Simone Menz, Senior Associate, Melbourne

I came to Mallesons just over 4 years ago as a lateral hire.  My expectations were high - big transactions, tricky legal issues, a philosophy that "near enough is not good enough" and that I would have the opportunity to work with and amongst top quality partners and lawyers.  I was pleased (relieved actually) that those expectations have been realised.

I work in the "P" part of the PC&E (Property, Construction and Environment) team in the Melbourne office at Mallesons.  Our work covers some of the largest property transactions and developments in all jurisdictions of Australia and internationally.  I have been closely involved in some of our A-REIT clients' recent forays into direct property investment in European and North American markets.  The fact that our Australian clients wanted us to be so closely involved in those investments, alongside the German and English law legal teams, is testament to the effort that we put into client relationships and really understanding our clients' business objectives.

Back on home soil, the Property group acts on a huge variety of matters, ranging from large-scale development projects and transactions involving large property portfolios to development of infrastructure projects (such as airports, hospitals, ports, gas pipelines etc).  No deal or project is ever the same as the last one - there is always some issue that turns the whole matter in a different direction, whether it is tenure, ownership arrangements (such as co-ownership), construction, environmental, financing, structuring or taxation issues.

A lot of seasonal clerks and articled clerks tell me, after they spend time in our team, that they realise how different the practice of property law is to the property law that you learn at uni.  I agree.  The fundamentals that you learn at uni are essential, but it is only once you start applying them that you get an appreciation of how the commercial real estate industry works, and how the work that you do really impacts on your client's overall financial outcome from a development or transaction. 

There are always new industry developments that you need to work into your legal knowledge - a recent example that I can think of is the allocation of risk between developer, investor and tenant on the construction or retrofitting of green buildings.

Whilst the type of work that you do and clients that you work for is important, I think the people you work with make all the difference to whether work is just work or is something that keeps you challenged, motivated and interested.  The people that I work with at Mallesons recognise that everyone is different when it comes to what motivates them, and that is the main reason why I count myself as lucky to have ended up at Mallesons.