June 2025: Part 2: We asked Australia graduates Olivia, Shi-Mei and Nick to tell us about their day-to-day work and share career advice for aspiring lawyers interested in working in their area of the law.
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Debt Finance – Olivia Tomiyama Tell us about your practice area. "Debt Finance (specifically, leveraged finance) involves helping companies borrow money, typically to fund big transactions like acquisitions or refinancings. As a lawyer, you'll either represent the borrower, the company taking out the loan, or the lender, usually a syndicate of banks or financial institutions providing the loan, and you'll assist with negotiating, drafting and executing loan documents." |
What makes this an interesting area to work in?
"As a graduate, I was able to work directly with a partner on cross-border, local counsel deals involving the New York and London White & Case offices. If you're interested in working overseas, this is a great way to form relationships across the network and gain firsthand insight into how debt financing operates on a global scale."
What's most challenging about your work?
"There are many new concepts, documents and project management skills you'll need to quickly familiarize yourself with, which are not necessarily taught in law school. Fortunately, there are many associates who have either rotated through or settled in banking, so there is a support network if you have any technical or process-driven questions."
What skills do you need to succeed in your team?
"Take the extra effort to be across the different workstreams in each transaction, have diligent organizational skills (such as keeping updated checklists and filing your emails) and proactively think about areas you'd like to upskill in—this could be related to drafting certain legal documents or working on matters related to a specific sector. Over time, you'll be able to independently provide a valuable contribution to each transaction."
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Environment and Planning – Shi-Mei Ewing Tell us about your practice area. "We advise on the environment, planning and native title-related regulatory approvals required for projects. This includes in the context of facilitating transactions, as well as in quasi-litigious panel hearings, which consider the potential environmental and social effects of proposed projects." |
What makes this an interesting area to work in?
"The regulatory context is always changing! Our clients work at the forefront of the energy and infrastructure sectors, and this means we often have to analyze market trends and anticipate the mechanics of new legislation in order to provide the best advice."
What's most challenging about your work?
"Our team works with and learns from an incredibly broad range of people every day, including colleagues across the Firm, consultants, in-house legal counsel, ecologists, engineers and many more. With such an array of stakeholders, it's important to consider the varied perspectives at every stage of a project. I've found that building trust and maintaining clear communication are the most effective ways to keep everyone aligned."
What skills do you need to succeed in your team?
"Strong research skills, and an interest in applying the law to real, commercial situations that affect people and our environment."
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Financial Restructuring and Insolvency – Nick Leavenworth Tell us about your practice area. "Financial Restructuring and Insolvency (FRI) broadly encompasses the restructuring of distressed companies that may either be approaching insolvency or are actively involved in insolvency proceedings. In practice, you may find yourself acting for major creditors of insolvent companies, an outside investor with a plan to turn the company around, or even the insolvency practitioners themselves—no two deals are ever the same!" |
What makes this an interesting area to work in?
"The most interesting thing about working in the FRI team is the variety of work: You may be doing purely transactional work on one deal while simultaneously preparing for litigation in another. For any young lawyers who may be torn between trying a litigious or transactional seat, FRI provides ample exposure to both, and lets you see firsthand how the two tie in to one another."
What's most challenging about your work?
"Insolvency regimes are governed by federal legislation, which impose strict deadlines into each step of the process. This inherent time crunch, combined with the variety of work and a potentially vast number of interested parties, can lead to fast-paced deals which require a quick turnaround—all without sacrificing the quality of work."
What skills do you need to succeed in your team?
"Just like with any rotation, the most important skill for a junior lawyer is a good attitude: You may be asked to research case law in the morning, edit contracts before lunch and draft advisory emails in the afternoon. The ability to adapt to a dynamic and fast-paced working environment will not just help the FRI team, but will also help you develop into a better and well-rounded lawyer."
