Jonathan Langan

5.45 AM

I usually wake up between 5.30 am and 6.00 am - mainly because I have a one hour commute ahead of me, but I am also trying to make a habit of morning meditation and gratitude practice… it's a work in progress.

6.15 AM

I check my emails to see if there is anything urgent that needs attending to.  I am working from home today due to the floods in Brisbane, which means I have some time this morning to exercise before work - so a quick game of tennis it is.

8.00 AM

Time to log on and plan my day: I spend 10 to 15 minutes each morning going through my emails and sorting my task list to set out what I would like to achieve.  I work in the Real Estate team so there is always a lot happening and it is important to keep track of key dates for matters - Outlook has some great tools for this.  Today I have two client meetings and an upcoming settlement which I need to prepare for.  I also have to review some leases as part of a shopping centre disposal, assist with negotiations to finalise consent deeds for a management buyout, and attend to emails for my other matters.  A busy day ahead.

8.30 AM

I try to start my day by actioning tasks which should take less time before getting started on more involved tasks.  For a particular matter, we are working with the liquidator of a company to record a disclaimer of lease on behalf of one of our landlord clients, in circumstances where the previous tenant had defaulted.  This action is required so we can register a new lease over the premises that our client wishes to enter into with a replacement tenant.  I review the documents we received from the liquidator overnight and confirm these are ready for registration with Titles Queensland.

9.30 AM

Client meeting time - we are assisting one of our clients to dispose of a capital asset (being a shopping centre). My role in this matter is to review the leases for the existing tenancies and report on key findings / red flags.  I am also responsible for managing the data room which bidders will use to access documents and submit questions as part of their due diligence.

This meeting is in relation to preparing the data room before it goes live. We are working with some tight deadlines so it is important that we are attentive to our client and get the data room up and running as soon as possible.

10.00 AM

Following the client meeting, I attend to another client's email that has come through. Our client is extending their existing lease and we are working with the landlord to finalise the disclosure statement which the landlord is required to provide.  It is important to ensure the disclosure statement is consistent with the lease in all aspects (e.g. rent, inclusions, etc.).  I note some changes that are required and will communicate this with the landlord.

10.30 AM

I allocate two hours to finalise my allocated lease reviews for the shopping centre disposal our team is working on.  The lease reviews are due at COB today so by blocking out this time in the morning, I leave enough time in the afternoon should anything urgent come up which requires my attention.  Thankfully I am able to finish the lease reviews in the two hours I allocated.

12.30 PM

Time for lunch - I try to make sure I take a lunch break each day if time permits.  I find that my productivity is much better in the afternoon if I give myself a 20 to 30 minute break.  Fresh air works wonders.

1.00 PM

The senior associate I am working with on the shopping centre disposal has asked me to review another lease to assist one of our other team members.  This one does not take as long as I am comfortable with what I am looking for at this stage, having already reviewed quite a few.

2.00 PM

We are assisting another one of our clients with a management buyout and are working closely with the Corporate / M&A team on this matter.  Our role in the Real Estate team is to negotiate a number of consent deeds with landlords to allow this transaction to proceed.

We have a meeting with this client at 4:00 PM to discuss a number of the consent deeds we are currently negotiating.  I use this time to review proposed amendments to the deeds from different landlords to report back on at the meeting.

3.00 PM

I have one hour before the next client meeting so I use this time to prepare for an upcoming property settlement.  This involves reviewing our property search results, preparing a draft settlement statement and also attending to a request from the other party to amend a special condition to the contract.

4.00 PM

Client meeting time - we discuss a number of items in relation to the consent deeds and how we are progressing ahead of the target completion date for the transaction.  I take notes throughout this meeting and add key action items to my task list.

4.30 PM

I continue with preparing for the upcoming property settlement.  There are a number of time-critical action items for property settlements (e.g. preparing and arranging the execution of transfer documents, satisfying any special conditions, stamping, preparing settlement statements… the list goes on).  This means it is important to be organised in advance.  With this settlement being less than two weeks away, we are on track.

6.30 PM

We receive confirmation from our client to proceed with preparing the data room for their planned shopping centre disposal.  I am working with another lawyer in Sydney on this, so we have a quick meeting to discuss our approach before we start.

7.00 PM

After the meeting, I give myself a short dinner break before preparing the data room.  This is quite an involved task where my colleague and I have a number of calls throughout the evening to get the job done.

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