Naomi Guyett
Senior Associate, MacPherson + Kelley

After completing a combined Arts/Law Degree at Monash University in 1999, I was accepted into the Leo Cussen Practical Training Course (PTC) the following year.

The best thing about the PTC was the breadth of topics we were taught and the extensive materials provided on each of those topics which were of great assistance in the 'real world'. There was also a great opportunity to complete work experience in the latter stage of the PTC in various law firms, and build a network of contacts and friends in this industry.

After being admitted to practice, I gained employment at Macpherson + Kelley Lawyers in Dandenong where I am still employed today. The position was in Wills + Estates. At that time I also still had an interest in employment law and litigation. But, seven years later, I am still in the Wills + Estates Practice as a Senior Associate and in 2006 sought and gained Specialist Accreditation for Wills + Estates. I thoroughly enjoy practising in this area.

I enjoy coming back to Leos to instruct in this topic each year as it is fun to teach and I hope to encourage the students to take an interest in this area and be passionate about what they do.

Murray Baird 
Chair of Partnership, Moores Legal

During my Arts and Law studies at Monash I had part time work at Moores Legal which was then a sole practice. Although I was offered a position at the firm, I decided that a career in private practice would be well served by practical training across a broad range of legal areas. 

I did the Leo Cussen PTC in 1977. The Leo Cussen Institute Course first attracted me because of the range of subjects in which practical training was offered.  However it was the people I worked with during that year that proved to be the most valuable part of the course.  Skilled practitioners shared their experiences in the profession. I have maintained contact with many in my peer group who have excelled in their careers in every branch of the profession and outside the profession.

My career path took me back to Moores Legal where I became a Partner and was able to apply learning across a range of legal disciplines in building the firm. Moores is now a substantial firm of 13 Partners and 50 Lawyers. I now Chair the Partnership and have found a niche in Not for Profit law.  

I believe the insights of the year at Leo Cussen Institute have contributed significantly to my career and the scope of legal areas in which Moores Legal works.

Russell Robertson

Partner, O’Farrell Robertson McMahon, Bendigo
 

I attended Leo Cussen in 1982 after completing my law degree at Monash. While I enjoyed Monash, my time at Leo Cussen was extremely enjoyable and prepared me very well for being a lawyer. University

My first position as a solicitor was in Bendigo and it involved a fair amount of advocacy work in the first few years. I have no doubt that my training at Leos prepared me very well. At Leo Cussen I covered the topics of Wills and Deceased Estates but in my first two years of practice, I only prepared a few Wills and I did no work in the area of deceased estates at all. However, my employment position changed and there was the opportunity and need to work in some areas of law that I had not done previously. My broad training in the Leos Practical Training Course helped enormously.

I have been teaching at Leo Cussen in the area of Wills and Deceased Estates for 16 years and I have been an accredited specialist in this area for almost 15 years. I remember very well the instructors I had in 1982 and it is a privilege to be a very small part of the strong tradition that the legal profession has of mentoring and nurturing young lawyers.

I have had some exposure to practical training courses run by other organisations and I have no doubt that the model and course content provided by Leo Cussen is the best.

The best thing about the Leo Cussen PTC:  The breadth of experience it provides you.

Trudy Steedman

Senior Associate at Allens Arthur Robinson

I have been working at AAR since 2000.  I practise in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, often dealing with large scale commercial and contractual disputes.

I completed the PTC at Leo Cussen in 1996, after studying Law and Economics at the University of Tasmania.  1996 was my first year of living in Melbourne, and studying at Leo Cussen was a great way of transitioning from university law school to working life. On completing the PTC, I commenced employment with a medium Melbourne firm, practising in commercial litigation and employee relations.  I then travelled overseas and worked for a large London law firm (Norton Rose), before returning to Melbourne in 2000.

Participants in Leo Cussen's PTC came from a variety of backgrounds, so there was a wide spectrum of views and experiences contributing to the learning experiences.  The PTC involved exposure to many practice areas.  Although my career path has not lead me to criminal law, the practical experience I had at Leos of participating in a mock Magistrates Court trial with trainee police prosecutors, as well as presenting a plea in mitigation was invaluable advocacy experience.

With the support of many practitioners as instructors, the Leo Cussen PTC was also an excellent way of meeting people and developing networks in the Melbourne legal community.  Probably the most important learning benefits of the course came from the guidance that the Leo Cussen mentors provided to us on managing and responding to difficult issues that may arise in legal practice, and from the discussions with them of their own legal practice experiences.