my plate at one time – I love the diversity of tasks, which means I am always learning something new.
10.00 AM
I am wildly lucky to work with a few of my best friends, which a couple even on teams that are on the same floor as me. Once our team meeting has finished, if I have a gap in my schedule I’ll see if they’re around for a coffee run. There’s a café near our office that does their own blend of coffee – it’s completely delicious. Safe to say the barista knows my order there! I’ll head back to my desk with a hot coffee, and get stuck in.
Today I am preparing a draft easement for a client, and a letter of engagement and brief to an expert we are engaging in a litigious matter. I work through the drafting, and send them back to the senior associate and partner for review. The team will come back to me with amendments later in the day, and I will finalise the documents from there.
I love getting the opportunity to brief experts – our team often interacts with specialists in ecology, planning, urban design, climate science, architecture, engineering and market valuation of property. It’s exciting to speak with people with niche expertise in a different area to me, and to learn from them.
11.30 AM
I begin some legal research for one of our senior associates, to assist with an advice we are preparing. Legal research gives you the opportunity to become a “mini expert” on a discrete question of law for a moment, and to then translate those findings for your client. I sift through the legal databases for relevant case law and commentary, and prepare a memo for the team outlining my findings and some initial draft points of advice for the client.
1.00 PM
It’s time for lunch! So, I’ll message our grad cohort and see who is around. Starting with a cohort is really joyful, because you have an immediate group of friends at the same level as you – I love catching up with everyone at lunchtime or after work. Usually my lunchtimes will be a chance for the group to sit out in the sun on the top balcony of the office. One of the best parts about the commercial law industry is that so many of the firms are located close together, so lunchtime is also a prime time to catch up with friends at other firms in Martin Place!
2.00 PM
This afternoon I have a quick coffee catch up with my mentor,. a key part of the Corrs Graduate Program Today, we are chatting through some questions I have about conducting searches in the Environment & Planning space.
3.00 PM
Once my billable work for the day is out of the way, I get started on some research for law and policy updates. One of my roles is supporting the team in staying up to date on any key developments in national and international law, particularly in the sustainability, climate change and biodiversity space. As part of this, I will often attend industry forum seminars online or in person.
At the moment, I am working with one of our special counsel and our partners on drafting a series of Corrs Insight articles about climate change and biodiversity related financial disclosure. I love getting the chance to see what’s changing in law globally, and to think deeply about complex issues like environmental justice. We have just recently published one.
5.00 PM
The last part of my day is focused on making any updates and amendments to work that I have sent off to members of our team. Their feedback and time has really helped me to develop my drafting skills and legal thinking over the past few months.
Once this is done, I finalise my time entries for the day and lock them all in.
7.00 PM
After work, I’ll either grab dinner with friends, catch up for drinks with our grad cohort, cook a big meal at home and hang out with my flatmate or jump into a hot yoga class at my local studio. Tonight, I’m having dinner at a restaurant near the office with a few of the grads. Working in the middle of the city is so exciting – we are surrounded by so many beautiful venues and there is always something new happening.
10.30 PM
I’ll catch the ferry home after dinner, because it drops me right near my doorstep. Getting the ferry through the harbour is pure magic. I love having the time to make a clear transition from work to home, so by the time I get to my apartment I’m out of work mode and ready to rest. I’ll quickly prep lunch for work the next day, and then I’ll tuck in for a good sleep.