I have recently completed my work experience at Freedman and Gopalan Solicitors and it has been a pleasant experience which has given me insight on many things including how an office workplace functions in the corporate world and has additionally showed me how matters regarding family law are handled in the law industry. As this was my first time experiencing a workplace environment I did not know what to expect.
My first day in the firm was very exciting as I began to get acclimated to my new working environment. I completed simple tasks like archiving, stapling and hole punching legal documents. While these tasks seemed insignificant, I learned that each of the tasks which I completed was crucial in the case and were vital in running the law firm. Additionally, I was also given the chance to view a live legal conference between a client and our principal solicitor, Mittu Gopalan. This teleconference gave me insight on how lawyers function and deal with client’s issues.
My second day at the firm was also very stimulating. I completed a number of admin tasks like archiving, stapling and hole punching legal documents whilst becoming more adapted with my working environment which improved my efficiency. While working, I began to comprehend different cases and how cases in family law were dealt with. In particular, a long-time employee was leaving the firm which revealed the tight-knit community of the firm as they shared stories over some cake.
I learned a lot of new tasks and procedures on day three. I learnt how to archive old physical folders that had recent developments. Subsequently after retrieving the folder, I would extract all of its contents and place them into a dummy folder which essentially means that it will be kept in archives or thrown out. Additionally, I created a chronology of events. This meant that I had to meticulously peruse through a file scanning for any important dates that must be included within the chronology. After taking note of all the important dates of events that occurred, I was then given a precedent in order to make one for the current matter. This was extremely exhilarating as I was given the chance to create a real court document from scratch.
On the last day I did more of the same work, and had the opportunity to write this article. This experience has been very eye opening and has allowed me to discover my passion for pursuing a career in law. It has also helped me attain various skills relating to the profession such as creating legal documents, filing correspondence and law firm etiquette.
Over the course of these past 4 days I had also been writing several articles on topics which was beneficial for me to be able to work on my report writing skills and gain a better grasp on how the law and lawyers works within the legal system. I wrote articles on topics like the Adidas class action lawsuit over Kanye West’s Yeezy brand, time limits in family law, police-assisted AVOs and the Medibank security breach class action lawsuit.
In summary, the law firm of Freedman and Gopalan has assisted me in gaining a better understanding of the corporate and legal world and additionally has helped me experience what it would be like to work in my dream job. This company has provided me with their utmost care and an overall warm experience and I would most definitely recommend this firm to anyone who wants work experience and has a passion for following a career in law.
If you or someone you know wish to discuss this issue further, then please do not hesitate to contact us on 02 8999 9809.