This last little while has been filled with exciting times and exciting news. It looks like my life is going to take a very interesting change and I'll be doing something in a place I've always wanted to. I think the coming months and years will prove formative and productive.
Firstly, I'll mention that Australia's great Melbourne Cup was run on Tuesday, November 1st. That day I was stationed at the City Hellenic Club in what is called a temporary venue. Essentially, I was in a little booth and took people's bets. The day was quite busy but very enjoyable and the good people at the club provided lunch, which was a grilled BLT, fries and free drinks. As the race approached, everyone became glued to the TV and when it finally jumped everyone cheered and waited with anticipation as to which horse would come first. This year, it really went down to the wire and only the smallest of distances separated the winner from 2nd place. And when I say smallest of distances, I mean less than 5 centimeters! It is the closest Melbourne Cup finish in history and it was won by a French horse, Dunaden. Everyone cheered and gasped when the result was announced. The owner must have been the happiest person in the country since they got about $5 million for the win. Although my working day was a bit long, 08:30-18:30 without any real break to speak of, it was so much fun. I'd gladly do it every year.
The next big thing for me was that I finally finished the last component of my diploma on Monday, November 7th. That was the day I had my last placement at Legal Aid. On that rotation I observed a disciplinary hearing at the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the returned to the office to help with some client interviews. At the end of the day, it sort of really hit me that I'd completed everything and my long road is almost over. Since it was the last day of the Legal Aid placement for the group, we all went for a quick drink at a local pub, as lawyers are wont to do. With the GDLP completed, all that's left is my admission ceremony which will be in early December. Assuming everything goes according to plan, I'll be a lawyer on December 7th.
The biggest news, though, is that I've been offered a job as a lawyer. The organization is the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) and I'll be working in their criminal law section in the Katherine Office. Katherine is a town of 5 000 people in the Northern Territory but an important regional center. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing but I expect it will be providing legal advice and going to court. Essentially, this is legal aid for indigenous Australians. The climate will be hot year-round but I've always wanted to work in the Northern Territory and although Darwin has always been my goal, I don't think I can pass up an opportunity like this. The pay and conditions aren't bad either. I get about $56 000/yr to start, which isn't much, but 5 weeks of vacation time which is great. I'll also get to travel around to remote communities and I can't imagine something more fun at this point in my very earliest career. I don't expect to be at NAAJA forever but I think the experience I gain will be invaluable to wherever I move on next.
I think the story of how I got the job is quite interesting as well. I found the job posting in an online search but noticed that I had just missed the deadline, or was about to. I fired an e-mail to the contact person and asked if I could submit a late application and I was told I could. Having heard nothing from some of the other places I applied to, I jumped at the opportunity. 2 days after I applied I received an e-mail saying that NAAJA would like to interview me. Somewhat surprised at the speed with which this happened (things tend to move at a more leisurely pace in the Northern Territory), I quickly responded saying I would gladly interview for the position if it could be done over the phone. 3 days after that, I had the phone interview and I thought I went well, but not necessarily stellarly. The phone interview I think was pretty standard in my opinion and I was nervous after it was over, hoping that I'd done well.
From there, it was just a question of NAAJA contacting my references and then I received THE phone call. Brian Cassels, the director, told me that I was 1 of 2 successful applicants. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to hear this. I was worried a search for a job would be protracted and difficult but I got one fairly quickly, and it was one that I was keen on doing.
So, this means that sometime in the new year I'll be moving to Katherine. The logistics and the finer details will be worked out later but it's going to be an adventure. I'll be a "bushie" (someone who lives in a remote area) in not time. Actually, while Katherine may not be much visited it is not exactly remote, being on the Stuart Highway, the main road from Adelaide to Darwin. I look forward to this job with NAAJA and I can't wait for the adventure to begin.
The has been one interesting development, though. The day after I got the phone call from NAAJA, I received a phone call from someone at CridlandsMB, a law firm in Darwin that I had sent an expression of interest to. They said that they would like to interview me to see if they could work something out. I thanked the person on the phone but apologized that I had only just accepted the job offer from NAAJA the day before. However, she went on to say that if things didn't work out with NAAJA and/or I wanted a change, I should let them know and they would see if they could work something out. If nothing else, it means I have options although I would like to stroke my ego and say that it means that I'm in high demand.
At any rate, my life is taking a big turn. Just as I wanted, I'll be staying in Australia, at least for the foreseeable future, assuming all goes well. I think that this is a road I have to travel, if only to see where it leads.
