Academia

The sort of person who would be a good legal academic: they love the law; they read a lot (actual cases, not just the textbook); they can achieve a lot without a boss cracking the whip or patting their head (because your life becomes very self-directed with minimal external validation); they enjoy public speaking; they care more about making a difference than making dolleridoos.

What role do universities play in the legal profession?

Well, they provide the product which forms the academic pre-requisites to entering the profession. We are de facto gatekeepers. We begin the training but a lot of it—or most of it— happens in practice.

We also deliver the profession a hospital handpass in the amount of grads we pump out. A lot of people disagree with me on this. Anyway, for my view, check out the Alternative Law Journal on ‘Australia’s Law Graduate Glut’.

Is there anything you believe that students should know as they take steps towards their careers in law?

The job is the means to the end. The ‘end’ is eudaimonia. It is your best life. Your best life may not follow that coveted clerkship or that coveted grad job. You could be a career academic with a sweet gig at Oxford and still depressed as hell.

Figure out whatever happiness means to you then go after it hard. Don’t feel restricted by others’ versions of ‘success’. For example: commercial lawyers have a habit of justifying their career path as the only legitimate career path; transparently defending their fragile sense of identity. Don’t fall into that trap.

Alternative answer: (*Admiral Ackbar voice*) IT’S A TRAP!

Life as a Criminal Lawyer

Ashlee Taylor

Lawyer, Kate King Legal

I have been practising criminal law for approximately 6 years, including my graduate year, when I worked as a law graduate for Mr Percy QC and Mr Watters of Albert Wolff Chambers, whilst completing my Practical Legal Training.

The biggest thing I can say is that you learn something new every day, no matter how experienced you are. It is an ever evolving area of law. Whether that be case law, the legal principles involved or simply advocacy styles and ways to address a jury or the judiciary.

I completed my Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations) degrees in 2015. After graduating, I commenced my Practical Legal Training with the College of Law in early 2016 and was subsequently admitted in about October that same year.

Throughout University I would take any opportunity I could to gain practical legal experience. Theoretical experience at University is all well and good, but it doesn’t usually equate to the skills you need to practice, but rather a skeleton framework of it. During my studies I clerked two days a week for a criminal law Barrister and from my second year, took clerkships with boutique family law firms. In my final year, I worked part time for a boutique commercial litigation firm as well as two barristers in a criminal law chambers.

I found the experience to be invaluable in the boutique firms as it is, effectively, a “sink or swim” scenario. Every day was different. I found myself as a final year law student, working in two different fields of law, drafting submissions and appellant’s cases for the Court of Appeal one day and another, preparing documents that experienced Barristers are relying on for the highest Courts of WA.

Early on, I knew I wanted to be an advocate. It is nearly impossible to work in the area of criminal law without wanting to be an advocate or have a presence in court. I wasn’t one of the high flying, top achieving students in University, I worked the entire time. I did not do any clerkships at “top tier” firms.

There is no denying that as a lawyer, you do work long hours, predominantly when you are a junior lawyer and don’t have the experience or understanding of the law that a more senior lawyer may have. In reality, that is just something that evolves over time and with practice. However, during the course of the last 6 years I endeavoured to try different areas of law, to ensure that criminal law is what I wanted to do. That’s what was important in my view, to ensure I enjoyed and had a passion for the work I did.

Come today, I love the work I do. I appear in court almost every day whether that be in the Magistrates Court or in high profile trials.

“My advice to law students today would be, put yourself out there, experience as many fields of law as you can, and just make sure you enjoy what you do.”