Great work for leading clients
During my summer clerkship with the Sydney office, I rotated in IPTech and the Commercial Real Estate Group (CREG). I experienced first-hand Bakers' industry-leading work for the best clients. In IPTech, I was involved in transactional, dispute-related and advice-related work for some of the biggest luxury and global consumer brands, and major pharmaceutical companies at the forefront of healthcare. In CREG, I supported the day-to-day managing of some of the world's largest property and luxury hotel portfolios, and also worked on sustainability projects – a truly exciting space! I also felt so lucky that I had front row seats into seeing the global nature of the Firm in action.
But what did this actually mean for me as a clerk in terms of my day-to-day role? My tasks involved drafting transaction documents such as hotel management agreements, preparing research memoranda, attending witness interviews, liaising with clients and even corresponding with enforcement officers! It was definitely a highlight to get involved in actual work and see a lot of my work go directly to clients. It was also really rewarding to make a meaningful contribution to vulnerable school children by volunteering alongside other clerks and lawyers to make sandwiches for Eat Up Australia.
Throughout my clerkship, I was really supported by my supervising partners. My supervising partner in IPTech was particularly great at mentoring and giving me feedback, which was valuable during my first rotation and such a steep learning curve. I also had a buddy in each rotation. My buddies were great at checking in on me and (importantly!) making sure I took advantage of the Firm's in-house café! But in actual fact, everyone that I dealt with was very supportive, friendly, willing to help and willing to invest in me.
Supporting your personal and professional development
Development is definitely something front of mind at Bakers!
My clerkship began with a very detailed induction program. The Talent Management team facilitated training from people in a range of areas – for example, our IT, Library, Knowledge and Business Development teams. We also had some really practical and useful sessions from partners and lawyers on legal research, on drafting, and showcasing each practice group, as well as some really fun and interactive sessions on how to succeed and impress as a clerk. All of these sessions supported me meaningfully during my clerkship experience.
In addition, as an avid competitor in mooting and negotiation competitions, I had been selected to lead negotiation strategy for Team Australia in the Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition Tokyo 2023. The Firm was very supportive of this professional development opportunity and I was able to take some leave during the clerkship to travel to Tokyo.
A stroke of serendipity arose when I met Siena Hopkinson – at the time, a Bakers graduate in the Sydney Dispute Resolution team – who was in Tokyo for her own professional development under the New Colombo Scholarship. She had previously competed in the competition so was there to give competitors advice. Coincidentally, she had also rotated with the same two partners/teams as me during her clerkship! In that moment, I truly felt Bakers attracted the most globally-minded individuals, and felt the Firm's strong global presence.
Back in Sydney, my colleagues were invested in my competition and were so happy when I announced my team won second place and best teamwork. It made a huge difference to be surrounded by colleagues who valued my personal development.
Diversity matters
During my clerkship interview, I mentioned my interest in joining BakerDNA – one of the inclusion, diversity and equity committees focused on cultural diversity and inclusion. As a clerk, it was wonderful that I could get involved in organizing the Lunar New Year event. Alongside other clerks and associates, I procured festive foods and helped distribute red packets. This was a great way to meet people from all around the Firm and start a dialogue about the significance of the celebration.
I also wrote an article for the internal BakerDNA Lunar New Year publication, sharing the symbolism behind the foods consumed and my personal experiences. This was particularly meaningful to me, as Lunar New Year has always been my family's biggest celebration of the year. At the time (and even now), I felt so happy to be working at a Firm that celebrates and embraces different cultures.
As a side note, at Bakers, you can even swap your public holidays with other significant holidays, such as Lunar New Year—a great initiative that shows the way the Firm values diversity!
Inspiring innovation
At Bakers, innovation is not just a buzz word. During the clerkship, we were split into five teams and competed in an innovation competition called the "Reinvent Challenge", where we were tasked to propose an AI-driven solution that would improve efficiency, productivity and employee satisfaction. This was a highly topical theme at the time, as Danielle Benecke from Bakers' Palo Alto office (formerly from our Sydney office!) had just won "Innovator of the Year" as the global lead of Bakers' Machine Learning program.
Given the time crunch, I thought one of the best ways to approach this task would be to go right to the source and interview employees to see what they would value. Not only did this help my team reality test possible solutions, the Firm culture (with everyone genuinely having an open door policy) allowed us to meet and have meaningful conversations with some of the Sydney office's highest stakeholders – including senior partners and directors.
I was so excited when my team actually won the competition! Our solution was to use AI to streamline time entries by recognizing patterns, and to use it for the bill review process to ensure adherence to internal and client guidelines—a solution that made the employees feel heard! The prize was a seafood degustation meal at a lovely restaurant on Barangaroo wharf with the National Managing Partner, Anne-Marie Allgrove, and Sydney staff partner, Andrew Stewart. Bakers definitely knows how to incentivize good work!
Continuing development
After my clerkship, I really appreciated the opportunity to return as a paralegal in the IPTech team. My development has continued to grow exponentially over these last few months. I have been entrusted to continue with complex and technical tasks such as drafting legal documents, corresponding directly with clients, legal research and collating evidence, and have been able to see my contribution in the final work product shared with clients and counsel. It is rare to be afforded such a high level of responsibility so early in your career—and that's one of the best things about Bakers!
In just a few short months after completing my clerkship, I feel confident that establishing my legal career at Baker McKenzie will be fantastic for my professional development, will open many doors, and will enable me to bring my whole self to work and shape the wonderfully diverse culture of the Firm.