CAREERS GUIDE 2021 2021 CAREERS GUIDE
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY
Sparke your career with us… Deciding on the firm that’s right for you is a big decision. Is the culture right for me? Will I receive quality work? Will there be people genuinely interested in my growth who can point me in the right direction? Does the firm embrace technology and take innovation seriously?
Why choose Sparke Helmore?
What do we look for in our lawyers?
Sparke Helmore offers its lawyers a challenging and rewarding environment.
Our people are key to our success. We are always on the look-out for lawyers with potential to progress, who fit with our culture and align with our values, and who demonstrate, among other things, intelligence, interpersonal skills, commitment, energy and commerciality.
Working at Sparke Helmore provides all employees with a unique range of opportunities to expand their knowledge, with access to: • Market-leading expertise—we are a full service national law firm. This means you will have the opportunity to gain experience in each of our Insurance, Government, Workplace and Corporate & Commercial practice groups. • Real legal work—from your first day, you will have the opportunity to get involved in legal work that contributes to the firm and its clients.
Sparke Helmore lawyers are: • all-rounders, who are engaged in extra-curricular pursuits as well as their studies • team players • clear and concise writers, and • confident and articulate communicators.
• Training and development—a combination of formal and on-the-job training that covers technical and soft skills. • Mentoring and networking—we have a proud reputation for mentoring and facilitating relationship building across the firm in a way that fosters personal and career development, networking and the sharing of knowledge, experience and learning. • Opportunities to give back—through our Pro Bono and Community Programs.
www.sparke.com.au/join-us/graduate-program/ adelaide | brisbane | canberra | darwin | melbourne | newcastle | perth | sydney | upper hunter
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CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE
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WORKING IN THE COURTS Associateships
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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
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FIRM MATERIAL
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PRACTICE GROUPS
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VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS
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PRE-PENULTIMATE OPPORTUNITIES
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CLERKSHIP TRACKER
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APPLICATIONS 101 Writing a captivating cover letter Creating an eye-catching cv Application tips Interview questions Reflecting on the process Extra curriculars
8 9 NON-LEGAL SECTOR 11 13 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 15 17 19
PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINING
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PRIVATE LAW Allens HWL Ebsworth Herbert Smith Freehills
29 30 31 32
PUBLIC LAW Aldermane Attorney General’s Department Department of Home Affairs Employment diversity
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COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES Legal Aid ACT
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CRIMINAL AND FAMILY LAW Dr Faith Gordon
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LEGAL ACADEMIA International Law Public Law
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Pu blica t i o n de s i g n b y Ada m C a s s
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EDITOR’S NOTE Dea r AN U L aw S tud en ts, O n b e h a l f o f th e A u stral i a n N ati onal Uni v e r s i t y L aw S tu d en t’ s S o c i ety, I wou l d l i k e to w el co me yo u to the 2 0 2 1 e d i t i o n of the LS S C a reer s Guide, p r oud l y sp on so red by Sp a r k l e H e l more L a w yers. I w i s h t o e x t en d my d ee p est tha nks t o t h e c o n ti n u e d sup p o rt of all o u r s p o n s o r s, w i tho u t w h o m, the pu b l i c a t i o n of thi s g ui d e w ould n o t b e p o ssi b l e. Y ou r co n ti nued s u p p o r t e n ab l e s the p rovi si o n of v a l u a b l e s t u d en t reso u rce s a s they n a v i g a t e t h ese cri ti ca l l aw sc hool years. I a l s o w i s h to e xte n d tha n ks this y e a r ’ s c o n t r ib uto rs, a l l of w h o m ar e bu s y i n d i v i d ua l s ta ki ng th e ti me to a s s i s t a n d i n sp i re A N U L a w S c hool s t u d e n t s . Y ou r sup p o rt al l o w s for a c o m p r e he n si ve an d ta n g ible u n d e r s t a n d i ng o f w h a t l i fe ma y l ook lik e p o s t - l a w sc h o o l . T h e p a s t c o u p l e o f C OV ID -affe c ted years h a ve th row n e n d l ess c h a l l e n g e s at La w S tu d en ts a n d the le g a l s e c t o r a l i ke . Wh i l st u n i vers ity exchange and se c o n d ment opportunities se e m a d i stant m e m o r y , i n n o va ti on an d a d ap tation c o n t i n u e . F or th i s re a so n , th e 2 021 gu i d e h a s e mp h a si sed the va l ue of s e e k i n g o n l i n e o p p o rtun i ti e s and in te r n s h i p s . C ri ti c a l l y, th i s yea r we have included a section on Propsle’s L a w S u p e r f ai r a n d Fo rag e’ s V i rtual I n t e r n s h i p op p o rtun i ti e s.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or the Australian National University Law Student’s Society. Best efforts have been made to ensure all information in the publication is correct as at February 2021 but this is subject to change without notice. This information is merely advisory and should not be r elied upon as being professional advice. This publication is distributed free of charge with the understanding that the authors, editors and any persons related to this publication are not responsible for the results of their actions or omissions on the basis of any information provided in this publication.
