Our people
Ken Astridge is a partner in our Banking and Finance group in Sydney. Ken joined Mallesons in 1992.
I started with Mallesons as a summer clerk in 1992 and I've been with the firm in various capacities ever since. That is to say, post graduation I have had only one employer.
As you would expect, during that time I have had the opportunity to work with some of the world's leading lawyers and business people on some of the best transactions in the history of the world (at least, in my small world). Having said that, I have also had the opportunity to work on the smallest transactions where I have had to work even harder to meet the clients' expectations.
During my time at Mallesons I have also had the opportunity to get my LLM, to be involved in writing a book, to be involved with recruitment, to be involved with lecturing on various aspects of finance law, to work outside the firm for the organisation that ran Australia's airports, to stand on a stage with my colleagues and sing a song to our Christmas party (including our CEP) about being underpaid at Mallesons (which, I might add, he listened to), to play in a band with some of my partners at the Hordern Pavilion in front of 1,500 people and to head up our London banking and finance section.
Most importantly for me, during my time at Mallesons I have been lucky enough to have a wonderful marriage and two fantastic children and I have received just as much support on this endeavour as any other.
It's a personal thing, but I think it is fair to say I owe Mallesons significantly more than it owes me.
Paul McBride is a senior associate in our Banking and Finance group in Hong Kong. Paul joined Mallesons in February 2005 after working in the Tokyo and London offices of Linklaters for five years.
We decided that it was time to start making our way back to Australia following the birth of our daughter in London in late 2004. I did quite a few deals opposite Mallesons during my time at Linklaters and I also worked alongside many former Mallesons lawyers. Based on these experiences, I knew that Mallesons offered the type of work and environment that appealed to me. So, it was an easy decision to join Mallesons, and an opportunity to do a stint in the expanding Hong Kong office was an added bonus. I am still doing the type of deals I did in London and Tokyo and the teamwork and culture is fantastic.
Hong Kong is an exciting place to work and live. Apart from the many cultural attractions, most people are very optimistic on the deal side particularly in terms of the growing PRC market. With an office in Beijing, Shanghai and one of the largest offices in Hong Kong, we are extremely well placed to capitalise on the opportunities in the PRC and elsewhere in the Asian region. We have strong relationships with firms in all the Asian jurisdictions and we leverage these relationships for our multi-jurisdictional transactions.
Nicolas is a senior associate in Beijing. He joined Mallesons in 2004 after seven years working as a lawyer in Beijing, Shanghai and London.
Outsiders often comment on things like Mallesons lawyers’ attention to detail and near-obsessive devotion to their clients. But for me, a great strength of Mallesons is its Asia-Pacific focus. This is the best time to be in China. I have been working in China on and off since 1991 and it's where my life is now.
Some say Beijing is a dusty sprawling city filled with bureaucrats, and that Shanghai is the place for business. But I say Beijing is a city with a real cultural edge to it - great art, museums and beautiful hills around the city. And Beijing will always have the best investment environment in China, because all the central government departments, like the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Bank of China, are located here. So if you need high-level approval for a project, you're in the right place to get it. Even more important, Beijing attracts talented people from all over the country, who bring great talent and ideas with them - just like my colleagues.
As for my practice, there is a colossal amount of M&A work. However, like all the lawyers in the Beijing office I do all kinds of legal work outside my normal scope. I have worked on employment related matters, renewable energy, and education law all in the last few months, as well as the usual foreign direct investment projects.
My decision to join Mallesons was one of my best.
Philip Harvey is a senior associate in our Banking and Finance group in Sydney. Philip joined Mallesons as a graduate in 1999, and took a leave of absence in mid-2002 to work in London for two years in a Magic Circle firm's finance practice. He has just returned to Sydney.
