04:05 APAC
Sometimes it was nine at night, a partner needing a file she had already sent. Sometimes it was Sunday lunch, a quick question about coming in early Monday. Each time she told herself it was worth it, but lately the unease had started to creep in. Sitting in her lecture, half-listening and half- exhausted, she felt the vibration of her phone against her notebook. John – Office . A jolt of panic. Tamara’s throat tightened. It was her university day. She was not rostered on. Technically, she did not have to answer, but the fear of losing her footing, her connection to the future, pushed her up from her seat. She slipped out of the lecture hall, the lecturer’s eyes following her with thinly veiled irritation as she whispered into her phone, “Hi John, yes, of course. I can check that for you.”
But progress came at a cost. The calls came after hours, the texts on weekends, the emails during lectures.
realised that to survive and stand out, she would have to work harder than anyone. Her days filled quickly with filing, organising, and preparing legal documents, managing calendars, booking travel, replying to clients, and coordinating between the partners. Her diligence caught their attention, and soon, the partners trusted her with more. She began helping with trial preparations, drafting client bills, and even doing small pieces of legal research. Tamara was proud. Her family was proud. She was earning her way and carving her place in the legal world, one late night at a time. But progress came at a cost. The calls came after hours, the texts on weekends, the emails during lectures.
She believed that working in a law firm while studying would give her that one-nil advantage, like an underdog football team stealing the lead. She saw herself as the Crystal Palace of the legal world, overlooked by most, underestimated by many, but determined to make her mark. While her classmates were the children of solicitors, barristers, and judges, Tamara came from a hardworking middle-class family who were proud, practical, and quietly cheered her on to break the mould. It took almost a year of applications before she finally landed an interview and a job offer as a junior administrative assistant at a small legal consultancy with three partners, a receptionist, and two paralegals. From her first week, she
36 I 04:05
GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 17
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online