7.00 AM
I wake up after numerous alarms and I try to sneak in some form of exercise or sun exposure to wake me up. Today is a busier day than normal so I do a few bodyweight exercises, cold shower and head out to catch my train.
7.30 AM
Thankfully, traffic to my local station isn't bad and the PTV app shows no delays with my train line, I should be able to make it to work with no issues.
8.30 AM
I come into work and head straight into a meeting with my partner, Alan Maclean and other lawyers from the US and Singapore to chat through a deal coming out of the New York office. We do a page turn of the initial drafts of the finance documents, this involves turning each page and going through client comments, addressing issues and discussing ways forward. Due to the time zones, this was the most optimal time to sit with our foreign colleagues.
9.00 AM
The call finishes up and I have small debrief with Alan regarding next steps, tasks and conceptual matters to wrap my head around the matter. I am delegated the first draft of the security documents where I must input the deal details in our precedent according to the term sheet. Security Documents involve the Borrower agreeing to provide security on its real and personal property in favour of the Lender, so that in the case the Borrower cannot repay, the Lender has recourse to the Borrower's assets.
9.15 AM
Since I came straight in to a meeting, I slow down and I take the time to sift through my emails from the night before. I noticed I have received tasks from Adam Moore, a Special Counsel in our Sydney office, where I have to review certain documents by COB today and others later this week. I hop on Trello to note down my tasks and diarise due dates for my tasks at hand. I find that staying organised is essential to manage a busy workload.
9.30 AM
Although a little later than when I'd prefer, I finally head down for a coffee with a few colleagues, in that way I can reset mentally before jumping into my next tasks. Our go-to at the moment is Square One, at the bottom of the Rialto. I have my trusty piccolo with one sugar.
10.00 AM
Once I've set myself up, I prioritise which tasks I need to complete. Due to the urgency, I complete a set of trust deed reviews for a real estate financing. Since our team usually acts for Lenders and Banks, this tasks involves making sure the borrower's trusts contain the necessary clauses and mechanisms that are favourable for the bank. I start off by conducting ASIC searches, printing the trust deeds and reading through the clauses. I then go through an internal checklist and note all items of concern that may require amendment.
12.00 PM
I send my trust deed reviews off to my supervisor and jump straight into drafting. Alan's working style is to allow the juniors to have a first crack at finance documents and then sit with them and provide direct feedback. I find it valuable to be able to do a page-turn and immediately ask and pick the brain of a seasoned finance lawyer then and there.
1.00 PM
After I've had a first draft, I leave it to the side and go for lunch. Today I caught up with a friend in the building for some Korean food nearby. Although the sun was out, the wind was piercing cold and a warm kimchi soup hit the spot.
2.00 PM
After lunch, I come back to the finance documents (now with a full stomach) to review my drafting and pick up on any glaring errors before I go through it with Alan.
2.30 PM
Alan and I go through the finance documents and we mark it up together. It takes some time, but we make the necessary amendments and prepare the documents and email them to the client.
4.00 PM
A deal is nearing completion so a task I have is to annotate a term sheet. This involves inputting the relevant clauses on the term sheet to show the client where all items are and that key concepts have been incorporated in the deal.
5.30 PM
I send off all necessary correspondence and draft my time for the day.
6.30 PM
I head home, change and then I go to the gym for my weekly Muay Thai class. I find that activities outside of work are important to maintain a good work life balance. I keep a close eye on my emails as I may have to organise a DocuSign for tomorrow.
7.30 PM
An email comes in saying that the client has agreed on the finance documents and is ready for execution. I prepare the DocuSign for the first thing tomorrow morning. Once I go in to the office I'll be able to monitor the execution with all the relevant parties. After all of that, I finalise my time and prepare myself for the next day. I like to decompress by watching some shows, at the moment I'm re-watching 'How I Met Your Mother'.
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