"When I decided to come back to Australia in the middle of this year I had no hesitation in choosing to return to Mallesons. I had thoroughly enjoyed working in the Banking and Finance group before I left, having found the breadth and depth of work both challenging and interesting. The type of deals I have been working on since my return are certainly on a par with anything I came across in London in terms of size and complexity. However, it was the team with whom I had worked that drew me back above all else. Mallesons does seek to foster a real team environment and, although some of the faces had changed, from graduates and junior solicitors right through to senior partners there is a genuine sense of working together to get the job done. I think that the sunshine helps too!"
Emma Lawrence is a solicitor in our Dispute Resolution group in Canberra.
“Since I began working here in January 2003 there has been a steep learning curve but I have felt supported the entire way by my colleagues and my supervising partner. From discussing with me how to approach an advice to a client, to helping me prepare for a settlement conference or court appearance, there has always been someone willing to guide me and make sure I am comfortable with what I am doing.
As one of the more junior solicitors in my section I am required to appear in a variety of matters to obtain directions and timetables from the court. This has proven to be stressful at times but it has given me great exposure to the whole process. It also keeps me on my toes and court is a great opportunity to meet other young lawyers around Canberra.
I have to say one of the most enjoyable parts of my job is interacting with our clients. They are great people and I have been fortunate to have had exposure to clients from day one.
It is a pleasure to work with people in my team and I feel privileged to work with such experienced practitioners. My experience has been such a positive one because these experts are so accessible. I have no hesitation walking into my partner's office to ask for his help on a matter. Sure, I may have to wait a while for him to finish a phone call or even come back later but he always makes time for me. Him being so approachable has made even the hardest of tasks much less daunting.
Wednesday in the Canberra office means `big lunch' when the legal staff and managers get together for a cooked lunch. The food is great and it is a good chance to catch up with other members of the firm that we don't see every day to hear about what everyone else is doing.
My clients are incredibly diverse, adding an additional element of variety. They range from financial institutions in Melbourne and Sydney to companies across the globe. Most of my client contact is via telephone or email, but I also have direct contact with clients.
I have had the opportunity to work with clients directly through a secondment with a key client. It was great to gain the perspective of a client and experience life on the `other side'. “
I am presently in the process of being relocated to the Sydney office. When I started law school in Perth I had no idea it would take me to Mallesons in Melbourne, and now Sydney. The ease of the transition has been typical of such a streamlined, fluid and truly international firm.”
Elizabeth Wilson is a solicitor in our Construction group in Perth.
“I started working at Mallesons as a graduate in Perth in February 2004 in the Dispute resolution team before moving to the Construction group where I am now based.
I have been part of the Construction team since September 2004, where my start in the group began with a secondment to Melbourne to work with one of the construction partners in the Melbourne Office. At the beginning of 2005, upon the move of my Partner to Perth, the Perth Construction team was officially started. Although the team is relatively new in the Perth Office, we have had more than enough work to do. We are currently part of the larger Dispute resolution group in Perth - however that description is probably a little deceiving - I have been exposed to a variety of matters, which range from the front-end work of drafting contracts which govern large projects to large disputes. Being part of the Construction group has provided a great opportunity to both specialise my skills more towards Construction, but at the same time allowed me to gain regular exposure to and skills in drafting contracts rather than dealing purely with disputes.
Our client base combines both Principal and Contractor - whether they be based in Australia or overseas. In fact, some of our largest and most interesting matters involve clients and/or disputes based in Hong Kong, England and the US (although unfortunately this sometimes involves us making phone calls at strange times of our day/night). Given the nature of projects and disputes we tend to work on I have also had the opportunity to deal with partners and solicitors in different areas of expertise in Perth and the other offices, whether that be Tax, Resources or Intellectual Property.
Although I am one of the more junior members of the team I have been given plenty of opportunity to deal with clients and take a big role in our team's matters. My supervising partner and other senior lawyers in the team also make plenty of effort to make themselves available and spend time with us juniors. The team has now grown to include a mix of personalities which makes for a good atmosphere and plenty of laughs even at the busiest and most stressful of times.”