Michael Wilson

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

MW: I recently bought a house with my partner, so my weekends lately are mostly filled with housework, gardening and all those fun things.

Outside of work, I really love travelling, especially to places that are a bit off the beaten track. My mum and dad instilled that in my sister and me. Most weekends, I’m probably thinking about what holiday I’m going to take in six months’ time. Aside from that, I love catching up with my friends and family, and, importantly, going over to my parents’ place to play with our family dog, Maggie.

If you weren’t working in law, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

MW: I’ve been asked that one by a lot of people. My backup career probably would have been as a pilot. I’m a bit of an aviation geek, so that was always something I considered.

At the same time, I always thought you had to be good at maths to become a pilot, and I am not, so that ruled it out for me. While I do love travelling, the hours and time away from family also weren’t really something I wanted to do forever.

What would you say initially attracted you to GLAS?

MW: In Australia, GLAS has a good name in the market and is involved in a lot of big industry groups. I had worked on one transaction with them in a previous role, and I knew that the business was growing.

I also knew GLAS was commercial and ambitious, not in the sense that negotiating against them is hard, but that they’re really keen to build the business and grow in different markets. That was something I wanted to be part of.

You’ve had a varied legal career across firms and roles. What led you to specialise in banking and finance?

MW: It wasn’t something I considered at first. When I started at Norton Rose Fulbright Australia (NRF) as a graduate, banking and finance was about 10th on my practice team rotation preference list. But after a couple of months, it moved straight up to the top because I knew it was a fun, collegial team and a really good place for juniors to take on responsibility at an early stage of their career.

When I got there for my rotation, I was put straight into the deep end, acting for a large multinational data centre client in Australia, one of the country’s biggest corporate borrowers. This was also just after I had been admitted as an Australian lawyer, so it was my very first experience acting for and advising a client. We were constantly on calls with very senior, specialised people, and the access you got was unparalleled. The work involved very long hours, quick turnaround times and justifiably high client expectations.

I also found that I really got to understand the business at a granular and day-to-day operational level, not just the immediate legal problem most lawyers experience. Once I gained exposure to that, I realised banking and finance was where I wanted to be long-term. The ability to contribute to a company’s strategic direction was really appealing and not something that junior lawyers in other teams were privileged to do.

You spent time on secondment in Dubai. What was that experience like and what did you take from it?

MW: It was really cool. After six months in the NRF banking and finance team in Melbourne, I had the option to either settle there immediately or go on secondment to the banking team in Dubai for some overseas experience before returning to Australia. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity.

The Dubai NRF banking and finance team was diverse, with several sub-practices that did not have a presence in Australia. My base was the Capital Markets sub-team, but I was a pooled resource across the entire banking and finance team. I worked with a few partners on very technical and groundbreaking Islamic finance market listings in Saudi Arabia, where local markets continue to open to overseas capital. This involved a lot of regulator engagement and deal structuring, which I had not previously dealt with directly.

I also got to work with the aviation sub-team on multiple refinancings of Emirates aircraft, which was a personal highlight for me. I worked on project finance matters like the financing of a desalination plant in Saudi. Socially, it was amazing too. The large law firms align their junior secondments to run simultaneously, so I quickly made a tight group of friends and we travelled around the region together on our weekends. On these trips, we were lucky to visit places like Turkey, Kuwait, Oman and India, and even spent a weekend skiing in Georgia.

What are the biggest differences between working in a law firm and being in-house?

MW: In law firms, you’re mainly interacting with other lawyers. In-house, you have to communicate with people who aren’t lawyers and may not need to know every background detail or nuance of an argument, so you need to be really clear with your main point upfront. This communication style is something I’m still learning.

The other big difference is who you liaise with. In a law firm, there could be an entire team’s hierarchy on the same email chain. At GLAS, if I’m the legal contact, I have more autonomy and responsibility, which I like, even if it can be a bit intimidating at times.

What motivated your move from private practice into an in-house role?

MW: I reached a point where I could stay at NRF and follow the typical law firm route, but I wondered whether my job would look any different in a year’s time. The answer was likely no, so I chose to try something different, and I’m really enjoying it!

I’m working with amazing people, particularly in Melbourne, who each have 20-plus years of experience across major banks and different teams. In-house, I also feel closer to deals and the decision-making process. I feel involved in structuring the deal, rather than just facilitating it. You get more input, and your voice is valued and listened to most of the time.

How do you approach complex transactions or legal challenges?

MW: I try to remember that I’m not alone and that I have a great team around me for support. Often in transactions, it’s not the first time something has been encountered, so you can lean on people for their experiences.

The legal team in Australia is particularly good at that. We’ll often Teams each other quick questions or call for more challenging items. Being collegiate is really important and something I truly value.

What has stood out to you about the culture at GLAS so far?

MW: Just how friendly everyone is. I went to Sydney a few weeks ago, and the team there was incredibly welcoming. People I thought would be too busy wanted to sit down and get to know me, which was really nice.

It’s the same in Melbourne. The whole team has been very welcoming and made sure I’m settling in well.
GLAS clearly has a really positive culture. That balance between doing exciting, interesting work and still having a life outside of the office has been really nice, and that’s important to me.

What advice would you give to someone starting a career in law today?

MW: Go into it with an open mind. Don’t isolate yourself just because you think one area is where all the amazing, top-achieving lawyers go. You might be surprised by a team you hadn’t previously considered. If I hadn’t done the banking and finance rotation, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities or overseas experience I’ve had – and I wouldn’t be at GLAS.

Also, make friends along the way. In Australia, the industry is so small, and I often find myself on transactions with people I’ve previously worked with, studied with or even went to school with. It’s important to lean on those relationships when you need to, but also just be a nice person and be your authentic self.

Is there anything you wish you had known at the beginning of your career that you know today?

MW: I’d say your graduate programme, or traineeship in the UK, is certainly not the be-all and end-all.

There are so many avenues to a good job in law. I know plenty of people who missed out on a traineeship or graduate role but are now doing amazing things at great firms or companies, still using their legal skills. It may feel like a setback if you don’t get the role you want, but careers can move in lots of different directions.

Law school also only gets you so far. Real, practical, hands-on experience is invaluable and can only be obtained through an enduring open mind. Importantly, do not isolate or silo yourself early on in your career. I think that is a lesson not just for lawyers but for any junior professional.