Like many Australians, I have a severe case of the travel bug. I caught the bug in 2008 when I went on exchange in The Netherlands and, as much as I have desperately tried to ignore it, it has never truly gone away. I was in a constant battle between rhyme and reason when I finished my law degree – should I continue travelling (yolo) or should I finish my degree, get my articles and become a lawyer? In 2010 reason conquered (yawn) and I committed to working in Melbourne. At the time, I was under the misconceived notion that these were my only two options – focus on building my career or become a full-time wanderer.
Fast forward to the end of 2016, when I met Rob Roy Rankin and learnt all about Rankin Business Lawyers. At first, after learning about Rankin’s flexible working arrangements and distributed agility, I was sceptical. Most law firms will say they are “unique” and “flexible” but often, it is all just smoke and mirrors. Terms like “work life balance” seem to be thrown around by a lot of law firms and most are not worthy of promoting this value. 14 months later, I am proud to say that Rankin lives and breathes its values and is everything that was promised and more. Not convinced? Well I am a lawyer so of course I have evidence! Here is a photo of me on a train from Munich to Rankweil. I am on my way to my friend Birgit’s wedding in Austria having already spent a week working and travelling in Amsterdam with a week to go after Austria in Munich where I will be working and experiencing something that I missed out in my younger travelling days – Oktoberfest! I have been able to customise my hours, so I can work and travel and not miss out on my friend’s wedding. Rankin have created a third option for me that I never thought I had – travel and work! #porquenolosdos
Rachel Derrico, Senior Associate