I ho p e t h a t thi s g u i d e c a n p ro vide a s s i s t a n c e as th o se to u g h c a r eer de c i s i o n s l o o m. P l ea se refe r to t h e u s e f u l l i n k sec ti on s throu g hout t h e g u i d e f or fu rthe r i nfo rma tion. F u r t h e r , i f yo u ha ve an y q u e sti ons re g a r d i n g thi s g u i d e o r LSS Car e e r s m ore g en e ral l y, p l e ase do n ’ t h e s i t ate to rea c h o u t via lss c a r e e r s @ a n u .e d u.a u 4
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
SASHA DANIEL Vice Pr esident - Car eer s CAREERS DIRECTOR S Alana Stone, Adel ai d e Hayes, Khushi Si ng h
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME W e l c o m e t o th e L S S ’ C aree rs Guide f o r 2 0 2 1 , prou d l y sp o n so red by Sp a r k e H e l mo re L a w yers! F ir s t a n d f o re most, I w ou l d l i ke to t h a n k t h e L SS ’ C a ree rs P ortfol i o for all of their hard work in compiling this G u i d e . I a m su re tha t you w i l l fi nd it a v a l u a b l e an d e n g ag i n g reso u r ce, a n d t h a t i s d u e l a rg e l y to the tim e a n d e f f o r t whi ch the C a ree rs team pu t i n t o c r a fti ng th e p u b l i ca tion. F u r t h e r t h a nks g o to A d am C ass, o u r I T & P u b l i c a ti on s D i rec to r, for h is i m m e n s e co n tri b uti on i n g e tting t h i s G u i d e to l oo k a s g oo d as it do e s . F i n a l ly, I w o u l d l i ke to p ass o n o u r t h a nks to a l l o f th e va l ued s p o n s o r s o f th e A N U L S S , w i thout who s e s u p port w e w ou l d n o t be a b l e t o p r ovi d e th e vari e ty and qu a l i t y o f r eso u rce s th a t w e d o. T h e L S S h as co mp i l e d the 2 021 Car e e r s G u i d e i n the ho p es that it w i l l e x p o se yo u to a va ri e ty of c a r e e r s o p ti o n s, an d e n a b l e y ou t o t h i n k a bo u t w h e re you might lik e y o u r l a w d eg re e to take y ou. I s i n c e r e l y h o p e th a t yo u fi nd this G u i d e a v a l ua b l e reso u rce a s you be g i n t o t u r n yo u r atte n ti on to life a f t e r u n i v e r s i ty- w e ha ve d o n e our be s t t o i n c l u de l a w yers a n d stu d ents f ro m a r a n g e o f d i sc i p l i n e s and ba c k g r o u n d s, so ho p efu l l y ther e is s o m e t h i n g i n h e re th a t stri kes a chord with you!
Beyond r eading this Guide, y ou can gain a clear er pictur e of w her e your legal inter ests lie by attend i ng the other wonder ful Car eer s ev ents put on by the LSS thr oughou t the year . These include our flag s hi p Cler kship infor m ation eveni ng , our Car eer s Skills wor kshops, and our Social Justice Car eer s panel . I r eally do encour age you to g et involved in these events, and to use them as an oppor tunity to m eet with differ ent em ployer s and people so that you can get an i d ea of what car eer s m ight fit you b es t! We also r un fir m visits thr oug hout the year , which pr e- penulti m ate and penultim ate- year students can use as an oppor tunity to exper i ence life at differ ent fir m s fir sthand. I hope that the Car eer s G ui d e pr ovides you with new ins i g hts into differ ent legal pathways, and per haps even opens your ey es to ar eas of law that you had n’ t consider ed pur suing befor e. Whichever path you end up tak i ng , I wish you all the ver y best w i th your legal ventur es both at AN U and beyond.
