A seat Down Under

Needless to say, when the seat rotations were announced in London there were a few envious glances thrown my way; after all, I left the UK winter for the Australian summer.

Western Australia is resource rich and I have worked on a number of high profile mining finance transactions involving both Australian and Chinese banks.

The resources boom in Perth means that the Perth banking team tends to advise on a high turnover of transactions. This is great experience for a trainee as there is more scope for drafting tasks as opposed to the standard management of the Conditions Precedent process.

As is the case with many international seats, the level of responsibility that you have as a trainee is higher and I have been given my own small transactions to manage together with the lead partner, handling everything from drafting initial draft contracts to negotiating documents with the other side. This is a major bonus of an overseas seat and I would highly recommend it.

The support offered to me by the team has been fantastic and, as with London, it is very much an open door policy if you need assistance or guidance on work. There are some significant differences between the UK and Australian security regime and the associates have been incredibly helpful in getting me up to speed with it all. There are Friday drinks every week and I am invariably attending other firm events throughout the week – I am yet to find myself at a loose end!

Outside the office, the Perth lifestyle and standard of living is second to none. The multitude of stunning beaches and vineyards on your doorstep makes for very pleasant weekends. If you are a sport fanatic like myself, the outdoor lifestyle in Perth offers a wealth of opportunity – particularly as it boasts some of the best surf spots in the world.