Over the course of a singular week, my time at Freedman & Gopalan has improved many transferrable skills such as confidence, organisational skills and ensuring the accuracy of one’s work. The friendly staff always ensured I felt included and part of the company and helped me understand how differently some lawyers approach legal cases in their respective fields.
At first repetitive skills, such as scanning files, were boring at first, yet knowing that all activities have a purpose helped me realise how important even the most seemingly tedious tasks are, especially in an industry such as law, where paperwork can define a case and potentially alter someone’s life. The realities of working as a lawyer soon became clear as paperwork and organisation seemed to be the majority of everyone’s work, regardless of whether they were a clerk, paralegal or solicitor. This week at Freedman & Gopalan has helped me learn about the realities of law not just being contained inside of a courtroom and the importance of patience in a workplace.
The staff, I cannot overstate, were very friendly and ensured I did not feel excluded. They also answered some non-work related questions about law, such as how different lawyers operate in different fields and the role of a family lawyer in not just legal matters but also sometimes in emotional matters to better understand the client. The atmosphere was light and content as everyone worked at their own pace and prioritised accuracy over quickly completing their work and ensuring paperwork was in order, unlike a typical high school student’s imagination of the workplace of lawyers. The staff shared snacks and included me in office talk and gave useful advice about work-life balance, highlighting the importance of independence, initiative and flexibility in a professional workplace.
Overall, my week at Freedman & Gopalan helped reduce the inaccuracies in my mind of the workstyle of lawyers. I will confess, I believed lawyers to mostly be researching legislation and stuck in courtrooms, yet I was proven wrong. I also learned of the difference between a solicitor and a barrister and their vital roles in the Australian legal system. The work I was given proved that paperwork was a significant part of any lawyer’s work and the thought of scanning affidavits and subpoenas to create an index to give to a barrister to use in court helped motivate me though tedious tasks.
I will forever remember this week and cherish the lessons learned and appreciate the staff for ensuring my work experience felt great and was very insightful. This experience helped solidify my ambition for a career in law yet at the same time removed any wrong assumptions about working a career in law, so I will forever be grateful.