EM M A CAM PBELL Pr esident
I t i s w o r t h n o ti ng tha t a l aw d e gr ee f ro m the A u stral i a n N ati onal Uni v e r s i t y i s i n c red i b l y va l ua ble, a n d l e a v e s you w i th c o u n tl ess pro f e s s i o n a l op ti o n s afte r you gra d u a t e . W hi l e no g ui d e c ould a t t e m p t t o d o j u sti ce to the m all, we d o b e l i e v e tha t thi s p ub l i ca tion is a r e a l l y u s e fu l sta rti n g p oi nt, and we h o p e t h at yo u fi nd the sa me!
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PRACTICE GROUPS F ro m a h u m b l e l aw d e g re e th er e a ri s e s a d i v e rse ra n g e of ca r eer pa t h w a y s , both d i rec tl y w i thi n the le g a l s e c t o r a n d oth e rw i se. A m e r e s n i pp et of the se sec tor s in c l u d e : • • • • • • • • •
C o m m e r ci al La w C o n s u m er an d co mp e ti ti o n l aw Criminal law E n v i r o n m en ta l l a w Family law H u m a n Ri g h ts l aw I n t e l l e c t u a l p rop erty l a w International law L i t i g a t i o n an d D i sp ute R eso l ution ( L D R) • P u b l i c a nd a d mi n l aw • Wi l l s a n d E sta te s J u s t t o n a m e a fe w ! T h i s g u i d e i n te n d s to p ro vi d e a s n a p s h o t f r om some o f th e se c or e a re a s , t o b est assi st stu d en ts in re c o g n i s i n g p ote n ti al i n te rests and f u t u r e p a t h w a ys.
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
PRE PENULTIMATE OPPORTUNITIES St r e s s i n e v i ta b l y ari se s for pr epe n u l t i m a t e stud en ts i n th e se a r ch f o r e x p e r i e n c e a n d g e n e ral re sum e bu i l d i n g . T h a n k f u l l y , th e re i s w o rk ou t th er e! Sk i l l s a n d exp eri e n c e ca n be de v e l o p e d in th e se e a rl i er year s t o b e t t e r p r ep a re stu d en ts fo r l ater pe n u l t i m a t e op p o rtun i ti e s.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT T h e p o s i t i o ns a n d a ve n u e s l i s ted be l o w a r e i nc l usi ve o f a l l stu d ents, be p e r s i s t e nt a n d atte n ti ve to o pen po s i t i o n s a v a i l a b l e , su c h a s: • P a r a l e g a l w ork (L o o k to ‘ LAW S t u d e n t s @ A N U ’ , ‘ Jo b s & I n t e r n s h i ps’ on F a c e b ook a n d o t h er suc h si tes w her e r o l e s a r e p u b l i ci sed o n l i ne) • Clerking at a Barrister’s chambers • V o l u n t e e r o r w o rk exp eri e nce f o r a C ommu n i ty C e n tre (think LegalAid A C T, Women’s Legal C e n tre, A b o ri g inal L e g a l S ervi c e s – C an b erra) . Pre - p e n u l t i ma te yea rs a re the tim e t o s l o w l y c u rate yo u r C V . T h e a b i l i t y to d emon strate a wellro u n d e d c h a rac te r, re fl ec ting a b a l a n c e o f hi g h ac a d em ic s t a n d a r d s , d i sti n c t i n te rests and e x p e r i e n c e s i s of g rea t assi stance in the l ater-ye a r a p p l i c a tion pro c e s s e s . F u r t h e r t i p s a n d tri c ks for resu m ebu i l d i n g a r e d i sc u sse d i n the Ap p l i c a t i o n s 10 1 sec ti on of this gu i d e .