Firstly, I'll mention that Australia's great Melbourne Cup was run on Tuesday, November 1st. That day I was stationed at the City Hellenic Club in what is called a temporary venue. Essentially, I was in a little booth and took people's bets. The day was quite busy but very enjoyable and the good people at the club provided lunch, which was a grilled BLT, fries and free drinks. As the race approached, everyone became glued to the TV and when it finally jumped everyone cheered and waited with anticipation as to which horse would come first. This year, it really went down to the wire and only the smallest of distances separated the winner from 2nd place. And when I say smallest of distances, I mean less than 5 centimeters! It is the closest Melbourne Cup finish in history and it was won by a French horse, Dunaden. Everyone cheered and gasped when the result was announced. The owner must have been the happiest person in the country since they got about $5 million for the win. Although my working day was a bit long, 08:30-18:30 without any real break to speak of, it was so much fun. I'd gladly do it every year.
The next big thing for me was that I finally finished the last component of my diploma on Monday, November 7th. That was the day I had my last placement at Legal Aid. On that rotation I observed a disciplinary hearing at the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the returned to the office to help with some client interviews. At the end of the day, it sort of really hit me that I'd completed everything and my long road is almost over. Since it was the last day of the Legal Aid placement for the group, we all went for a quick drink at a local pub, as lawyers are wont to do. With the GDLP completed, all that's left is my admission ceremony which will be in early December. Assuming everything goes according to plan, I'll be a lawyer on December 7th.
The biggest news, though, is that I've been offered a job as a lawyer. The organization is the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) and I'll be working in their criminal law section in the Katherine Office. Katherine is a town of 5 000 people in the Northern Territory but an important regional center. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing but I expect it will be providing legal advice and going to court. Essentially, this is legal aid for indigenous Australians. The climate will be hot year-round but I've always wanted to work in the Northern Territory and although Darwin has always been my goal, I don't think I can pass up an opportunity like this. The pay and conditions aren't bad either. I get about $56 000/yr to start, which isn't much, but 5 weeks of vacation time which is great. I'll also get to travel around to remote communities and I can't imagine something more fun at this point in my very earliest career. I don't expect to be at NAAJA forever but I think the experience I gain will be invaluable to wherever I move on next.
I think the story of how I got the job is quite interesting as well. I found the job posting in an online search but noticed that I had just missed the deadline, or was about to. I fired an e-mail to the contact person and asked if I could submit a late application and I was told I could. Having heard nothing from some of the other places I applied to, I jumped at the opportunity. 2 days after I applied I received an e-mail saying that NAAJA would like to interview me. Somewhat surprised at the speed with which this happened (things tend to move at a more leisurely pace in the Northern Territory), I quickly responded saying I would gladly interview for the position if it could be done over the phone. 3 days after that, I had the phone interview and I thought I went well, but not necessarily stellarly. The phone interview I think was pretty standard in my opinion and I was nervous after it was over, hoping that I'd done well.
From there, it was just a question of NAAJA contacting my references and then I received THE phone call. Brian Cassels, the director, told me that I was 1 of 2 successful applicants. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to hear this. I was worried a search for a job would be protracted and difficult but I got one fairly quickly, and it was one that I was keen on doing.
So, this means that sometime in the new year I'll be moving to Katherine. The logistics and the finer details will be worked out later but it's going to be an adventure. I'll be a "bushie" (someone who lives in a remote area) in not time. Actually, while Katherine may not be much visited it is not exactly remote, being on the Stuart Highway, the main road from Adelaide to Darwin. I look forward to this job with NAAJA and I can't wait for the adventure to begin.
The has been one interesting development, though. The day after I got the phone call from NAAJA, I received a phone call from someone at CridlandsMB, a law firm in Darwin that I had sent an expression of interest to. They said that they would like to interview me to see if they could work something out. I thanked the person on the phone but apologized that I had only just accepted the job offer from NAAJA the day before. However, she went on to say that if things didn't work out with NAAJA and/or I wanted a change, I should let them know and they would see if they could work something out. If nothing else, it means I have options although I would like to stroke my ego and say that it means that I'm in high demand.
At any rate, my life is taking a big turn. Just as I wanted, I'll be staying in Australia, at least for the foreseeable future, assuming all goes well. I think that this is a road I have to travel, if only to see where it leads.
1 comment:
Congratulations on your new position! I know you will enjoy it and will do well. During my articling year with Federal Justice, I got to do lots of criminal courtroom work, and it was a valuable experience and a lot of fun.
Well done!
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