8:45 AM
After my morning commute and coffee run, I say hello to the team and get set up for the day ahead.
As the graduate in the gaming and gambling team, one of my jobs is to draft a daily summary of the news relevant to the industry that has been published overnight. As a lot of our clients operate internationally, my coverage is global. This has been a great way for me to learn about the trends in the industry, whether these are new gambling and gaming products, cross-border mergers or upcoming legal and regulatory changes. This morning, I saw a lot of commentary about the Australian Government’s proposed reforms to wagering advertising, as well as the latest news regarding the regulation of prediction markets in the United States.
9:45 AM
After sending out my daily news wrap to the team, I’ll head into my Partner’s office with my Senior Associate to sit in on a call regarding a probity application for one of our clients. In the gambling industry, people who have a significant interest in a gambling company have to be approved by the regulatory bodies in the jurisdictions where the company operates. This requires a lot of coordination across different jurisdictions, most of which I would have never expected to have been involved in before joining Addisons. Today’s call was with one of our corresponding legal counsels in the United States to discuss the next steps in the probity application process with the regulators for Michigan.
10:30 AM
Following the call, I polish up the minutes I took down and confirm the action items with my Senior Associate. Checking my emails, I notice that we have received some further information from a potential new client based in Brazil. After speaking with one of the Senior Lawyers who initially responded to the potential client, I was tasked with drafting an engagement letter and fee estimate which will detail the scope of our work and terms of our retainer.
This task is super helpful for me in laying out the commercial goals of the client and how our team can assist in achieving this; allowing me to peer ahead into the future and contextualise the day-to-day tasks that will arise.
After getting the OK, I send off the documents to the potential client for their review.
11:30 AM
Whilst on my way to fill up my water bottle, a Partner from the Intellectual Property team asks whether I have capacity for a research task. Gladly accepting, I sit down with her in her office to get the run down. Ultimately, one of our clients wants to understand whether their artistic works (i.e. drawings or sketches) will still be protected by copyright if they apply them industrially (e.g. to clothing or mugs). This will be important because if the client’s copyright does not subsist, other brands or businesses may be able to legally copy their artworks, citing them as ‘inspiration’. I dig through some relevant case law and practice notes that explore this issue.
While the majority of my work recently is with the Gaming and Gambling team, it has been great to be able to explore other practice areas during my first rotation. It is both fun and challenging to wear many different hats throughout the day, as well as to see the niche that each Partner has carved out for themselves. I tabulate my research and send it off.
12:30 PM
Lunch time! Today I got lunch with the other graduates where we sat out the front of one of the nearby buildings. My go-to recently has been Stockmarket Kitchen.
1:30 PM
On return to the office my supervising Partner brings me in to talk through some advice I have drafted for an international gaming client. After talking over the key points, I go back to my desk to conduct some further research into the client and tailor the advice towards their current circumstances. After some polishing, I print the revised draft for my Partner’s review.
3:00 PM
3 o’clock has rolled around and it’s time to jump on a consultation session held by the Government. On the call, the proposed changes to Australian gambling laws were discussed. It is paramount that we are listening to the questions and queries raised by industry stakeholders so that we can adapt to the new rules as efficiently as possible and understand what our clients will need to do. Seeing the creation of new laws and how they will change the status-quo for many different departments and industries has been a unique experience. I take down the key discussion points and circulate them to the wider team for their consideration.
4:00 PM
Following the call, I spend the rest of the day editing an article that we are planning to publish detailing the proposed Government reforms. I have consulted with many different team members to take advantage of their perspectives and expertise. It is a good reminder that the law is constantly changing, and the insights they provide me with reflect many days in the life!
6:00 PM
I save the newest version of the draft article and circulate it to the team. After that – time to post my time and head home.
Find out more about the Addisons Graduate Program here.