LINKS: https://www.legalaidact.org.au/aboutu s / wo rk in g -a t -le g a l-a id https://womenslegalact.org/getin v o lv e d / https://www.alsnswact.org.au/ v o lu n t e e r
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APPLICATIONS 101 Ap p l i c a t i o n s, w he th e r for c le r k s h i p s , i n te rnsh i p s or vo l un teer o p p o r t u n i t i e s, w h i l st exc i ti ng, re m a i n s a c h a l l e n g i n g p roc ess. T h e f o l l o w ing sec ti on se e ks to bre a k d o w n thi s p ro c e ss, cl ari fying wha t f i r m s exp ec t, a l on g si d e the ge n e r a l t i m el i ne o f the a p p l i c a tion pro c e s s ( a s w e l l as a few ti p s and t ri c k s f r o m su c c e ssfu l c a n d i d ates.) W h e n a p p l y i ng fo r a n y ro l e i t is im p o r t a n t t o p l a n a h e a d to p ro vide f o r a d e q u a te ti me a n d p l an n ing. T h i s i n c l u d e s taki ng no te o f ke y due da t e s , i n t e r vi ew ti mes an d o ffer s be i n g r e l e a s e d . Th i s i s p a rti c u l ar ly im p o r t a n t f o r cl erkshi p o r g rad uate a p p l i c a t i o n s w h e re a nu mb e r of t h e s e r o l e s cl ose a t th e sa me ti me. Yo u r a p p l i c ati on s w i l l l i ke l y i nc l ude: • A c o v e r l ette r • A r e s u m e; an d • A S t a t e m en t o f C l a i ms – th i s is a s e p a r a te d o c u men t, si mi l ar to s e l e c t i o n cri te ri a re q ui ri ng the a p p l i c a n t to ou tl i n e ho w yo u meet t h e r o l e ’s req ui re men ts. The p r e c i s e s ki l l s or q u a l i fi ca ti ons w i l l l i k e l y b e sta te d ou tri ght. I f a s t ate men t of cl ai ms is r e q u e s t e d , yo u mu st d o so in o r d e r t o p roc e e d to the i nte rv iew o r s u b s e q u e n t rou n d .
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
WRITING A CAPTIVATING & CONCISE COVER LETTER A s t r o n g a n d en g ag i n g cover le tt e r i s c r i ti c a l i n a n y p ro fe ssion, h o w e v e r , t h e sc a l e o f c o mp e ti tion a c r o s s t h e l e g al sec to r creates e x t r a i n c e n t i ve to p rod uc e a strong cover letter.
STANDING OUT THROUGH YOUR COVER LETTER A c o v e r l e t ti ng ac ts a s yo u r ‘ get t o k n o w m e ’ o n p a p er. It i s the pri m a r y w a y rec rui ters w i l l g a i n an in i t i a l i m p r e s si o n of w h o you are as a c a n d i d a t e. E mp l o ye rs w i l l read t h r o u g h a sw arm o f a p p l i c a ti ons; it i s t h e r e fo re i mp ortan t to let y o u r p e r s o na l i ty shi ne throu gh. Dr a w a t t e n ti o n to you r si g ni fi cant a c h i e v e m e n ts th a t ma y be o v e r l o o k e d on yo u r re su me. Be s u r e t o c l e arl y co n n e c t the dots be t w e e n y o u r e xi sti n g e xp eri e nce a n d h o w t hi s w ou l d a i d i n your po s i t i o n .
STRUCTURE Ther e ar e any num ber of way s a CV m ay be str uctur ed, this for m at pr ovides m er ely one exam ple. • Par agr aph 1: The Intr oductio n • Par agr aph 2: The Or ganisati on Itself • Par agr aph 3: How you m eet the selection cr iter ia/or ganisational expectations. • Par agr aph 4: How your per s onal values aign with that of the or ganisation. • Par agr aph 5: Conclusion and gener al thanks ( you look for w ar d to hear ing fr om them ! )
FURTHER TIPS TO CONSIDER 1. Plan your CV well in advance 2. Take the tim e to r eflect on y our adm ir able per sonal qualiti es , exper ience and academ i c achievem ents 3. Tailor your letter to each or ganisation – don’t r ely o n a cut and paste appr oach! 4. Be incr edibly car eful w i th spelling, gr am m ar and punctuation – er r or s her e m ay m ake or br eak the pr ogr es s i on of your application
M a n y j o b a d ve rti se men ts w i l l now pro v i d e a sel ec ti on cri te ri o n that t h e y t o b e a d d resse d w i thi n your c o v e r l e t t e r – d o n ’ t g l aze o ve r these po i n t s p r o v i d e d . T h e y are of c lear v a l u e t o y ou r p o te n ti al emp l oyer a n d f u r t h e r , yo u w a n t to re flect y o u r d u e d i li g e n c e a s a c a n d i d ate. T h e b e s t w a y to en su re you have e f f e c t i v e l y co ve red th e se l ec tion c ri t e r i a i s t o c h e c k o ff th e i tems as y o u w r i t e . Whi l st ofte n a ted i ous a n d t i m e - c o n su mi n g p ro c e ss, tim e a n d c a r e s pen t o n yo u r C V i s what wil l s e t y o u ap art.
