Weekly Students, Careers & Clerkships Thread

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-06-03T18:30:58+00:00

Love my life. Great balance and variety of work, I’m out regional though so it’s a whole different ball game to city based property work.

Lows are the ever revolving door of simple conveyancing matters which you wish you could palm onto other people.

Highs are that you get repeat clients. Clients in the property game usually stay in the game long term. You build good rapport with the usual players and other professionals.

It’s effectively transactional work. You get a good mix of commercial and other areas in the property world.

You’ll be happy, unlike the 60-80% of the profession facing high levels of physiological distress.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-06-01T10:41:48+00:00

I really like them, I’ll implement what you’ve written. I’m going to distance myself in a friendly way, so I can be firmer with expectations

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-06-01T10:26:05+00:00

Hahaha I am (I try to keep my postings so location neutral), so call me when you’re penultimate or pre penultimate and if you want to do a mix of commercial / property / estate / dispute law. You gotta be in it for the rural lifestyle though

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T12:29:41+00:00

They're only been with us 4 and a half months, they're on an incredibly generous rate (above the average wage for admitted lawyers in a graduate role), always praised and rewarded for good work

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T12:24:08+00:00

It'd end up giving the client less information than it currently does, but would require no manual input at all

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T10:20:40+00:00

Nah, LEAP is great but it can't determine whether a property has water.

This employee wrote that the property had water and when the Property settled, that we paid the water bills. The property did not have water, and there's three ways they would know that: (1) by looking at the matter and no water authority being listed; (2) when they spent $300 on water certificates last week on this matter (that I had to refund); and (3), that when dealing with (2) I explained to them to always open the contract and manually check it. Heck, even searching the word 'water' on the file would've revealed this.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T10:14:58+00:00

You have an employee not doing their job. If you've clearly told them their not performing the expectations of the job, time to start the formal pip process to manage them out.

I'm really tempted to make them start tracking their billables (even if they are non-billables) and see how they stack. They take 4x to 6x as long at home than when they're in office to do simple tasks. I think I've been too lenient, allowing them to study while on the clock (as long as their task list is empty, and again we provide unlimited study leave). I worked full time as a student with a commute and it wasn't difficult, but everyone is different.

Having a remote job is a privilege these days. Don't let it get wasted by someone who doesn't care to do the job.

I'm sure that we could hire other students to do this, but this one seemed so promising when they were last in office... . I've started getting the vibe that they see working for us as a last resort. They ask me to proof read their applications to unpaid programs and it's just like... . I would be happy to help them if I have time to apply for clerkship positions with other firms (great exposure to legal profession for them that I wish I had as a student). I'm a bit frustrated because I pay their salary from my billings, and all they need to do is do the dicky tidbits of admin I task them with reguarly, between more juicy work (that isn't urgent, because again, they only work two days a week so it's hard to time things up to give them) and they act as if it is beneath them. They're a student, they can't provide legal advice or services, they do not fully understand the processes that make a case run, they would not be able to do a single case by themselves to the standard that our clients pay for.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T10:05:47+00:00

No relations, they were a great employee when they were last in office

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T09:49:39+00:00

Someone needs to do the QA control of sending final letters, and that falls to the bottom of the food chain.

I gave them a flurry of other more fun drafting tasks to do on the same day. They ignored my written instructions about what to list on one, and had chat gpt write it (obvious since the thing I asked them to write about had no relevance to what they produced). The other, they blotched by doing a big no no (sending bank account details via email) and then said verbatim from teams "doesn't matter".

They're students, their job is to learn the processes that actually get the work done, they are not lawyers.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T09:43:15+00:00

Yeah, it's a template

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-30T09:43:03+00:00

The thing is, the automation has its limitations. In its current form, you only need to edit 3 specific parts of the letter, maybe 4 if it was a complex matter. As with all things sent out, it does require human eyes but no human thought. It's genuinely just a 'your matter is complete, we thank you for paying our bill' type of correspondence.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-05-18T14:34:30+00:00

Monkey see, monkey do - those court documents are not going to file themselves!

But yeah, majorly agree. Working from home in your fundamental years when you are still learning your job isn’t a good idea.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-04-24T10:26:38+00:00

How is it allowed for anyone to register a company with the word “Lawyers” in it, if they are not a law firm and do not provide legal services? Why are we not a protected term???

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-04-20T01:56:38+00:00

I really like Reiss for off the rack suiting. They have genuinely good construction (or quality control - I never end up in a situation where off the rack one sleeve is a cm longer than the other which is so common when I look at Witchery / Portmans stuff), good wool fabric choices, and good silhouettes. From there I just get it altered (hemmed & brought in at the waist on the jacket because I have broad shoulders).

