A sneak peak into the life of our "Firm Champion", David Clarke

As a Solicitor at Norton & Smailes, the type of work I would undertake on a typical day is varied ranging from providing tax advice in a variety of areas, working on tax litigation matters in the AAT and Federal Court, drafting trust deeds, superannuation fund deeds and amendments to these documents and estate planning and advice on estate administration matters.

I think my biggest highlight was getting my first favourable private ruling for a non-commercial loss matter. It was a great result for the client who was also delighted with our work.

My other highlight was working in a team on a large federal court litigation matter concerning the deductibility of exploration expenditure. Although it was daunting at times, as there was a mountain of evidence to work through and a wide variety of research tasks, it was fantastic experience to be a part of. In the end the client received a favourable settlement before going to trial.

I have been involved with The Tax Institute as the “Firm Champion” of Norton & Smailes, which involves keeping people at my firm up to date with the latest Tax Institute news and events. I’ve always found The Tax Institute to be a great source for tax research, with detailed seminar papers and publications on useful areas of tax. Our firm encourages everyone to join and get involved with the Institute’s events. I attended the Young Tax Professionals series in 2015, which I found really broadened my knowledge base, especially coming from a non-accounting background. 

One piece of advice that I would give to new entrants into the profession is that when you’re applying for a job, do your research on a firm and engage with their particular practice areas, culture and values and address these things in your cover letter.

Thinking about studying with The Tax Institute? Find out more today.