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EXAMPLE COVER LETTER Frank Ashbury 27 Appleby Rd Chapman ACT 2611 0412 345 678 l.com Frank.ashbury@gmai
Mr James Smith, t Manager Graduate Recruitmen ABC Bank 210 Bourke St Sydney NSW 2001 16 April 2020 Dear Mr Smith,
week, I s fair in Canberra last er re ca k or W to y ar Bank. My n Williams at the Terti king stream with ABC ba t en m After speaking to Jaso st ve in e th in ter my aduate position years, particularly af l ra ve se st la e wish to apply for a gr th er ov t banking has grown interest in investmen est last year. nv el W nce at the rie pe ex ip sh rn te in summer lian National s degree at the Austra w La . /B ce er m m Co member of the final year of a B. I have been an active I am currently in my e. ag er av n io ct in st te of I hold a di ancial Services Institu Fin e th University (ANU) and d an U AN at Society (FINSOC) Finance and Banking r the past two years. Australasia (FINSIA) fo of East-Asia’s into the deregulation y sa es y m h ug ro th skills as a alytical skills rong communication st y m ed nc I developed strong an ha en ve time assistant e past five years. I ha work skills in my partam te financial sector in th y m d an m eu us sition as a e National M er developed in my po rth fu en be volunteer guide at th ve ha ills and as a rugby y organisational sk I enjoy playing rugby s. er role at David Jones. M rtn Pa & ith Sm mmercial firm nning local paralegal with the co m-solving ability in ru le ob pr y m d an ive at ed initi coach under 14s, I us competitions. al to both my st-Asian markets appe Ea to in n io ns pa ex tlook and recent Bank’s growth in ABC Bank’s global ou contributing to ABC y jo en ld ou w I s. nd come the backgrou ctor. I would also wel se tic es legal and commerce m do e th as l m within ABC overseas, as wel the mentoring progra deregulated markets in f af st ed nc rie pe ex from the opportunity to learn ram. Bank’s graduate prog uss my e opportunity to disc th to d ar rw fo ok lo I e in this matter. 345 678. Thank you for your tim be contacted on 0412 n ca d an u yo ith w application further Yours sincerely, Frank Ashbury l.com Frank.ashbury@gmai
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
CREATING AN EYE-CATCHING CV Yo u r r e s u m e p rovi d e s a summar y o f y o u r e duc a ti on , e mp l oym ent h is t o r y , s k i l l s, p rofe ssi on a l and v o l u n t e e r e x p eri e n c e . It i s a c h a nce t o m a r k e t yo u rsel f, h i g h l i g hting re l e v a n t s u i tab i l i ty an d e xp eri e nce t o y o u r d esi re d ro l e. A wellc o n s t r u c t e d C V w i l l take tim e a n d e f f o r t , h o w eve r, as th e fir st im p r e s s i o n provi d e d to emp l oyer s, it i s a n e c e s sa ry task.
CAREER OBJECTIVE T h i s i s a b r i ef p arag ra p h i n te n ded t o i n f o r m pote n ti al e mp l oye rs of y o u r i n t e n d e d c a ree r traj ec to ry and a s p i r a t i o n s . T h i s sho u l d b e a fair ly s h o r t p a r a g rap h, as suc h , b e s ur e t o u s e s h o r t sen te n c e s, b e sp e cific a n d t o t h e p oi nt.
EDUCATION & ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS Ed u c a t i o n sho u l d b e p re se n ted in r e v e r s e ch ron o l og i c a l o rder , in d i c a t i n g t he na me of the co u r se, in s t i t u t i o n an d e xp ec te d ye a r of gra d u a t i o n . It i s c o mmo n p rac tice f o r u n d e r g ra d ua te stu d en ts to lis t t h e i r p l a c e of sec o n dar y s t u d y – e s pe c i al l y i f you ha ve an im p r e s s i v e A T A R /e n tran c e mar k wor t h i n c l u d i ng . Als o b e s ure to i n c l ud e any a c a d e m i c a c h i eve men ts, ho n o ur s, a w a r d s o r sc h o l arshi p s th a t you h a v e r e c e i v ed w hi l st stu d yi n g . You m a y a l s o c h o o se to i nc l ud e your c u r r e n t G P A – th i s ca n b e fo und o n l i n e a t I S IS .
INTERESTS Discussing your inter ests enab l es you to pr esent your self as a w el l r ounded, inter esting candidate. It fur ther dem onstr ates your abilit y to effectively tim e m anage and r efl ect a wor k/life balance. Your inter ests m ay often b e r aised as talking points dur ing the inter view pr ocess, so m ake s ur e they ar e genuine!
