Inside AGS (QLD)
Daniel Ryan
Why I chose AGS:
Going through university, I fell subject to the prevailing belief that exists among law students that, if I wanted to practice law, the only way to do so was to work for a large, corporate firm. As someone with a strong preference for public law, and also to be acting ‘for the good guys’, by the end of my degree I had come to feel quite uncomfortable about the prospects of going into practice. Thankfully, someone suggested AGS – it has all the support and services of a larger firm, an incredibly diverse array of work, and there’s no feeling of having ‘sold one’s soul’.
The best thing about AGS:
The best thing about AGS is that, when I get up in the morning, I look forward to going to work. And, once I get to work, it is clear that everyone else around me is in the same boat. The same cannot be said for my friends who are graduates at corporate firms. While I couldn’t identify any single thing about AGS that makes it such a pleasant place to work, I am sure the quality and diversity of AGS’s work, the enthusiasm and camaraderie of AGS’s employees, the fact that you are working in the public interest, and AGS’s commitment to pro bono work are all significant factors.
AGS has a fantastic training team, with a particularly strong structure to support junior lawyers (as law graduates, newly admitted solicitors, and right up to lawyers with up to 5 years post-admission experience). There is a specialist graduate development adviser to help with the particularly big adjustments that come with moving into the legal profession. There is also a constant stream of highly interesting seminars being presented to keep you up-to-date on the latest
developments across the Commonwealth legal environment. However, the biggest source of learning and development at AGS is the more senior lawyers. Every lawyer I have worked with since starting at AGS has been more than willing to spend time developing my skills as a lawyer. Lawyers are very happy to sit down and talk an issue through with you, and are only too happy to share the lessons, tips and tricks they have learned. Everyone at AGS considers graduates a valuable resource and is excited to contribute to your development.
Highlight of my grad year
The outpost offered as part of the graduate program is absolutely incredible. I was fortunate enough to be seconded to the litigation branch of 1 of AGS’s largest clients. While outposted, you really get the chance to appreciate the esteem in which AGS is regarded by its clients. You also really get to see just how much you learn as an AGS graduate. Such is the clients’ trust in AGS (and the quality of the training AGS gives its graduates) that, while outposted, I was given substantially more responsibility than the client’s own graduates. The absolute highlight was getting to run my own contested hearing in the AAT, and now having a reported judgment from the Tribunal with my name on it.