Season 1: Episode 2: Alfie Battista
Commercial Litigator from Australia and Legal Extern at KPMG
Alfie Battista, a ommercial litigator from Australia and legal extern at KPMG
How did he secure his dream externship at the Big Four?
Alfie, a commercial litigator from Australia is currently a legal extern at KPMG. His journey to America began with a pair of broken “thongs”. How did he end up getting his dream externship at KPMG? What are the networking events that helped him connect with his current employer? How did he continue to network at his externship? How did playing soccer end up getting him invited to a weekly lunch meeting with the managing directors? What U.S. employers are looking for from new lawyers with international background?
Sign up to receive FREE insider tips from Alfie. Treat yourself to a little entertainment with Alfie’s “thong” story.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Melbourne. It is a little bit south in Australia. The temperatures are very similar to DC. We have four seasons in one day. But I also lived up north in Queensland. It is very tropical weather. I learned to surf and swim there.
Why did you choose to study law?
I grew up with my grandparents. My parents always worked and traveled a lot. So my grandparents came from Europe, and were unable to speak English very well. When they first arrived here in Australia in the 1950s, there was systematic racism, especially towards Europeans. So they did physical labor jobs and really struggled to put meat on the table. And what I wanted to do is to provide a voice for who couldn't really speak English very well, and be an advocate for them.
What languages do you speak?
So my mom is from Greece, and my dad is from Italy. So I can speak fluent Greek, but I can only speak a little bit of Italian.
What do you do as a lawyer in Australia?
I previously worked in a litigation firm with the commercial disputes and insolvency team. My first day as a lawyer was actually the first day of the Covid lockdown here in Australia. We learned how to work remotely.
I had an e-trial, which was really interesting. I think a lot of people have seen a lot of videos online, where you see judges wearing the robes from the top and then having their shorts down below.
We represented the hotel security guard company for the hotel quarantine program, or MSS Security. They were engaged by the Victorian Government to assist all the travelers from overseas. They would quarantine in the hotel for two weeks. And in that period, the security guard firms were engaged to look after the travelers, providing them with food and all these other requests. Unfortunately, it just so happened that some of the security guards got Covid because they interacted with the travelers. It wasn't known at that time that Covid was an airborne transmission. Everyone thought initially that it was only through touch. So long story short, here in Australia, a few people died.
The Covid spread right throughout the community, and there was a huge class action. About 1,500 families and estates engaged a plaintiff lawsuit firm to sue the security company, so we represented the first defendant. It was interesting looking at something that was so topical at that time.
How did you find your externship at KPMG?
I’m pursuing my tax LL.M. This semester, I'm externing with KPMG's State and Local Taxes team. I’d say that networking is critical, and it played a significant role in obtaining my position with KPMG. I have been networking with the Federal Bar Association, and I attended the ABA Tax Conference in Dallas where I met several people from KPMG. I created a spreadsheet to keep track of the contacts.
At the Federal Bar Association event, I met a representative who used to work at EY in the Philippines but now has a job at EY in Chicago. It's important to go in with the mindset of learning about the US education system and the American way of doing things, rather than focusing solely on getting a job. Although US law and statutes may differ from your home country, I learned from the conversation that the skills gained from law school and previous work experience are transferable.
I reached out to my connections I met at the networking events and asked them to email my current supervisor on my behalf, as an internal reference. Later, I found out that I had already secured the position even without a formal interview.
Two weeks prior to submitting my application, I attended a Simplicity event where employers showcased their firms. I was late and only was able to attend the last five minutes of the event. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because all the employers were there and there aren’t many students, so I was able to speak with them one-on-one.
In the LL.M. program, I have made many friends who support each other and attend networking events together. We have a group chat on WhatsApp, where we share information about events and coordinate attendance. We also have an Excel spreadsheet that lists all the events, both paid and free ones that we plan to attend. We have different fields of interest, so we are not competitive with each other, and we help each other out whenever possible. My friends at the LL.M. program have become our second family, as we are all foreigners from different countries. So if we can't rely upon each other, then who can we rely upon?
What was the interview process like? Do you have any advice on how to nail the interview?
To be honest, I think the most important thing in these interviews is your interpersonal skills and ability to have a conversation with the employer. They are not expecting you to have a vast knowledge of the technicality, as they will teach you that. The most critical factor to determine is whether you are a good cultural fit. Just being yourself, showing enthusiasm and hunger to be there is key.