WORK EXPERIENCE This section explains y our em ploym ent histor y, with y our achievem ents and skills gained fr om each r ole. List your j ob title, star t/finish date, duties and r esponsibilities alongside the nam e of your em ployer . Ensur e that you expr essly highli g ht what m ade you a str ong em plo y ee and be sur e to use str ong acti on wor ds to char acter ise y our achievem ents. Sim ilar to y our education, list wor k exper ienc e i n r ever se chr onological or der .
REFEREES Refer ees ar e gener ally listed at the bottom of your CV. Gener ally, it w i l l be two or thr ee individuals that can speak well of your char acter , s k i l l s or wor k ethic. Ensur e you includ e their full nam e, position, com p any nam e and contact num ber – y ou m ay also choose to pr ovide an em ail addr ess. If you ar e going to incl ud e som eone as a r efer ee, ensur e y ou have their per m ission, and further pr ovide them with som e contex t for discussion – skills you m ay want highlighted, other qualificati ons that m ay be r elevant to the posi ti on etc.
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EXAMPLE CV Frank Ashbury ACT 2611 27 Appleby Rd Chapman 8 0412 345 67 Frank.ashbury@gmail.com strong problemment banking by using my est OBJECTIVE inv in r ee car my rt leading multinational seeking to sta graduate position with a a Driven and Energetic. I am in lls ski ip rsh de lea developing my solving skills and further position you’re applying career goals and how to ure investment bank. fut ur yo tes sta e tiv tion, your objec Tailored to the organisa for fits in. EDUCATION tion 2024 rsity, Distinction Average 2020 – expected comple Australian National Unive e, erc mm Co of lor che Bachelor of Laws/ Ba rdam e to University of Amste 2021 Semester Exchang .2 98 : e, ACT, ATAR 2019 Narrabundah Colleg onological order ievements in reverse chr ach d an ) e(s gre de ur yo t Lis SKILLS SUMMARY teer with Oxfam role as Community Volun my Communication gh ou thr lls ski on ati my language to l communic s and schoolings, tailoring up • Developed strong ora gro y nit mu com at rk fam’s wo Australia, presenting Ox work as a s nce different audie g legal documents in my ftin dra by lls ski on ati nic itten commu • Further developed wr d Partners an ith Sm paralegal with texts. Choose your ] low be veloped in a variety of con de lls, [Continue skills summary ski nt eva rel of er e a brief overview: highlight a numb mary is meant to provid sum e Th Use the skills summary to e. rol c cifi spe d to the organised an best examples, tailored evant. tain skills if they’re not rel cer you might not mention NCE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIE March 2020 - Present , ACT ers, commercial law firm Paralegal, Smith & Partn ents • Drafting legal docum luding interviewing clients • Trial preparation; inc E ADDITIONAL EXPERIENC t sen Pre – 20 ) – ANU Branch March 20 and priorities Banking Society (FINSOC & ce an Fin er, mb me ng on terms of reference e aki -m ion Committe cis de d an s ng r committee meeti • Contribute to regula and FINSOC events low] [Continue experience be E VOLUNTEER EXPERIENC t sen 2020 – Pre rning Community r, Global Challenges Lea do ssa ba Am ity un mm Learning Co OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS te Merit Award Economics Undergradua & ess sin Bu of e lleg Co 2020 ANU SHIPS PROFESSIONAL MEMBER titute of Australia (FINSIA) er, Financial Services Ins mb me nt de Stu – t sen 2020 – Pre REFEREES Sam Smith, Partner Supervisor
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society 12 Australian National University Law Students’ Society
Analyst Tracey Johnson, Finance Supervisor
APPLICATION TIPS 1 3 t i p s t o a c e yo u r C V , ap p l i c a tion a n d i n t e r v i ew b y P e n e l op e Han, Aly s s a E l l w o o d , S am C ass, A nnika Rey n o l d s , C ha rl o tte Mi c h a l owski a n d T i g e r L in (20 2 0 H S F C l e rks).
