Ella Blythe

6:30 AM           

More often than not my alarm goes off around now, unless I decided to get up earlier and squeeze in a walk or gym session at 5:30 am.

7:30 AM        

Walk to the bus stop and catch the bus to work. It is about a 30 minute journey so I tend to listen to music and read the news in this time. Often I will bump into other friends on the bus who are also travelling into the city for work.

8:00 AM          

I arrive at the office and head straight to the barista bar. Our amazing Catering Coordinator, Henriette, is always there to greet me with a smile and a perfectly made coffee. I often eat breakfast in the Club room as well, where there is a variety of cereal, fruit, bread and spreads to choose from. I will usually bump into some other colleagues here and we will catch up and have our coffees together.

8:30 AM           

By now I have arrived at my desk and am checking my emails and calendar to determine what I need to achieve today. I write a list of outstanding tasks to be completed in order of priority, and any questions I have in relation to my work, and who I need to follow up with. Often there are many things going on at once, so it is important to plan my day out.

8:45 AM           

There is a big trial on this week and I have been asked to deliver a trolley of documents to the Supreme Court. Once I have arrived, I take the documents to the court room, where counsel and solicitors are often already there getting prepared. Depending on how my day is looking, I may stay for a while and observe the hearing which is really interesting, or if I have lots of work to do I will head straight back to the office.

9:30 AM           

I have started working on whatever is most urgent, moving from the top of my list all the way down. As we sit in an open plan environment, it is easy to ask colleagues in my team any questions I have in relation to the work I am doing. It is great to be sitting in a collaborative space where you can hear what others in the team are working on and gradually learn new skills along the way.

11:00 AM         

Time for my second coffee. Sometimes, if things aren’t too busy I will go out of the office with another colleague to grab some fresh air and a quick take away coffee. Most of the time though, I will go back to the barista bar and get my coffee there – it’s quicker and arguably better than some of the local café’s in the city, not to mention free! I will then go back to my desk to resume working.

12:00 PM        

We often have graduate training sessions which teach us legal research skills, or give us some insight into different practice areas within the firm. These sessions are highly valuable as a new member of the workplace, where we learn many important skills necessary to succeed at the firm, and give us an insight into what type of work other teams are undertaking, so we can make informed decisions when picking our next rotations.

1:00 PM           

Usually I have lunch with another colleague or friend who works in the city nearby. I like to get out of the office for lunch for some fresh air and sunshine. If its bad weather, there are lots of nice spots around the office to sit and eat, ranging from tables and couches overlooking the river and city, or the club room which often has sport or news playing on the TV.

1:45 PM        

I am now back at my desk, and have usually received some new work from my supervisor, or some feedback on some work I have done earlier in the week. I take this time to carefully review the new instructions or feedback, and confirm with my supervisor what the next steps are.

3:00 PM          

The work I have been undertaking throughout the day is diverse. On a typical day, I will be researching an area of the law relating to a claim our client has received, drafting a summary of the law and providing advice as to how the client should proceed. I am in the litigation team, so often I will also be reviewing documents for discovery, drafting court documents or drafting letters to the opposing party.

6:00 PM          

Once I am satisfied I have completed all tasks necessary for the day, I pack up my belongings and head back to the bus stop to begin the journey home.

8:00 PM          

After I have taken some time to relax, I complete an assignment for College of Law. Often it is difficult to find the motivation to study after work, but I remind myself that it is only this one year, and these are important skills necessary to have under my belt to become a great lawyer.

10:00 PM     

Finally, some time to watch TV! I often find it is great to watch something light to wind down after work and get myself ready for sleep.

11:00 PM         

Before going to bed, I will make my lunch for the following day and get all of my belongings ready for work tomorrow. I often try to put my workout clothes out for the morning as well, in the hope that I find the motivation to get up an hour earlier and hit the gym.