Joe Dwyer

5.45 AM

The alarm rings at 5.45am, and I spring out of bed to get ready for the Allens run club. While the run club trend has been sweeping the nation, in Brisbane we have had a 5-kilometre loop around the river going since 2019. I'm not typically a morning person, but the promise of an easy run with some great colleagues, and free coffee afterwards, entices me to start moving. I'm a little sore from turning out for the Allens touch football team the night before, and my match stats for the game don't make for pretty reading (3 runs, -8m, 5 missed tackles). Nevertheless, the sun is breaking through the clouds, it is a beautiful morning in Brisbane, and I am ready to enjoy another day in the best city in the world.

6.45 AM

Run club kicks off at 6.30am, so by this time, we are tearing into our gorgeous run along the river. Brisbane is apparently one of the earliest-waking cities in the world, so by 6.45am, we have plenty of company along the footpaths. I catch up with my workmates on the run, discussing what everyone has been working on, whether we will ever win a touch game, whether the Lions will ever win a game again, and whether we should try a different cafe this morning. We do, and this change to the usual routine is welcomed. Coffee is a big part of life at Allens, as much for the social dimension as anything. There are a handful of cafes around the office where you will run into people from different teams, different floors, and in different roles, and it always offers an opportunity to have a laugh early in the morning. Run club finishes, we head to Sauced on Adelaide Street, and settle in to keep the chats going. I have a relatively busy day today, so nip out from the cafe and head to the office to get ready.

7.45 AM

No one needs a photo of me at this point (have a photo of my locker instead), but the end-of-trip facilities at 480 Queen Street are genuinely excellent. My new habit is walking or running into the office, and getting ready there, as the showers have markedly better water pressure than at home. I bump into one of the senior associates in Banking & Finance downstairs, and we have a quick chat about what we have on our radar that day. 

8.20 AM

I make it to my desk, catch up on emails, and start planning out my day. As a relatively fresh lawyer in Banking & Finance, I am still rapidly learning, and work with a group of associates and senior associates who are very willing to listen to every one of my innumerous questions. If I can get in early enough, I like to start my working morning by making a detailed list of my tasks for the day. The focus today is to tie up some loose ends on various deals, including reviewing a letter drafted for the parties in a major secured finance transaction.

 
9.00 AM

I reach out to some other lawyers to gauge interest in a morning coffee. The answer is, unsurprisingly but delightfully, a resounding 'yes.' I don't drink caffeine, but love a warmed milk that tastes vaguely reminiscent of coffee (ie decaf). We make the trek outside into a sunny Brisbane day. I can only think of our southern colleagues having been shivering their way through a morning on the tram, as we walk down to a groovy spot in a laneway. We have a quick discussion about what work everyone is doing and, given everyone is fairly new in their rotations, there is lots of excitement abounding. We wrap up and head back to the office for our tasks.

10.20 AM

Snack break! It is a good thing I ran a few kilometers this morning, as I am absolutely demolishing the lolly jar every day I am in the office. One of the partners keeps it stocked to the brim, and the small punch of sugar is often all you need to keep pushing through the morning's work. I am taking a look now at a pro bono matter, with a client for whom we are in the early stages of preparing a personal injury claim. I review the documents he has sent through, and give him a call to discuss what else we might need. I find it much easier to pick up the phone—with a range of clients, and particularly in pro bono matters, establishing the human connection is something I have found extremely valuable. 

11.00 AM

Echoing the importance of human connection, I meet with my supervising lawyer on the pro bono matter in the Level 25 Kitchen. We have a tea, and discuss workload and strategy moving forward. I feel very fortunate to be involved in working with such talented lawyers, with discussions about the progression of matters always involving juniors.

12.30 PM

Lunchtime rolls around, and I head downstairs with a few other lawyers. I brought lunch from home once and it wasn't great, so I am a consistent customer of the many shops around our office in the city. My favorite is the poke bowl place a short walk away, which is particularly enjoyable on a beautiful sunny day, so after picking up the usual, I head back for some more socializing. And the socializing leads very nicely into my next big focus for the day!

1.30 PM

After lunch, I shoot upstairs for a meeting of the Social Committee. We are in the midst of planning the mid-year firm black tie dinner, and there is plenty to discuss. We are fortunate to be joined by one of the partners and the firm's event coordinator, and they talk through how the event will look, and where the committee can have input.

It is inspiring that, despite the fact everyone in attendance at the meeting has a busy workload, we all take the time to be present, to talk through how we can put on great events for the people at the firm. The Social Committee is a cross-section of the lawyers at the office, across different teams and levels of seniority, so we have input from a wide range of perspectives. The biggest task will be figuring out the seating arrangement, which shapes up to be a delicate balancing act. We are sure that with enough effort and tact, we will come up with tables with which everyone is happy.

3.00 PM

After the Social Committee meeting, I lock in for a solid afternoon of focused work (in front of my impeccable collection of pictures of Broncos players, pictured). We have a settlement coming up next week for a refinancing, which, for me, involves drafting releases of mortgages, and completing verification of identity requirements. In practice, I am in constant correspondence with our client, trying to work out a convenient time with them to discuss the drafted documents, and to sight their identity documents for our verification requirements. A lot of the law is about making sure you are getting the small details right, particularly as a junior. One of the best ways to set yourself apart is to consistently focus on these smaller details, and build up trust. While the Allens workplace is usually a buzzy and social place, it has a series of breakout rooms to ensure you can focus.

4.15 PM

I pop into one of those breakout rooms, and make sure to take a selfie for my Day In The Life article. Tonight, I have a standup comedy gig out in Annerley, so I am looking to power through my work to have enough time to walk home. It has been jam-packed today, but I really appreciate how focusing on work for the main part of the day can be a very centering experience, and always leaves me walking away with a sense of achievement and purpose. I hop on a brief call with my senior lawyer about the matter that is settling next week, and she takes me through some of the finer points of what we have to do. We will be executing the documents on Friday, and I am planning on working from home tomorrow, so making sure these documents are in a good place is a key goal of mine.

5.45 PM

I have enough time to walk home before my gig tonight, so I take a beautiful stroll along the river, to mull over the tasks completed today, as well as any action items awaiting me tomorrow. I have found that the vast majority of individuals at the firm have great passions outside of the law, and each morning it is always exciting to find out what people did last night. Tonight, I have a 'Gong Show,' which is where you perform for a minimum of 90 seconds, and if at any time after that the audience is sick of you, they get up and hit a loud gong, after which you have to leave the stage. It is somewhat nerve-racking but a lot of fun to jump out of my comfort zone. I rehearse my set (or at least the first 90 seconds) in my head, before heading out to Annerley for the gig.

7.00 PM

I get to the gig, do my set, and last a few minutes before the audience (reasonably) gongs me off the stage. It has been a great day, albeit busy, and on the drive back home, I think about what awaits me tomorrow. The first item? A sleep-in.

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