Login
Life as a defence industry lawyer
With a number of exciting defence projects happening across the country, this lawyer said that for those looking to enter the space, flexibility and curiosity are of the utmost importance.
Lauren Croft
Travis Shueard is a senior associate based in Adelaide at Piper Alderman who specialises in defence and intellectual property. Speaking recently on the Lawyers Weekly Show, Mr Shueard revealed what life is currently like for defence industry lawyers, as well as what constitutes best practice moving forward.
“The Australian government is putting so many resources now into developing our Australian defence industry itself as sovereign capability. Adelaide's obviously one of the large hearts in Australia,” he said.
“We've got so many projects being developed down here, and there are absolutely opportunities here for lawyers who want to get some of that chunk of that market and develop their practice. So, absolutely. It's an exciting industry, an exciting space.”
In terms of why defence is such an exciting space to be in right now, Mr Shueard said there are a number of especially interesting projects across the country for defence lawyers to be aware of.
“There is so much energy being put into the projects in Australia, nationwide. I mean, we're talking about Hobart, we're talking about the Hunter frigates, we're talking about Loyal Wingman. These are the big projects people here across the country. There is so much money, so much energy, so much technology, so much brain power being put in these projects,” he added.
“And as a lawyer in the intellectual property space, being able to supplement my practice with that kind of work is so exciting. You're able to work at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, forefront of projects and assisting clients in that space.”
Because of this, lawyers in this space have to stay on top of the “day-to-day movement” of these projects, Mr Shueard noted.
“Obviously in the defence industry, it's one of the biggest things that are occurring — obviously, the geopolitical situation. We've had COVID, which disrupted projects and now they're getting them back online. All the industries have to develop alternative ways to push those forward,” he said.
“We're seeing the unstable economic conditions that as it is, we're seeing the rise of new treaties and partnerships with other countries like Aukus. Aukus is so big. Keeping across all that requires you to put some time into it, whether it be just reading the broadsheets every day, whether into more in-depth research and keeping across the development.”
For lawyers to be able to appreciate the sector and be able to add value to defence clients, Mr Shueard advised them not to try and “reinvent the wheel”, and to be flexible.
“If you've got a particular practice area that you believe you can add value to by assisting defence industry clients, then try and just keep in that lane, I suppose. So, for me, again, I'm in IP litigation, dispute resolution, intellectual property protection. I supplement my practice there by extending that practice area, those principles into the work. I don't try to learn an entirely different area which I've had no exposure in. I try to supplement my practice and which will provide the best value for that client,” he explained.
“I just think as a lawyer going into the future in the defence industry or any other forefront sector, you need to be flexible. You need to be willing to invest in your education and your knowledge. You need to be getting out there and meeting people and understanding what issues are at the front of the defence industry as well. That's how I believe you can be a competitive lawyer going forward in this industry.”
And moving forward as a defence industry lawyer, Mr Shueard said it will remain important to pick a lane, day-to-day.
“I find that the defence industry work that I do supplements our practice. We are not reinventing the wheel; we're supplementing what we already do. So, we extend the principles that we're in the work that we are already doing into the new work that we're doing for defence industry clients,” he said.
“Yes, there might be regulations or legislation maybe across, or there might be just practices that happen that you need to start learning. But ultimately, if you just focus on just doing what you do well already, you can't go wrong.”
The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Travis Shueard, click below:
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
