Updating Results

Allens

4.5
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Conor Ruane

7.30 AM

If I'm organised enough in the morning, I'll aim to be out of bed by 7.30 am. I'm lucky enough to live fairly close to the CBD, so provided it's not a scorcher (which seems to be happening more often as Queensland Summer rolls around!), I'll usually walk to work. The walk to work is a great opportunity to get in a quick podcast - recently I've been listening to 'Morning Call', a podcast by NAB which gives a handy ten minute rundown of the overnight news and global market happenings.

Conor on an escalator heading to work

8.10 AM 

I'm not the earliest starter and will usually make it to work some time after 8.30 am. However, it's looking like a busier day today with a few deadlines looming, so I've tried to get in a bit earlier to tackle some emails before the morning kicks into full swing. I'm currently completing a rotation in the firm's Mergers, Acquisitions & Capital Markets team (MAC for short), and have been here for about 8 months, after completing my first rotation in the Real Estate & Development team.

Conor at his desk in the office

8.40 AM

With the email admin out of the way, it's time for some caffeine! Big day ahead, so definitely a double shot required this morning. I head upstairs to Level 26 and grab one of the other graduates I started at the firm with a year ago. We're spoilt for choice at this end of the city when it comes to coffee. I'm a fan of the Campos served up on Level 4 of our building, so we settle on that.

9.00 AM

Back at my desk and well caffeinated, one of the Associates in my team calls me over to discuss some work I handed him yesterday afternoon. We're acting for an underwriter in an upcoming capital raising, and I had a first go at drafting the Underwriting Agreement. To my relief, it wasn't a bad first attempt (hooray!), and he talks me through his changes before sending it off to one of the Partners for a final review.

Conor having a discussion with associate at his desk

9.30 AM

Time for the first meeting of the morning – a call with an Associate who sits across from me, and a Senior Associate from our Sydney office. We've been working on a company acquisition for one of our larger clients, and completion is scheduled to occur in a few weeks' time. There's a fair few documents that need to be prepared, and we settle on a plan to ensure we have everything ready in time.

Conor having first meeting of the morning

10.00 AM

October is AGM season in the world of MAC, so I'm off to one of our ASX-listed clients' AGMs with an Associate and Partner in my team. This one is being held in our building, so I grab a few copies of the company's recent Annual Report, Notice of Meeting and my trusty copy of the Corps Act (just in case we're asked any burning legal questions). This one runs pretty smoothly, so we're back in the office within the hour.

11.00 AM

Earlier in the week, one of the Partners in our team asked me to review the existing whistleblower policy of one of our clients. There have been some recent changes to Commonwealth whistleblower legislation, so I've been tasked with reviewing their policy against requirements under the Corporations Act and ASIC Regulatory Guidance and suggesting some changes that they'll need to make. I pump out a solid two hours of work and send an email to the Partner with my recommendations.

1.00 PM 

I normally make the effort to get some fresh air for lunch, but it's a bit of a hectic day today (not to mention in excess of 30 degrees!), so I decide to grab a quick lunch in our kitchen on Level 25.

Conor having lunch with colleagues

1.30 PM

Back at the desk and time to make a quick phone call. We're assisting a foreign client with the incorporation of two Australian investment entities, so I give our internal Company Secretary team a call to fetch an update on the process. They let me know that the required incorporation forms will be lodged with ASIC in the morning, shortly after which the companies should be incorporated.

1.45 PM 

I see an email pop up from one of the Partners in my team. One of our clients has asked for some urgent advice regarding a proposed buy-back of company shares that they will be undertaking in the new year. They have a few specific questions about the timeline of the proposed buy-back, and the steps they'll need to take to ensure it's conducted in line with requirements under the Corporations Act. We'll need to turn this one around quickly, so I fetch a copy of Ford's (the staple Corporate law text) from the library and get started on some research.

Conor doing research at the library

3.30 PM

After some decent progress on the research, and I'm off to a meeting with our Arena Committee. Through the committee, we organise a couple of functions per year where the junior lawyers at our firm can invite along clients that we've had the opportunity to work with on matters. For our next event, we're hosting Halloween themed drinks. We settle on a final draft of the invite (complete with too many Halloween puns), which will be sent out to clients in the morning.

4.00 PM

After the meeting, it's back to the research. After hitting some roadblocks, trawling through a few textbook chapters and running my eyes over a couple of cases (law school was semi useful after all!), I think I've found an answer. I put my thoughts in an email and send it off to the Partner in my team. We'll reconvene in the morning and arrange a call with the client to discuss.

6.00 PM 

After submitting my time entries for the day (a steep learning curve in organisation for any junior lawyer), it's home time. I'd love to say I'm a decent cook, but definitely not keen on triggering the fire alarms in our apartment complex tonight. A mate of mine has recently moved onto our street, so we grab a bite in the neighbourhood. From there it's a mix of chill time, meaningless YouTube videos and finally some shut eye.

Conor heading home after work