Here’s a Q&A with our brandly-spankingly-newly-admitted lawyer, Harry Crowe.
BG: So you’re a lawyer now! How does it feel?
HC: Feeling much more mature! No, in all seriousness – it was a big milestone so far in my life and it was special to share it with family and colleagues. I started my law degree unsure if I wanted to be a lawyer. So to be sitting in the Supreme Court five years later after many late-night assignments, exam stress and balancing study with part-time work, it was nice to stop and reflect for a second. I felt quite proud of myself to be totally honest.
BG: For the uninitiated, what does getting admitted actually involve?
HC: To be admitted to the legal profession in Victoria, you need to have completed both a law degree (shock horror!) and an additional course known as Practical Legal Training (PLT). You also need to satisfy the Supreme Court that you are a ‘fit and proper person’. That includes disclosing any (and I mean any) past discretions. Thankfully, I only had a few parking tickets to disclose. So, having spent the last six months completing my PLT after completing my uni studies, I was ready to go.
BG: Tell us a bit about the admission ceremony.
HC: On the day, you sit in a packed room in the Supreme Court of Victoria with around 50 other applicants who are also being admitted, as well as their family and friends up in the nosebleeds. Each applicant has to nominate a member of the legal profession to “move” their admission. This was the best part for me: my mentor and close family friend Angus Macnab SC moved my admission. When my time came, the Chief Justice asked me to stand. Angus stood as well and said the magic words. And voila – I was admitted to legal practice in Victoria.
It was so special to have Angus there. I didn’t initially plan on being a lawyer – after I finished school I did a few other things that left me pretty disillusioned. Luckily, Angus got in at just the right moment with the remark: “I don’t think we’ve lost you to the profession just yet, mate”.
BG: What was the most nerve-racking bit of the whole experience for you?
HC: I found the whole experience incredibly nerve-racking. That’s actually pretty surprising considering that there was very little for me to actually do on the day. All the work had been done in the lead-up. But I still had this nagging feeling that I wouldn’t be accepted or that I had somehow messed up my application. I think it was just a bit imposter syndrome creeping in with all the pomp and ceremony of admission day. But once my name had been called and Angus had said his bit, I finally relaxed and began to reflect on how grateful I was for everyone who had supported me along the way to be able to be there that day.
BG: Do you feel that your graduate experience (work experience + PLT) adequately prepared you for legal practice?
HC: I think both were important. I completed the work experience element at By George. It was awesome to actually get entrenched within the core functions of the firm and to help lawyers preparing advices: this is the stuff I’d been training do for the past few years. There were aspects of the PLT course work that were also very relevant and taught me where to look for legal resources when encountering new problems. But I have to admit: after doing a law degree and balancing course work with paid work, there were definitely times where I had to drag myself back to my desk to complete aspects of the PLT.
BG: What are you most looking forward to doing as a fully-fledged lawyer?
HC: I’m looking forward to developing my skills and building confidence to be able to offer considered and intelligent legal advice. I’m also excited to get more involved in disputes work. I’ve always wanted to get more familiar with the nuances and complexities of settlement negotiations.
Harry started out life at By George as a Paralegal. He’s now a bona fide Lawyer and we couldn’t be prouder to see how far he’s come. Carpe diem, Haz!
