From aspiring engineer to energy law specialist
I first developed an interest in energy during my final years of high school. At the time, I mainly studied maths and science subjects and aspired to be an engineer. Realising that I do not have the natural talent for this discipline (none of the structures and circuits that I built during classroom experiments worked!), I decided to try something completely different in university and studied law/commerce.
Hoping to combine my skills and interests, I started my career as a commercial graduate at Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS). In my first role, I was responsible for placing contracts to source plant and equipment required for the operation and maintenance of all producing assets operated by the company. The highlight of that role was being a part of the production team and seeing first-hand how a gas plant is run. On my final site visit, I briefly boarded a cargo ship when the LNG offtake process began!
Transitioning to law
In my second role as a Woodside graduate, I was placed in the legal team. Having to transition from a commercial lead who had accountability for matters and oversight of inputs from all specialist functions to a junior in one of those specialist functions, I initially missed the buzz of working in commercial.
Over time, I discovered that the legal role was challenging in that I had to keep my “commercial hat” on by identifying business needs, as well as putting on a new “legal hat” to generate solutions that meet both commercial and legal requirements. As I really enjoyed the role and wanted to develop my legal skillset, I decided to enter private practice.
Why JWS?
I was drawn to JWS as I had heard about the firm’s collegiate culture, strong energy expertise and “no silos” operating model which encourages lawyers to work across practice areas and offices.
As a junior lawyer, I made the most of this model to explore my interests. During this time, I supported the Energy & Resources, Corporate, Real Estate and Projects & Construction teams, working with colleagues from each JWS office. I also returned in-house on secondment to Santos (ASX:STO), Cooper Energy (ASX:COE) and Perenti (ASX:PRN).
As an essential commodity, energy is complex and the successful delivery of an energy project requires collaboration between multiple practice groups within JWS and with our clients’ legal, commercial and technical teams.
Building on the broad experiences gained as a junior lawyer, I now work with clients across the energy value chain from oil and gas producers seeking to develop new fields, to renewable energy developers seeking to connect solar and wind farms and battery energy storage systems to the grid, as well as large industrial users of energy with their gas and power purchases.
Advice for juniors
Make your interests and development goals known but do not overlook opportunities that are in front of you. Opportunities can be as simple as helping out when requested, taking on extended assignments such as a secondment or supporting an interstate team.
Looking back, time as a junior lawyer is relatively short so aim to say yes to as many opportunities as possible, take the time to complete each task to the best of your ability, smile through challenges and learn as much as you can. Once you have built your base toolkit, you will be able to sharpen those tools as a specialist in your chosen practice group and share your knowledge and experience with others.