CV & APPLICATION TIPS Ti p 1 : M a ke sure you p u t the s k i l l s , e x p e ri e n c e s an d i nte rests y o u a c t u a l l y w a n t to tal k a bout in y o u r C V ! Y o u r C V i s o n e o f the v e r y f e w p i ece s o f i n fo rma ti on y our in te r v i e w e r w i l l ha ve ab ou t y ou, a n d t h e y w i l l p rob ab l y use i t to tr y t o b r e a k t h e i c e an d g et to know you better. Ti p 2 : K n o w th e fi rm! Make sur e y o u h a v e d on e some sol i d rese a r ch in to t h e f i r m yo u are ap p l y ing t o – m a t t e r s th e y h a ve a c te d on, a re a s t h e y s p ec i al i se i n, p arti c ular pa r t n e r s / l a w yers you a re i nte rested t o t a l k t o . O f ten , you ’ l l b e aske d ‘ why c o m m e r c i a l l aw ’ or ‘ w h y [fi rm]’ , so y o u d e f i n i t e l y w a n t a g o o d a n swer pre p a r e d f o r tha t. Ti p 3 : C r eate a n a rra ti ve for y o u r a p p l i c a ti on tha t ul ti mately s h o w s w h y yo u w an t to w ork at t h a t p a r t i c u l ar fi rm. F o r exa mple, if you’re p assi on a te a bout e n v i r o n m e n t a n d p l a n n i ng l a w , talk a b o u t h o w you ’ ve l o ve d yo u r e n vir o la w c o u r s e s, vo l un te e red a t the En v i r o n m e n tal D e fe n d ers O ffice, a n d h o w y o u a re rea l l y ke e n to get in v o l v e d w i t h the en vi ro n men t team a t t h e f i r m . Or, i f yo u h a ve n ’ t ha d as m u c h e x p e r i e n c e i n th e l aw i tself, t a l k a b o u t y our j o u rne y to d ate and why y o u a r e i n te reste d i n g i v ing c o m m e r c i a l l aw a g o!
Tip 4: Be clear and concise. Y our CV should be laid out in such a w ay that it is easy and intuitive to r ead . The HR team goes thr ough hund r ed s ( if not thousands) of applicati ons , and you want to m ake sur e that your achievem ents ar e nice and clear so that they can absor b them even when blear y- eyed. Tip 5: Pr epar e ear ly. The cler k s hi p pr ocess can be a gr uelling few m onths, especially if you app l y to quite a few fir m s, so star t pr ep ar i ng your CV and application ques ti ons ear ly to give your self plenty of ti m e to r efine and per fect ever ything .
INTERVIEW TIPS Tip 6: Be authentic. Often the inter viewing par tner s/lawyer s w i l l have done m any inter views ov er the year s, and can spot a fak e fr om a m ile away. You should feel com for table talking about y our inter ests and showing your tr ue per sonality – and if they don’ t l i k e it, you pr obably wouldn’t have l i k ed wor king at that fir m anyways! Tip 7: M ake sur e you know you r C V and application r eally well b efor e the inter view. Ther e is nothing m or e awkwar d than an inter viewer as k i ng you about a m inor point on your C V and you com pletely for getting y ou br iefly played Quidditch in hi g h school… Tip 8: M ake sur e you do pr acti ce inter views befor e the r eal thi ng ! You can do pr actice inter views b y r ecor ding your self on your lap top , pr actising in fr ont of the m ir ror or pr actising in fr ont of your fr iend s . Even though this m ay feel awk w ar d or uncom for table, it is r eal l y helpful to push your self out of y our com for t zone and pr actice in t hes e contexts befor e the r eal thi ng . When you’r e doing these pr act i ces , r em em ber to think about how y our var ious wor k, volunteer and other exper iences dem onstr ate r elev ant skills and attr ibutes that law fi r m s ar e looking for . For exam ple, y ou Careers Guide 2021
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s h o u l d n ’ t w orry i f yo u l a c k l e g al wor k e x p e r i e n c e b ut yo u sh o u l d think a b o u t h o w you r o th e r e xp eri e n ces de m o n s t r a t e re l eva n t a ttri b utes lik e t e a m w ork an d c o mmu n i ca tion skills. Ti p 9 : D i f f eren t i n te rvi e w ers (and f ir m s ) h a v e d i fferen t i nte rv iew s t y l e s . S o m e w i l l b e extremel y fluid a n d c o n v e r s a ti on a l , an d oth e rs will f o l l o w m o r e o f a scri p t. If the re i s an HR r e p r e s e ntati ve i n th e i nte rvi ew, it ’s l i k e l y t h a t i t w i l l b e a l i ttl e m or e s t r u c t u r e d - so p re p are fo r the m o r e s t a n d a rd i n te rvi e w q ue sti ons. O t h e r w i s e , th e most i mp ortant t h i n g i s t o fo l l o w the l ea d of your in te r v i e w e r .
and inter view pr ocess is a chance for you to figur e out which fir m y ou will ultim ately choose. The pr o ces s can be long and exhausting b ut at the end of it all, you will hav e to m ake a decision about w hi ch offer you accept, so take e v er y oppor tunity you can to figur e out which fir m is the best fit for you. Inter views ar e a gr eat way to d o this, par ticular ly when you can as k your inter viewer s questions, s o tr y to com e up with questions that y ou genuinely want to know the ans w er s to.