What do you do at your externship?
At KPMG, I currently work at the State and Local Taxes team. The work I receive is predominantly research-based. It is really interesting because each of the 50 different states has its own tax system with individual nuances and exceptions. Keeping up with the legislation and public policy is fascinating. I review different forms of the 50 different states, updating them to determine if there have been any legislative changes from previous years to the current year.
How do you increase your chance of being hired permanently after your externship?
I continue to network. So I play soccer. I’m in a soccer league with other ex-college athletes. Through my soccer league, I met a guy who knew two managing directors in the corporate and advisory team at KPMG. He connected me with his two managing directors who took me out for coffee on my first day. I expressed my interest in learning about mergers and acquisitions, and they invited me to their weekly two-hour lunches where we discuss general information, public policy issues and KPMG's daily operations. They're taking me to watch a soccer game with DC United because KPMG has an affiliation with them. Use your alumni network. Many KPMG employees graduated from Georgetown, so we have a shared connection. Sport is significant in the American culture. It is a great way to build connections and bonds. You never know where opportunities may arise.
Why did you choose to come to the United States to study law?
In the last two years, I was in Covid lockdown. And last year, in particular, I found it very difficult to get any more additional work. Because we were always in an extreme lockdown. We couldn't actually leave from our houses. So we could only be outside for only half an hour every day. So the work slowly dried up. Now I have all my (four) brothers in the U.S., and they were always telling me just how it's business as usual in the U.S. I always had that intention of wanting to come to the US. But I think that the whole COVID period really allowed me to look at it more closely.
The way that I see the US is that it is the epicenter for everything. And if I want to create any social or cultural change, it needs to be from the US. Australia and the US have a very strong alliance and connection, I believe that Australia will follow suit thereafter.
When you first arrived in the United States, there must be slangs and usage of the words in Australian English that are different from American English. Do you have any interesting examples that exemplify these differences that you counter in your life?
The most interesting story that I had was that you guys call them flip flops. We call them “thongs” in Australia. I went to Macy's, on my first weekend at Georgetown, unfortunately, my “thongs” broke. I've politely asked the gentleman at the front, “Look, I've broken my ‘thongs,’ do you mind showing me where they were?” He looked at me a little bit curious and ask, “What size?” I said, “9 or 10.” He said, “We only have small, medium and large.” I thought I’m a big guy, “Large then.” He escorted me down into the section. Obviously, I've never been to Macy's before. It's a really big shopping center. We're walking down and he is taking me to the women's section. I'm looking around and it doesn't look right. He leaves me there. I'm a bit perplexed as to why I'm there. And I politely ask another person. I said: “Look, I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding. I’m looking for a pair of ‘thongs.’” She goes, “No. You're looking right at it.” I’m like: “No. This is underwear. You got to put ‘thongs’ on your feet.” And she goes: “No. You don't put ‘thongs’ on your feet.” Long story short, I showed them a photo of what it was. And they were like, “Oh, we call them flip flops.” So I think I provided them a bit of entertainment.
What would you like to get out of your legal education here?
My intention was to develop a different skill set and academic knowledge at a really high and prestigious institution like Georgetown. My ambition is to work in the US in a domestic firm or an international firm. That's my long term objective, I think that the opportunities in the US are far greater than what it is here in Australia.
If you can imagine an ideal professional life, what would that life look like?
It would be to work in a progressive law firm. I want to develop the understanding of what it is to work at a US legal professional institution. And I think what's unique about the US as well is that every state is very different. So I really want to embrace the different cultures and nuances of all the different states, whether it's in New York, in DC, and Miami. Having that cultural understanding and learning all about that really excites me.
Who is your role model in the law?
Another reason why I wanted to come to the US, I'm actually obsessed with US history. My role model is one of the founding fathers John Adams, he's also one of the reasons why I wanted to pursue the law. He really showed me the sense of justice, and what it is to show justice to everyone.
On the fifth of March in 1770, there was the Boston Massacre, and he represented the British soldiers. So even though that he was classified as an American, during that period, there was issues between whether someone's classified as a British as a loyalist, or whether they're classified as an American. What he did was true justice, where he represented the British soldiers to the best of his abilities, obviously, he got them off. He was the reason why I wanted to pursue the law. What he did for the U.S. creates what the U.S. is today.
