By Shumi Ruan, Graduate at Norton Rose Fulbright
5.30 AM to 5.45 AM
My alarm goes off at this (slightly absurd) hour during the work week. Admittedly, I hit that snooze button once or twice, before I eventually get up and walk to the gym. I’m not naturally a bubbly morning person, but I am definitely a fan of starting my day with that post-workout endorphin high.
7.45 AM
Even after the early wakeup, I’m usually in a rush to get ready after the gym. I pack a breakfast-to-go, and then head out to catch the bus into the city. One of my morning rituals is to listen to a few podcasts on my way into work, for local and global news updates. Some mornings I’ll also call my mum who updates me on how my parents are going in Shanghai, which I’m sure provides a very entertaining one-sided conversation for my fellow commuters.
8.30 AM
I walk from my bus stop at QVB to our Sydney office, which is located right at the top of Martin Place. The firm moved to 60 Martin Place in 2019. We’re very lucky to have an incredible space, with open-plan floors, spectacular views, access to state-of-the-art facilities and to top it all off, our very own café on Level 4. This is where I get a morning coffee with a few of the other graduates, to catch up and hear about what they have planned for the day.
Norton Rose Fulbright has agile working guidelines in place, which means that each team has capacity to work from home or remotely on an ad-hoc basis (in addition to separate flexible work arrangements which are more permanent). However, after working from the confines of my house as a paralegal last year, it has been really exciting to come into the office. Especially as a graduate, I find that you interact and learn more from being around the team, absorbing by osmosis.
Once I’m at my desk, sufficiently caffeinated and caught up, the first thing I always do is to check my emails for updates or work I have received since last logging on. I like to jot down a to-do list to plan out my day, based off priority deadlines or any meetings that might be occurring throughout the day.
9.00 AM
My first rotation is in the Litigation team, where I’ve been working on a range of government, regulatory and pro bono matters. I will shortly commence a secondment with a government client which I will largely perform remotely for the client from our Sydney office. Although I’m only just getting started, it has been a unique opportunity to get involved with an important project for a client but remain connected to my office. The team works closely with our Canberra office as well as the internal client team.
Every fortnight, we have a Litigation team meeting, which is led by the partners. They share updates on current matters as well as interesting news about upcoming work. These have been a great way to learn about the team more broadly, especially as a graduate.
9.30 AM
Norton Rose Fulbright has a really strong Pro Bono team which always encourages graduates and lawyers to put their hands up and get involved from the outset. We have a dedicated Pro Bono partner who has been appointed to oversee the program and lift its contribution to the wider community. One day a week, they run a clinic with Refugee Advice and Casework Services (RACS). Under the supervision of a senior lawyer, I attend an appointment with a RACS’ client and interpreter, to help the client lodge a Safe Haven Enterprise visa. It’s an invaluable opportunity to see how passionate and skilled the lawyers at the firm are with their Pro Bono work and responsibilities.
11.30 AM
Earlier in the week, I was allocated a research task related to document production obligations and protection of sensitive information. My supervising partner is always very encouraging. After I indicate that I want to clarify an aspect of the task, the partner is genuinely happy to have a quick meeting where they provide a list of resources to start looking at. No question is ever discouraged. We send off the memo to be reviewed by the Royal Commission Taskforce.
I also start research on a Pro Bono matter that my buddy has asked me to help with, looking into the different states’ legislative regimes relating to intimate image sharing. I spend the rest of the morning writing up a summary of my research into a memo format to send back to them.
1.00 PM
Depending on how early in the week it is, I’ll have either been super prepared with lunch or I’ll be needing to buy something. Luckily in the latter situation, there are plenty of options at the café or within a 100-metre radius of the office. As the old adage goes, ‘location, location, location’!
If it’s a pleasant day, the graduates usually sit out on the Terrace, which is accessible to all those that work at Norton Rose Fulbright. It’s nice to know that there’s always someone around to grab a bite and have a chat with in the cohort. Today, I take the opportunity to get a smoothie with a friend and go for a little walk around the Domain.
2.00 PM
One of the associates on the team asks for help with preparing briefs to counsel for an interlocutory application happening tomorrow. Part of the work involves research on laws outside Australia and the relevant case law.
Where I sit in the office is a bit of a graduate pod, so it’s also exciting to have the opportunity to hear about the work the other Litigation graduates are involved in. In amongst the (very high quality) banter, there’s also often opportunities to assist with ad-hoc matters.
3.30 PM
In the afternoon, there is usually time to fit in some mentoring over coffee. Is my caffeine dependency being enabled by my daily work habits? Potentially. However, it’s worth it to be able to check-in with my buddy and senior mentor, both of whom are always happy to assist with any questions I have about work I’m doing and other general questions.
Afternoon slump overcome, I jump onto a national Zoom call run by a Special Counsel in the Knowledge team. This training session gives us an overview on conducting discovery, the related processes and Court rules. The Learning and Development team consistently run training, which is a good way to improve our skills as graduates and of course, familiarise ourselves with the many tools and systems we use here at the firm.
6.00 PM
Depending on the day, I have a few different after-work activities. Some nights, it’s grabbing dinner with friends. Other nights, it’s spending some time completing College of Law tasks for our Practical Legal Training programme – an infamous but inevitable part of the passage from graduate to lawyer.
At the end of the week, we usually get a crew of graduates together for dinner and drinks, which is always a nice way to end a busy week!