Brittany Baker

Brittany completed a Juris Doctor at Melbourne University. She clerked at Gilbert + Tobin in the Corporate Advisory team in February 2020 and returned as a Graduate in February 2021. She is currently in her first rotation in the Technology + Digital team.

8.30 AM

I get off the tram and make my way into the office. Sadly, I’m not a yoga-and-celery-juice-at-sunrise person – although I have been known to run to the tram stop to make my tram!

8.45 AM

The Melbourne T+D team meet for our daily check in. Since we are a relatively small team, these meetings tend to be short and relaxed. Some of us will be in the office, some dial in from home – as one might expect from a tech team, we work very flexibly.

9.00 AM

Today is Friday, which means our team visits the iconic Lune Croissanterie for coffee and a pastry. It’s a great excuse to get some fresh air and discuss weekend plans. Back in the office, I check my emails and review my to-do list. I see that a client has emailed with questions on a recent task. We arrange a time to chat early next week.

10.00 AM

I have a video conference with a client and a colleague. The client wants to discuss some recent work we did for them – the task involved reviewing a proposed contract with a technology provider and preparing a risk analysis. The client asks us to negotiate with the other side to mitigate the risks we identified in the contract. We discuss negotiation strategies and pencil in a meeting with the other party’s lawyers.

11.00 AM

A Sydney colleague calls and asks me to do some research on biometric data. For its security purposes, a client wants to engage a company that tracks individuals’ biometric data. Biometric data is personal data relating to the physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics of a person (for example, facial recognition, retinal scans or voice recognition technology). I am asked to investigate this technology and whether its use would impact our client’s obligations under Australian or European privacy law.

12.00 PM

My supervising partner emails the team with an update on a large infratech project we’ve been working on. The client has instructed us to prepare some intercompany agreements for different branches of the business and new supply agreements with external vendors. The matter is significant and will affect our client’s business for the next few decades – it’s interesting to be involved in such a large and strategic matter.

1.00 PM

I heat up my lunch in the kitchen and catch up with the other grads. The weather is nice so - like any vitamin D-deprived Melburnians - we take our food to the park and bask in the winter sunshine.

2.30 PM

I email my Sydney colleague with a research memo on biometric data. She reviews it and sends a lovely email thanking me.

2.45 PM

I continue to work on the large infratech project mentioned earlier. This phase of the project involves creating a suite of new contracts. The team discuss our approach and divide the workload. One interesting thing about a lot of infratech projects is the need for novel legal solutions and frameworks. I found this challenging in the beginning but have grown to enjoy our freedom to approach problems innovatively and commercially.

3.30 PM

My supervising partner calls to chat about one of the contracts I’ve reviewed for the infratech project. He gives me constructive feedback and explains why we might want to structure one section slightly differently. I’m grateful that the lawyers in the team take the time to explain concepts and tasks and are always generous with their time and feedback. I keep working on this matter for the rest of the day.

4.30 PM

In addition to our Lune croissants, another T+D Friday ritual is playing music (if we’re not too busy). One brave colleague volunteers to be office DJ, thereby subjecting himself to some light-hearted ribbing (another tradition). We enjoy the soft sounds of Fleetwood Mac as we all tie up loose ends for the rest of the day.

5.30 PM

The work week is done! We head to the firm’s monthly work drinks – tonight’s theme is ‘Germany’. We enjoy German hotdogs, pork knuckles, pretzels, mulled wine and apple strudel. Prost!