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Clifford Chance

4.1
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Isabelle Cameron

Our clients are leaders in their respective fields and seek out Clifford Chance to provide innovative, highly strategic and commercially sound advice. Accordingly, it is critical that our client's goals are at the core of what we do.

Can you briefly tell us a little about your background before starting with the firm?

I grew up on the North Shore in Sydney and studied a Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Arts in Communications at the University of Technology, Sydney. I graduated from university in March 2017 and first joined Clifford Chance through the 2016/2017 Clerkship Program.

How would you summarise your graduate program, what seats did you do? Why did you qualify into this practice?

During the Graduate Program, I worked in the Antitrust and Competition, Corporate and Litigation and Dispute Resolution practices in the Sydney office and the Asset Finance practice on secondment to the Hong Kong office. I settled as an Associate in the Corporate team, with a focus on Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity matters. Clifford Chance works at the forefront of some of the most significant and complex global transactions, so qualifying as a Corporate lawyer was a natural choice for me.

What were your key takeaways from the Graduate Program?

My key takeaways from the Graduate Program are to fully embrace the opportunity to work across different practice areas and become immersed in the culture of the firm. A great team will encourage you to be invested in your work, develop relationships with clients and colleagues (both locally and globally) and take advantage of career opportunities, such as driving diversity and inclusion initiatives, participating in regional mentorship programs and contributing to global thought-leadership publications.

Tell us about your current role, what have been the main changes from Graduate to Associate?

As an Associate you take on greater responsibility within the team and develop your ability to think analytically and commercially. Our clients are leaders in their respective fields and seek out Clifford Chance to provide innovative, highly strategic and commercially sound advice. Accordingly, it is critical that our client's goals are at the core of what we do. Transactional work typically raises complex financial, regulatory and operational issues within a business, so being able to identify these issues as a junior lawyer and work closely alongside other external advisers is crucial.

Do you have opportunities to work in areas of interest (e.g. D&I initiatives, pro bono matters)? Can you tell us a little about these?

Definitely – as a Graduate, I became a founding member of the Australian Steering Committee for Accelerate>>>, Clifford Chance's global gender parity network. Accelerate>>> is committed to taking bold actions to drive forward the pace of change towards gender equality. Accelerate>>> does this through training programs, internal and external events, charitable and non-for-profit partnerships, and regional, global and other diversity and inclusion group collaborations.

I'm also involved in a variety of other interests which include pro bono matters, attending other diversity and inclusion events, playing for the netball team (No Chance), and running in the City2Surf and JP Morgan Corporate Challenge – to name a few!

What qualities do you see in your peers and colleagues?

Clifford Chance prides itself on its collegiate and team-based way of working. I can honestly say from the most senior member of our team to the most junior – everyone I work with is incredibly friendly and approachable. My peers are intelligent, proactive and curious people who demonstrate a keen interest in the global commercial landscape and the role of the law within this.

Top tip for someone looking to get into law?

My advice to someone looking to get into law is to take advantage of the endless practical, professional and international opportunities that university offers. Use your time at university to discover and "practice" your passion. Once you understand what you love to do, you can work on making it your career.