A better opportunity to help junior solicitors develop their skills and broaden their experience is something Andrew Clyne is looking forward to as he steps into his new position as a partner in Freehills’ Corporate group.
Although he has already performed this role to some degree as a senior associate, Andrew expects the move to partner will require him to provide much more guidance to his team members, and he is happy to take on that responsibility.
‘I like getting involved in offering development opportunities to the junior lawyers here,’ he says. ‘If chatting with them helps them achieve a better outcome, and perhaps avoid some of the mistakes that I made when I was a junior lawyer, then to me that’s a really good result.
‘I think as a partner I’ll have more responsibility in directing the work, guiding the people around me, setting timeframes and creating a positive team atmosphere. I’m looking forward to that.’
Andrew first joined Freehills in 1993 when he started articles. In mid-1997 he travelled to London where he worked with law firm Ashurst. While it provided him with valuable international experience, after six years Andrew decided to return to Australia and to Freehills, where he specialises in mergers and acquisitions.
‘I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to work with some very talented people in London and to learn from them. I hope I can offer that sort of opportunity to others coming through.
‘Freehills also has a fantastic client base, so there’s a lot of scope to do some really interesting legal work here in Australia.’
While working overseas is something Andrew recommends all solicitors should consider, he warns that it’s not necessarily for everyone and that it’s critical not to lose sight of the fact that you need to be ready for when you return home.
‘It’s very important to establish clearly the reason why you are going overseas in the first place. And as it is likely that you will come back to Australia, make sure you stay in touch with the people at home so that when you do come back it’s not a difficult transition.
‘Obviously it’s much easier if what you’re doing overseas will actually be beneficial to your career when you come back. But just as importantly, make sure you maintain your contacts at home and keep them up to date with what you’re doing, so that you don’t suffer a significant career delay through needing to rebuild those relationships when you return.’
Andrew advises junior solicitors looking to progress through the ranks to simply pursue what they enjoy most.
‘If you find an area of law you like, just keep going with it. If you find that you’re not enjoying what you’re involved in try something else. Fortunately at Freehills there’s a lot of scope to do that.’
As a lawyer Andrew believes the key to providing great service is to ensure the client gets the right technical advice, but in such a way that they can apply it to their business easily.
‘I had a client once describe lawyers as “friction”, so I guess success for me in a transaction is about minimising that friction. Of course, you always hope that there’s no friction at all. That’s almost impossible due to the nature of our job, but you can at least work to minimise it.’
Andrew highlights the sale of Olex Cables in 2006 as a good example of this, and one of the more satisfying transactions he has worked on.
‘The sale of Olex Cables was personally quite rewarding because it was a large deal which ended in a great result for the sellers. It was terrific to be heavily involved in running a transaction process where with the right planning, and execution of the plan, it ran in a way that I think meant that the sellers achieved a really good outcome. Being able to contribute to an overall result rather than simply being a legal adviser is very rewarding.’
To relax away from the office Andrew enjoys spending time with friends and family and pursuing his interests of travel and photography.
Andrew's professional biography is available by clicking here.
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