Where it began

Then – Truck Driver
Now – Ashurst Chairman

My holiday job throughout university was working on the roads for Tasman Asphalt, in Nelson. I had needed to get a heavy vehicle licence in order to get the job, but I was still surprised when, early on in my road maintenance career, they gave me the keys to a large truck and sent me off round the district with a big trailer, carrying about 40 tonnes in total. It was an interesting lesson in what people will trust you to do, if you are moderately confident and credible. Luckily, nothing went too badly wrong (at least after I had destroyed a gearbox in an ill-advised gear shift).

Ben Tidswell (Ashurst Chairman)

Then – DJ
Now – Professor and Head of School, UNE Law School

My first two jobs at 14 to 18 years old were a DJ with Odyssey Disco when you actually spun vinyl records and changed the players speed (bpm) to slow down or speed up the next song! My lesson from being a DJ is that one person can have the best night of their lives and another the worst, irrespective of what the DJ does - consumer roles open your eyes to the variety of humans that exist from the good, bad and ugly! I also had a Saturday job I loved at a sports shop in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Professor Michael Adams (Consultant, Sydney, until 2007)

Then – Clock seller
Now – Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, ITV plc

In between school and university I worked in the Selfridges clock and watch strap department, selling clocks and straps. Above all it taught me not to make assumptions about people based on how they look, or what your preconceptions about them might be. I served a few famous people there and my preconceptions about them were, on occasion, completely confounded!

Magnus Brooke (Lawyer, London, until 2000)

Then – Shoe shop assistant
Now – Head of Strategy and Engagement, Ashurst Advance Digital

I had a lot of jobs as a teen in order to be able to fund some of the far flung school trips I wanted to go on. My first paid gig was babysitting which essentially meant I got paid to do my homework and eat the nice treats left out for me to graze on. My first proper job was in a shoe shop for an atrociously low salary but it taught me about customer centricity and the value of money: both important lessons for a 15 year old!

Sarah Chambers (Head of Strategy and Engagement, Ashurst Advance Digital, London)

Then – Summer camp volunteer
Now – Assistant Professor, NOVA School of Law

I was a volunteer in a summer camp for kids with special needs. It taught me empathy, kindness and that ‘kids with special needs’ is an unfair expression, because the emphasis shouldn't be on their needs, but on the many ways in which they are special.

 

Fabrizio Esposito (Lawyer, Milan, until 2013)

Then – Junior clerk
Now – CEO, Cyber Security CRC

A junior law clerk in chambers. It was during my gap year before university and looking back, I was pretty clueless. I learnt that you can’t put dishwashing liquid in a dishwasher (I thought I was using my initiative) and annotating dusty law reports (with those stick-in annotations) was pretty boring. It made university look like a breeze!

Rachael Falk (Lawyer, Sydney, until 1999)

Then – Court reporter
Now – Principal Advisor HR, Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project, Rio Tinto

My first "proper job" was a court reporter for the justice department in Brisbane where I used to do court transcripts. It was fascinating and it gave me a real insight into the justice system, but it also made my mind up for me that I didn't want to go into criminal law. I can still churn out a quick transcript when I need to, so it taught me a useful, lifelong skill!

Fiona Forrest (Lawyer, Brisbane and Singapore, until 2014)

Then – Molecular biology intern
Now – Ashurst financial regulatory and OTC derivatives partner

It was actually interning in a molecular biology lab, working on trying to figure out zebrafish brains! I accidently injected myself with modified zebrafish DNA, but I haven't developed super powers yet. Working in research taught me that there is truly no such thing as a stupid question – asking questions is in fact the first step on the road to discovery.

Evan Lam (Partner, Singapore)

Then – Cashier
Now – Ashurst Board Member and Partner

Supermarket cashier at Woolworths. I started just before I turned 15 – the money I saved helped with a year on exchange to Japan during high school. It also gave me extensive knowledge of different types of apples.

 

Kylie Lane (Ashurst Board Member and Partner, Melbourne)

Then – Shop assistant
Now – Legal Intern Volunteer, Voice for Change

I was a shop assistant at a supermarket for one week at a company I would later find out to be one of Ashurst's big clients in PNG – Rimbunan Hijau (RH). I was saving up money to buy my formal dress in year 12 and after my first pay check I had enough so I was done. I have been much more committed to all of my jobs since!

Emma Minimbi (Lawyer, Port Moresby, until 2019)

Then – Avon lady
Now – Ashurst HR Manager, National Early Careers Programmes

When I was 14, I was keen to earn some extra pocket money and wanted to do something other than the usual paper round. I convinced my mum to allow me to become an Avon Lady, going door to door selling Avon Products. In all honesty, being a teenager, I loved makeup and found the discount and commission appealing! I also thought it sounded fun making up the orders and delivering the products. That was the easy part, having to go out and brave the Scottish elements knocking on doors and trying to hard-sell was perhaps the part that wasn't fun. It did teach me to be responsible and I learned a lot about people. Having the door slammed in your face does teach you a lot especially when not making sales means no money and no makeup! Needless to say it wasn't quite the career I was cut out for!

Carolyn O'Connor (HR Manager, National Early Careers Programmes, Glasgow)

Then – Holiday camp supervisor
Now – Violist, Member of the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Director of KLASSIK underground

My first job was while I was a student in Year 9. I was a supervisor at a holiday camp run by a maths teacher to introduce younger students to computers and the basic idea of the internet. It was fascinating to see how very young minds responded to the idea of a digital network connecting people, and it showed me how important both openness and creativity are to utilising new technology.

Tahlia Petrosian (Graduate, Sydney, until 2007)

Then – Hairdresser
Now – Ashurst First Nations Advisor and Lawyer

I was in sales and hairdressing – it taught me how to work with a variety of people. I learnt how to deal with their unique idiosyncrasies and I enjoyed navigating people with difficult personalities. I also loved the idea of people feeling great about themselves due to my time and effort. It taught me to be client centric in my approach and to continually assess the user experience to ensure results are being delivered impeccably.

Trent Wallace (First Nations Advisor and Lawyer, Pro Bono and Social Impact, Brisbane)

Then – Filing assistant
Now – Partner and Head of Ashurst Advance Digital

My first job was doing filing for my mother's office. She worked in the accounts payable department at a local university, which processed all supplier payments and payroll payments. I filed paper records into rows of filing cabinets, and then eventually also did data entry to submit records for payment. The experience definitely taught me about the dynamics of working in an office environment, as well as the importance of data keeping and storage. I don't think that it really influenced me in any deep way, but it was very good experience to have at a younger age.

Tara Waters (Partner, Head of Ashurst Advance Digital, London)

Then – TV transmitter tuner
Now – Retired Ashurst Partner and Editor of the Shaw Sheet

My first job (aged 18) was with pYe in Cambridge and included helping to tune tv transmitters. One interesting thing was that those who were best at it were not the mathematicians and engineers who understood why it worked, but people, usually without degrees, who had developed a “feel” for it by experience. There is nothing like having done it all many times before and that goes for negotiating deals every bit as much as it goes for electronics.

John Watson (Partner, London, until 2013)