Matt Rozario

6:30 AM

Training shirt on, laces on runners tied, bed hair successfully concealed under a cap – it’s time to start the day a quick and punchy gym session. I find the best way to start my day feeling energised is to get the heart rate rising and smash out a few reps (plus I’ll feel less guilty about sitting for most of the day!). After a quick freshen up, it’s time to take the train into the city.

8:30 AM

After a short walk from Martin Place Station, I make my way up to level 21 of the office, whip up a breakfast bowl featuring some cereal and fruit, and catch up with some workmates in the kitchen. Once I’ve caught up on the weekend plans of my workmates, I take a few moments to plan out my day and then get cracking.

9:00 AM

First on my list for the day is an internal meeting with my Partner and other practice teams in the firm to discuss updates and strategies for one of our ongoing transactions. After bringing ourselves up to speed on the matter, my Partner and I join a conference call with our client to discuss our preliminary views and recommendations on their various matters. A large amount of our clients are international companies, which could mean having calls earlier in the morning or later in the evening. Lucky for me though, this one is in a similar time zone, so mid-morning works for everyone!

11:00 AM

Once we receive further instruction from the client, it’s time to prepare our advice – and I’ve been tasked with drafting the first cut. In this matter, we’re advising an international company on their ability to host various events and promotions in Australia, as well as appropriate strategies to facilitate their broader expansion throughout the Australian market. I have to admit, it’s pretty exciting dealing with global household names on an everyday basis.

12:30 PM

Now for one of the best times of the day – lunchtime! Normally, I’d pack some lunch from home but today I’m treating myself to getting lunch with a workmate from my team. I’m lucky enough to have workmates who are equally as adventurous with their food, so we often searches for new places around the city to grab a bite and catch up – this week, it’s Falafel on George Street.

2:00 PM

Having successfully avoided a food coma, I’m back in the office and touching base with my Partner on another project on my to-do list for today. This one involves me preparing a presentation for one of our clients, giving them an understanding of legal issues in the Australian market that are relevant to their business venture, and providing recommended strategies and pathways to best achieve these commercial objectives.

3:30 PM

Next, I catch up with my Partner and the Pro Bono Director to be briefed on a new pro bono matter we’ve received. In this case, we’re assisting a charitable organisation with their tech and sourcing contracts, as well as advising them on their proposed partnership with another not-for-profit organisation. As a firm, we pride ourselves on a committed pro bono practice, helping organisations, such as our long-standing partners UNICEF, achieve their social initiatives over the years. Personally, I find pro bono to be a great way to give back to the community and ‘pay it forward’.

5:00 PM

I’ve got a meeting set up with my Partner and a few other colleagues to brainstorm some business development initiatives. These meetings often involve discussing new ideas and ways of expanding our commercial reach and engagement with the market – from publishing media articles and updates, to hosting events and seminars. I find these meetings to be a great way to explore your creative side at work, share your ideas with workmates and convert these ideas into tangible initiatives.

6:30 PM

With the day coming to an end, it’s time to head back to my desk and punch out a few final emails to clients and other team members. The last thing I like to do before leaving is jot down some points on my to-do list for tomorrow, so I can hit the ground running the next day. Once I’ve logged off, it’s time to head out.

7:30 PM

The footy is on tonight, which usually means I catch up with a few of my mates from high school to watch the game (and become armchair athletes) together at a local pub with a pizza in hand. This week, however, my mates and I have been lucky enough to score some tickets to the game, so I walk through Hyde Park and across to the SCG to watch the Swans win an absolute thriller!

11:00 PM

A bit later than I’d like to be in bed normally, but alas I’ve made it under the sheets. At the end of the day, I usually flick through social media for a bit and reply to some messages from earlier in the day before calling it a night and recharging for another eventful day in the big smoke.