HopgoodGanim Lawyers is a leading Australian independent legal and advisory firm, operating nationally and internationally with a focus on Asia. The firm has two key locations – Brisbane and Perth – with skilled and agile teams across key sectors and areas of practice.
Peter Hiotis and Hannah Pellegrino are Law Graduates in HopgoodGanim’s Perth office.
What was it like joining HopgoodGanim as a Law Graduate?
Peter: “The friendly culture at HopgoodGanim Lawyers has eased my transition into the firm. ‘Culture’ is such a hard thing to analyse from the outside because all firms say the same thing – that they have an amazing culture. However, when you feel comfortable and supported in a completely new environment, you know the organisational culture is truly positive. This has been my experience at HopgoodGanim.”
Hannah: “HopgoodGanim has provided a supportive and empathetic environment to assist me in developing my skills as a soon-to-be lawyer, including reduced billable targets allowing for ample time to learn (and make mistakes), ongoing training and professional development opportunities, as well as interstate travel to Brisbane to connect with our colleagues over in Queensland. I’ve also joined the social club committee and have enjoyed being involved in organising fun events for our office, including a quiz night and upcoming wine tour.”
What have you worked on so far and what have been the highlights?
Peter: “My first graduate rotation has been in the Resources and Energy Team at HopgoodGanim. During this rotation, I have been involved in front-end transactional work and back-end litigation work in the Warden’s Court and Magistrates Court. Getting exposure to both front- and back-end work has helped my development, which I am grateful for. On the transactional side, my highlights have been drafting land access and joint venture agreements to facilitate relationships under the Mining Act 1978 (WA). On the litigious side, my highlights have been drafting submissions for trial and other substantive applications such as extension of time and joinder.”
Hannah: “HopgoodGanim’s graduate program involves two one-year rotations, so the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) team has been my home for the past year. Coming into the team, I had very little idea of what ‘transactional’ work looked like, as my previous legal experience had been in the litigation space. I’ve enjoyed the detail-oriented aspects of corporate work, and the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the mechanisms of listed companies. My highlight so far has been working directly with HopgoodGanim Corporate Partner Robyn Ferguson on a complex matter in the Takeovers Panel.”
What areas of law are you focused on and most interested in, and why?
Peter: “Corporate law and resources and energy law. I find corporate law interesting for a few reasons. Firstly, corporate law is wide-reaching in the sense that it affects most aspects of commerce, making the skillset highly transferable between jurisdictions (both nationally and internationally). There are also many sub-specialties of corporate law (e.g. private vs public M&A) which give practitioners options on where to specialise. I like the idea of flexibility of work practice.
“I find mining and energy law interesting because in Western Australia they are the regimes that govern large capital projects. I find it fulfilling being involved in the advisory of capital projects because the work contributes to a tangible outcome – that is, an economic development for private and/or public interests. Front-end transactional work (such as project advisory) also demands a lawyer to be commercially practical, which I find to be a cool intersect between law and commerce.”
Hannah: “While I’ve enjoyed my year in Corporate, I’m looking forward to expanding my skill set and gaining some back-end litigation experience. I’m most interested in commercial litigation because I enjoy having face time with clients, collaboration within a team, strategizing and developing an argument, as well as the story-telling aspect involved, such as in drafting submissions.”
What advice do you have for law students planning for their careers?
Peter: “Pay close attention to what you enjoy learning about the most. Being sure of what law most interests you will be a useful guide for aiming your career path. With that being said, hold onto your preferences loosely. Be open to changing your mind. Some of the best lawyers I have met have changed their career specialities more than once.”
Hannah: “My biggest piece of advice for law students planning their careers is: ‘Don’t rush!’ It may be tempting to power through your studies in the least amount of time possible, but remember, you’ve got your entire life to work full-time. Take your time getting your degree/s, travel, get some work experience in a different industry and have a life (and friendships) outside of law. You’ll likely never have as much autonomy over your time as you do right now as a student, so stretch it out if you can. Not only will this life experience benefit you personally, but it will also help build your maturity and self-awareness. This, in turn, will make you more employable in the long run.”