28 March 2008
Key Points:
Beginning his career with Clayton Utz in 1998 as a summer clerk and commencing his articles with the firm the following year, Perth Energy and Resources lawyer Heath Lewis spent five years at CU before heading to Slaughter and May in the UK in search of new experiences. Four years on and Heath has returned to Clayton Utz – this time around as a partner.
Heath tells us about his experiences overseas and what it is like to return to Australia.
What motivated you to make the move to London?
Although I had enjoyed some excellent exposure to complex and challenging matters in my time at CU, I felt that my career would benefit from practising in a new and different environment and learning from leading practitioners on significant and cutting edge deals. This turned out to be true, and it is hard to understate the benefit of leaving your comfort zone and being exposed to new ways of thinking and legal practices. It also came with the benefit of living in Europe surrounded by plenty of ex-pat mates, with wonderful opportunities for travel and out-of-the-ordinary experiences.
How do London law firms differ from those in Australia?
Aside from the sheer size of some of the London firms, my impression of the way London firms go about things, the expectations of their partners and lawyers, their processes and the quality of their service offering is that they are generally pretty comparable to top-tier Australian firms. That said, the experience in a London law firm could be quite a varied one, I suspect, depending on whether you're at a "magic circle" firm, at a boutique, at a US firm in London (of which there is an ever increasing number) or at a firm with an international footprint. Cultures across the firms with offices in London would, I would say, be a bit more diverse than they would be across Australian firms.
Has the Australian legal market changed since you practised here last?
I wouldn't say there has been a dramatic shift. It is good to see that Clayton Utz has consolidated its position in the top tier and continues to compete for pre-eminence across all of the areas in which we practise, while some of our competitors may have come off a little bit. A general comment is that there seems to have been an increase in competitiveness, both in terms of attracting and keeping the best work and clients, and the best lawyers.
Are you enjoying your new role as a Partner?
Very much so. It comes with some challenges that all lawyers know well (financial targets, long hours etc), as well as some that tend to be more burdensome for partners (client relationship management, administration etc). The new role also comes with its rewards, including the gratification of having "your own" clients who treat you as their trusted business adviser and being uniquely responsible for their satisfaction.
What has been the best part of returning to Australia?
In terms of work, having your own practice that you and your team are responsible for growing has been challenging and rewarding. The mentoring role associated with leading a team of lawyers is also proving to be very satisfying. In terms of lifestyle, there is no doubt that at times there is not very much "lifestyle" to speak of - just as in London, when a deal is in full swing there is not much time spent out of the office. But (sadly/gladly, depending on your perspective) the Perth office of CU - like any Australian firm - can't match the sheer volume of deals that can be produced by the likes of a Slaughter and May in full swing, meaning that one gets many more opportunities for socialising and keeping fit in a rather better climate than London.
