Q&A Lawyer Feature Article written by Lan Mai
I had the privilege to interview Helen Allard, a Director and Partner at Clearpoint Legal. As an expert in intellectual property, Helen predominantly practices in this area of law and finds it most interesting. An exciting year ahead for Helen as she reaches her final year of Master of Laws in Intellectual Property at Melbourne University.
Establishment of the firm
Clearpoint Legal (formerly Clearpoint Counsel) was established by Helen’s business partner, Joel, 10 years ago in Melbourne, where she also joined as the first employee of the firm. The firm subsequently structured their business operation to include different practice areas, whereupon Helen became the co-director and partner.
Helen’s commencement at Clearpoint Legal
Helen’s pathway towards her career in law is somewhat different to the traditional path of clerkship or traineeship.
Upon completion of law school, Helen completed her Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law and was fortunately introduced to Joel by one of his clients.
This opportunity led Helen to land her first legal job immediately out of law school with Clearpoint Legal.
Considering the competition present in large and mid-tier firm at the time, Helen was able to gain more hands on experience in a smaller firm with more autonomy.
The firm’s area of expertise
Clearpoint Legal predominantly works as the outsourced legal team for a variety of clients, with a special interest in the area of software development which includes assisting with software licensing agreements, trademark applications and copyright protection and helping clients with other commercial arrangements.
The firm also helps clients minimise their legal risks through reviewing their contractual relationships, including in their employment contracts and client’s software licenses.
Most challenging aspect that the firm is currently facing
Despite businesses becoming substantially more positive this year with the Covid situation, from the firm’s perspective, resourcing is the most challenging aspect considering the shortage of lawyers particularly at the mid to senior level.
Nevertheless, the firm has invested great effort and commitment into training less experienced lawyers so they can accelerate into that higher level role.
Most enjoyable part of Helen’s position
At present, the firm has put considerable effort into professional development for staff members. Helen enjoys the one-on-one sessions with staff members to determine their goals over the next 12 months and aligning them with the business goals.
These opportunities enable Helen to offer her support and implement plans to help staff develop professionally and watching them grow is particularly enjoyable.
With an interest in teaching and combining this with the analytical thinking of law, Helen enjoys the aspect of being able to teach, support and guide staff members.
Services that are mostly required of the firm
Most services provided by the firm involve commercial legal, employment and intellectual property advice, though the firm also conducts work in the corporate space such as investment transactions, such as preparing shareholder agreements, ensuring compliance with the Corporations Act, drafting resolutions, negotiating with investors and supporting clients through the whole process.
Contacting the firm
The easiest way to contact the firm is to use the ‘book a free consult’ icon on the firm’s website via https://clearpoint.legal.
Either Helen or the firm’s other partner, Joel, will essentially provide a complimentary chat to discuss the client’s requirements.
The discussion will enable the firm to understand each case in detail in order to offer the most valuable advice to clients.
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This Q&A Lawyer Feature post does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion on any matter discussed and, accordingly, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and practice in this area.
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