It was the calibre of the people within the legal industry - both lawyer and non-lawyer - that really impressed Middletons' media and communications manager, Jeremy Hyman, and lured him into the legal world - away from his previous life in government relations.

THE COMMUNICATOR: Jeremy Hyman, media and communications manager, Middletons

"It was a call I got one day from someone I knew and it sounded interesting," says Hyman, who completed a Masters in Communications. "One to never close a door, I agreed that I'd at least have a coffee. What I then found out about the nature of the legal industry, the opportunities, the kinds of people that are partners within law firms and other lawyers - it just seemed very intellectually stimulating."

According to Hyman, life as a non-lawyer was mostly what he had expected. But, he adds, what it's like to work with lawyers can only be understood once one has leapt into their very unique world. "The eccentricities, the peculiarities, the dynamics of the law firm - one can only truly appreciate, I feel, once you're inside and doing the job," he says.

It's these dynamics of the legal community that Hyman loves most about his job, having developed close working relationships with the lawyers of Middletons as well as other lawyers and non-lawyers across the industry. And refreshingly, his genuine love for his job and passion for the industry is hard to miss.

"There's a real camaraderie," Hyman says of his relationship with other communications managers in the industry. "It's surprising to me - and I say surprising because I would have never thought it prior to entering the law - but I'm very passionate about the legal industry and that's because of the professional community to which I feel a part of ... It's not a job that I clock-on and clock-off. I'm deeply passionate about it."

Having such enthusiasm for the job is made easy, according to Hyman, by the people he works with, including Middletons managing partner Nick Nichola.

"What makes me tick is the relationships I have within the firm. That very much speaks to my personality and makeup but I really get a kick out of working with really great people that are intellectually stimulated and are good at what they do," he says. "The management of the firm has a very close alignment with the senior management, and I have direct access and a working relationship with a managing partner who I think the world of."