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Herbert Smith Freehills

4.4
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Raymond Sun

Raymond Sun completed a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney in 2020 and he is now a Graduate at Herbert Smith Freehills.

6.30 AM

I am playing Quidditch but just before I catch the golden snitch the jarring noise of my bed alarm wakes me out of my dream. I roll out of bed, wash up, and make breakfast. My go-to breakfast is steamed millet with smashed avocado, perfect for fueling my body for a productive day ahead of me. 

8.23 AM

I am on the train to work. It usually takes me 30 minutes to get to work so I make use of my commute time to catch up on any exciting tech or legal news updates. 

9.00 AM

I enter the Herbert Smith Freehills lift lobby and bump into a fellow solicitor with who I work with in the Digital Law Group (DLG). The DLG is the firm's exciting new global, multi-disciplinary team of lawyers and technical experts who assist clients through the legal and technical challenges of digital transformation. Another mission of the DLG is to drive the creation of Smart Legal Contracts but more on that later. I love working in the DLG because it allows me to apply my dual passions for law and programming to create value for clients and the legal industry in general.

Male graduate bump into his colleague on the way to the office

9.05 AM

Now at my desk, I run through my emails from other DLG colleagues of our international offices. The emails are diverse ranging from internal updates from our lead Partner to coding tutorials to even inside memes! But one particular email catches my attention - it is an invitation to a video call with developers of a global technology giant in relation to our joint nationwide project on Smart Legal Contracts. Smart Legal Contracts are self-executing digital contracts that combine natural language and computer code to automate business transactions. As one of the coders in the DLG, I have been working closely with industry developers to build these Smart Legal Contracts which will be a game-changer in the future of Australian business.

Male graduate sitting on his desk

9.45 AM

I fire up Visual Studio Code on my laptop and join the video call with the developers. They are interested to see my progress on a particular algorithm for the Smart Legal Contract so I share my screen and walk through my code line by line. I receive some feedback and we wrap up the call with a plan for the next steps, including an in-person meeting this afternoon. 

10.15 AM

With the video call still fresh in mind, I immediately start implementing the developer's feedback to my code. After an hour of debugging, I finally update the algorithm. It runs well though there are still some minor errors to polish. I'll work on them later.

12.00 PM

It's lunchtime! And because it's Wednesday there’s a staff lunch at the firm's dining area on Level 33! After self-serving myself a full plate of pasta and salads, I join a table with colleagues who I had clerked with last year. The clerkship program (i.e. a law internship) at Herbert Smith Freehills was one of the most memorable highlights of my early career to date and it was through that program that I grew to love the firm's amazing culture and people.

Male graduate having lunch with colleagues

1.00 PM

I have my weekly phone catch up with my DLG supervisor who is based in Perth. One of the perks of working at a global law firm is the opportunity to work with colleagues from all over the world and be exposed to different corporate cultures. This also means travel opportunities, and in fact last year I flew to Perth for the DLG's induction training. 

My supervisor invites to do some quick interesting legal technology research which I eagerly accept. It's time to turn on my legal cap so I press Alt + Tab to switch from Visual Studio Code to Office Word. 

2.00 PM

After smashing out the one-page research memo, I pack up and head out to catch the light rail to the office of the technology giant. At their office, I team up with the developers to code side-by-side and achieve progress on our Smart Legal Contracts project. 

5.30 PM

I return to the HSF office and respond to some quick emails. To keep myself organised, I make a file note of today's progress and upload my work on the firm's secure cloud storage. I then change into activewear for tonight's dance practice.  

6.00 PM

I meet up with my crew at the nearby dance studio and we continuously drill intense choreography for our upcoming stage performance. After sitting at a desk for the whole day it is always good to exercise and refresh the brain.

Male graduate rehearsing for his upcoming stage performance after work

8.00 PM

I return home, shower, and have dinner. I then play some online chess and watch David Attenborough’s nature documentaries on YouTube. Did you know that beavers share their burrow to other river animals in exchange for food (i.e. rent)? 

10.00 PM

It’s nearly bedtime! I pack my bag and grab my phone to set the alarm to 6.30 am. But then I procrastinate and end up scrolling through memes and dance videos on Instagram.

10.30 PM

Tonight’s meme feed has been solid, however, the combination of full-screen brightness and incessant scrolling has depleted my phone battery to 3%. My phone needs to recharge and so should I.