Life at a Global Law Firm

A Day in the Life of an HSF Graduate

Georgia Kalyniuk

Solicitor, Herbert Smith Freehills (Vacation Clerk 2019/20)

Georgia graduated from Murdoch in 2019. When she’s at home, you might find her exploring a new city, curled up with a good book, pinot in hand at a new natural wine bar, or around the corner of a bush trail.

7.00 AM I make a coffee and some toast or porridge. While I wait, I stand in the kitchen and look at my garden.

8.00 AM After eating my breakfast, I rush out the door. On the bus, I check and respond to any urgent emails so I’m prepared for the day ahead.

8.45 AM As part of our graduate program, we complete three six-month rotations in different teams. I previously rotated through the Disputes team and the Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions team and I am now in my third rotation in the Projects team.

Having started my career remotely during the lockdown of 2020, I’ve developed the habit of getting up late and getting in late. But Projects and I are a timing match made in heaven, because I still get to my desk just before my partner or senior associate!

9.30 AM It’s only a few days into my projects rotation, so I’m still getting across the team’s work. The Projects team undertake transactional work, which is mainly focused on drafting the underlying contracts for major energy, infrastructure and mining projects.

This might include the terms by which a mine in Western Australia or West Africa can operate; the terms by which power is purchased by a household supplier from a solar or wind farm; or the scope of engineering services for the construction of a new hospital.

Other work our team undertakes includes negotiating and reviewing these contracts, and providing advice to clients on ongoing or proposed projects. a pitch presentation for a prospective client. Often, our clients will go to a competitive tender process to select their legal adviser for a new project, and responding to those tenders is an important part of how the Projects team gains new opportunities.

While preparing the first draft of a pitch, I make sure to focus on the unique value adds that our team and HSF Perth can offer to the client.

11.30 AM I move on to looking at a departures table sent through by our client for a Mining Services Contract. The departures table shows the response of the other party to the last draft of the Contract that HSF provided.

There are a few points which require discussion with the client and we have a call scheduled at 1 PM. Yesterday, I read through the contract and arranged for the original departures table to be reformatted so that my team and the client can work off a version that is helpful and straightforward.

12.30 PM Some of the other grads send me a message on Teams saying they’ll head down for lunch. I grab my lunch out of the fridge and head down to catch some sunshine.

1.00 PM It’s time to discuss the departures table with our client. A senior solicitor leads the call and I take some notes as we work through the other side’s comments on our drafting position and discuss where to go from there.

The client compliments the reformatting of the table, commenting that it’s made things clear and easily understandable. At the end of the meeting, I confirm with the senior solicitor what my involvement will be in the drafting of amendments going forward.

2.00 PM I have a coffee scheduled with my buddy and my coach - a solicitor and senior associate in my team. As a rotating solicitor, I have mentoring catch-ups at the beginning of each rotation to talk through mutual