April 2025: Read about the first week of our 18-month Australia Graduate Program and discover how we set our people up for success.

DAY ONE

I'm not sure how one is supposed to feel when taking the elevator up to day one of being a law graduate, but I was super excited. Excited to catch up with old friends, excited to make some new ones and generally excited to step into my new life as a lawyer.

The day started with breakfast, which doubled as a great opportunity to chat with my fellow graduates from the Melbourne and Sydney offices. Energy levels amongst us were high (in the best kind of way), which set the tone for the rest of the week.
 

DAY TWO

I was impressed with the sheer amount of time and effort that was put into making our induction week exceptional. More than 35 sessions were scheduled, with topics ranging from overviews of our Australian offices' practice areas to how to effectively optimize my energy throughout the working day.

A standout session was the explanation of how our offices work together (often on a global scale) to advise clients across the life cycle of a renewable energy project. The room was packed to the rafters with senior lawyers from a range of different practice areas. As we went through the stages of a project's life cycle, each of the senior lawyers took us through how they worked with clients to advance a project to its next stage. The session was a great overview of the broad range of work the Firm's Australia offices excel at. It was also a great reminder of how passionate everyone at the Firm is about the work they are doing.

DAY THREE

Our focus for today were two sessions delivered by May Samali, founder of the Human Leadership Lab. The first of May's sessions focused on identifying our core values and finding alignment with responsibilities of the job we were stepping into, and the Firm we are now a part of. And the second got us thinking about optimizing our "personal operating systems", making sure we prioritize our mental, physical and emotional well-being.

The induction program had a focus on well-being throughout the week, which made for a reassuring sentiment as we embark on our new careers in what can be a demanding profession.

DAY FOUR

This week wasn't all about the work; it was also about having fun. We graduates were provided ample opportunities to hang out with each other and to meet other people throughout the Firm. While most of these activities involved catching up over some delicious food, there was one activity that allowed us to see each other's true colors. That was—of course—the inaugural White & Case Australian Graduate Table Tennis Tournament.

Competition was fierce in each of the eight opening rounds, but I managed to fight my way into the final over three intense days of competition. Embarrassingly, I blew a 14 to 4 lead in the final to succumb to the ultimate victor—Dan. 
 

DAY FIVE

Week one has left me with a lot of great learnings and a lot of great memories. Importantly, my key takeaways from the week were to always be thinking about how I can be the most useful to my team, to emphasize building strong relationships with colleagues and clients from day one, and to not shy away from having fun throughout the journey.

Heading into week two, I'm excited to put all my learning from week one into practice, excited to be working with such a great bunch of people, and excited to see where a career at White & Case will take me.