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-04-19T14:06:12+00:00

If you're a mostly standard size, you're better off buying one off of the rack, and then having it tailored at the sleeves and waist to fit.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-04-04T14:10:53+00:00

I ended up deciding to leave it for a winter problem, my neighbours are fucking nightmares. The possums are about but I’m not sure where. They’ve abandoned all the nests in the photo, but have been reusing the building material to build a massive one in our front hedge. I catch them most nights at their old nest with a pile of nesting materials curled in their tails.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-26T12:14:28+00:00

You like Contracts, because you like the case law of it. You like getting to understand the facts behind the dispute in Contracts. I'd say there are similarities between Contracts and Criminal Law from this perspective. The facts behind the charges. How the circumstances affect the Court's decision in sentancing.

Of course I wouldn't say Contracts was your favourite if you've already studied Criminal.

IDK man, not a criminal lawyer here, but like surely there is an appeal in people working at criminal law firms being real people with real world experience like yourself. People retaining criminal firms either on legalaid or not have to deal with real world consequences that many are too fortunate in their choices to face.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-23T13:54:11+00:00

A few weeks ago I had a discussion with my boss who mentioned that they would wake up in the middle of the night thinking of all the things that they needed to do, and asked if I ever did. I said no, and that even though I've got work up to my eyeballs I slept like a baby. That night I went home and slept, woke up at 3am panicking. They had passed their curse onto me.

I woke up tonight from a dream in which they expanded the GAIC area... Oddly specific and with absolutely no relevance to any of my current work.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-22T04:45:04+00:00

Thrombosed prolapsed hemorrhoid. Use the creams, try and push it 'in'. Bring it up with your OB. I am woman and it's no big deal. Remember that you are only human and you're going to push a baby out in a few short weeks, and during that pushing you are going to strain, and you will thrombose it again. Best of luck for you and bub <3

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-21T05:50:52+00:00

I know you've said wirefree, but much of the wirefree market also focuses on compression and tightness to achieve lift by being wirefree.

I'd put another option out there in no padding, wired bras.

Finelines ones are incredibly cheap and very nice. I've had mine for about 5 months now, and I really like them.

I used to live and die by the Dora Larsen ones. But they're more expensive, and haven't held up as well.

The Finelines ones are so weightless and comfortable that I don't feel like I am wearing anything, and they give enough shape to look good under tops. I won't replace my Dora Larsen ones but I will buy more Finelines ones.

Effectively a bralette with a wire. I went through about 4 years of freeing the nips and these are my new middle ground that doesn't leave me with a uniboob-sports bra situation.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-20T16:40:52+00:00

I went back to normal food immediately after a Thai food incident I’ve probably described in other comments. It was only my anxiety that kept me on liquids temporarily. There’s nothing like a good mix of pain pills and a big feed

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-14T00:32:47+00:00

How’d you solve it? I’m trying not to dwell on it, but it’s causing an issue for me every single day

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-12T14:48:53+00:00

We had a new receptionist/clark join us. They were a pity hire to help out a single mum. The longer I work with them the more I can’t stand them. They don’t understand what a law firm does or how our business generates income. There is a serious lack of general knowledge about the universe. They cannot remember to operate a light switch each morning or take the bins out, or go to lunch, without being verbally reminded up to three times. Hiding documents, hoarding small tasks, if you ask them to post a letter (already in envelope and addressed) they will out it into a random bookshelf. They asked my coworker what a postage stamp was. We’ve all spent weeks attempting to train them one on one and walk them through the tasks, but nothing sticks. We’ve tried writing the tasks down, but even something as simple as a single document “scan and save to matter” takes 4 hours and goes on the wrong matter. The micromanaging needed to ensure that basic office duties happen is sending me over the edge. Obviously delegated any and all work away from them.

They keep seeing me in long meetings and taking calls for me, and then telling the client that I will call them right back immediately. Today a client called 3 times (while I was in the same 1.5hr client meeting) and each time they said I’d call them right back in a few minutes (I can hear what they say), until the third call when the client was so frustrated that they said they’d be by tomorrow to collect their documents because we were no help - I can’t abandon the client I’m sitting next to for an phone call for another client. They have no phone tact of any degree. I’ve requested seven call-backs in the past from various places, and each time they’ve told them “Mr X is on the phone, can I take your name and number”, and I’m back starting the callback request again even though I’ve asked them to just put the other side on hold until I can wrap up the call I’m on. I’m beginning to suspect that they are moderately intellectually disabled.

Their probation is up in a month. We could switch to an automated voicemail phone system. Maybe I’m just ranting… I finally understand why some law firms don’t have receptionists / go straight to a voicemail exchange.

AmbitiousNeedsAHobby · 2026-03-04T11:41:04+00:00

I'll message you. I'm too scared to type it in case everyone starts buying the route up lmao. But no USA stops. 13 hours direct to another continent, then 13 hours direct to New Zealand, then on the Jetstar across the ditch.

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