JASMIN MANTOUFEH, FORMER IN-HOUSE CLERK
Jasmin was part of TLC’s very first in-house clerkship program in 2019. As a penultimate law student, she worked with global tech-giant VMware’s in-house employment legal team. VMware provides an abundance of tech products and services centred on desktop and app virtualisation as well as multi-cloud operations. She sat down with TLC and spoke about her amazing experiences and what she learned in-house.
TLC: What kind of work did you do? What was a typical day like?
JM: I was situated in the employment department, assisting the Senior Associate and Asia-Pacific Japan Employment Lead with a multitude of matters ranging from advising human resources on disciplinary and performance management, determining employee entitlements, drafting policies including a whistle-blower policy for legal compliance and so forth.
Surprisingly, there was no 'typical' day at VMware. Every day posed new and interesting challenges to the employment team. Whether it be taking notes for an urgent HR matter or devising a merger and acquisition strategy for the transfer of staff and benefits - there was ALWAYS something to be learnt.
Even more surprising was the work-life balance endorsed by VMware. Working at private practice firms generally involves long hours. VMware integrates health and well-being into their culture. So my typical day normally finished at 5:00pm on the dot!
TLC: What was the most surprising thing you learnt from your time in-house?
JM: RISK MANAGEMENT! Working as part of in-house counsel requires practitioners to invest their efforts and strategies into one client rather than multiple. Hence, every legal decision is considered a business decision which prioritises the best interests of the company. Therefore, the level of detail required when undertaking a due diligence and risk matrix report is fairly extensive. A few key considerations that I now bear in mind when decision-making is determining:
how each stakeholder is affected;
if the decision embodies the company's values;
if the decision is beneficial for the company's short and long-term objectives and prosperity;
if the decision poses legal or regulatory compliance risks; and
what PR measures need to be implemented to communicate the decision to the company.
TLC: What kind of legal work or jobs had you had done before doing this clerkship? Did this help you? Tell us your career story!
JM: Prior to undertaking my clerkship at VMware, I had undertaken two prior legal internships at Baker McKenzie and Allen Overy, Abu-Dhabi. The overseas experience was particularly useful during my clerkship as I applied my understanding of cross-jurisdictional nuances to compliance review tasks for Asia-Pacific Japan countries.
I also worked as a waitress, medical receptionist and social media manager prior to making headway in the legal industry. Skills are far more transferable than it may appear on the surface. Importantly, learning the law and practicing the law are two completely different concepts.
Working at a busy restaurant taught me how to be comfortable and patient with communicating to customers in high-pressure situations and maintaining a high level of professionalism in the services that you offer. My experience as a marketing and PR manager gave me a foundational understanding of risk and crisis management as well as the importance of internal communication within an organisation - all of which was a crucial aspect to decision-making at VMware.
TLC: What advice would you give to another law student considering doing an in-house clerkship or going in-house?
JM: GO FOR IT! I encourage all law students to jump straight into the in-house experience. The clerkships that are hosted by The Learned Crew presents the perfect opportunity to gain insight into the different sets of skills required by in-house legal practitioners that is entirely relevant to your future in the legal industry (whether it be in-house or private practice). Once you understand the priorities and considerations of organisations in general, you also gain valuable insight into what your clients expect you to deliver in your advice from a private practice perspective.
I would not be where I am in my legal career but for my clerkship experience at VMware, Australia.
TLC: What are you up to now?
JM: I am currently a Corporate and Commercial Law Clerk and amid completion of my final semester of Law and Public Communications at the University of Technology, Sydney. My experience at VMware has sparked an interest in all things cyber so I intend on specialising in cyber law, intellectual property, data and privacy (oh, and employment - can't forget that!).