Ti p 1 0 : D o n’ t b e afrai d to b e a bit c a s u a l . As m uc h a s i nte rvi e w ers ar e lo o k i n g t o g a u g e yo u r i n te l l i g e nce a n d m o t i v a ti on , th e y a l so want t o k n o w y ou a re so meo n e they a n d t h e i r c o l l e a g ue s w ou l d e njoy wor k i n g w i th. C rac k some j o kes (C a n b e r r a i s an e a sy w ay i n ) and t ry t o d e v e l o p a ra p p o rt. A sking pe r s o n a l i s e d , i n te resti ng q u e sti ons c a n b e o n e w a y to d o th i s. Ti p 11 : D o n’ t b e a frai d to a sk your in te r v i e w e r o r H R rep re se n ta tive t o p u t y o u i n to u c h w i th o ther pe o p l e i n t he fi rm tha t d o w ork y ou a re i n t e r e s ted i n! N ot on l y d oes it s h o w y o u are i nte reste d i n the wor k t h e f i r m d oe s, b ut i t al l ows y o u t o l e a r n mo re ab ou t area s y ou a re p a s s i o n a te a b ou t, a n d to for m c o n n e c t i o n s w i th p e o p l e w o rki n g in those areas. Ti p 1 2 : I t i s g oo d to a sk fo l l owu p q u e s t i on s, e sp ec i al l y a bout t h e s p e c i f i c w o rk you r i nte rvi e wer do e s . T h i s al so mea n s d o i ng som e re s e a r c h o n you r i n te rvi e w er and t h e i r a r e a – i t sh o w s yo u ’ re really e n g a g e d w i th the i n te rvi e w er and t h e f i r m i n g e n e ral . P l u s – l aw y er s lo v e t h e s o un d o f the i r ow n voi ces s o t h e y ’ l l d efi ni tel y ha ve p l e n ty of in te r e s t i n g thi ng s to sa y! Ti p 1 3 : As ch e e sy as i t ma y sou nd, do n ’ t f o r g e t tha t th e a p p l i c a ti on 14
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
SAMPLE QUESTIONS T IGE R L IN H S F S umme r C l erk W h i l s t y o u w i l l n o t b e a ske d this m a n y q u e s ti on s, i t i s i mp o rtant t o c o v e r y ou r b a se s a n d en sur e qu a l i t y a n s w e rs a re p rep ared for t h e s e e x p e cte d q u e sti on s b el ow.
PERSONAL
• T e l l m e a b o u t yo u rsel f. • H o w d o y o u d ea l w i th c h a l l e n g e s? • Wh a t a r e you r b e st th ree a n d w o r s t t h r ee q ua l i ti es? • S t r e n g t h s /Wea kn e sse s • H o w w o u ld you r cl assmate s d e s c r i b e yo u ? • Wh o i s a rol e mod el i n yo u r l i f e a n d w h y? Wh o d o yo u most a d m i r e ( 3 mo st)? • Wh a t d o you l i ke to d o i n yo ur f r e e t i m e ? Wh a t d o yo u d o fo r f u n ? H o b bi e s/In te rests? • Wh a t i s o n e q ua l i ty th a t makes you unique? • D o y o u w an t to u n d ertake f u r t h e r e d uc a ti on ? • T e l l m e s o meth i ng tha t i s no t on y o u r r e s ume /a p p l i c a ti on ? • Wh e n i s i t b e tte r to fo l l o w than to lead? • D e s c r i b e a ti me i n w hi ch yo u f a i l e d a t someth i ng ? • D e s c r i b e yo u r b i g g est a c c o m p l i s h men t • T e l l m e a b o u t a ri sk yo u h a ve t a k e n i n y o u r l i fe? • Wh e r e d o yo u se e yo u rsel f i n 3 - 5 y e a r s ? 10 ? • Wh a t b o ok a re yo u rea d i n g now? • I f y o u c o ul d h a ve l un c h w i th a n y b o d y , d ea d or al i ve , w ho w o u l d y o u ha ve i t w i th, a n d w h a t w o ul d yo u a sk th e m? • I f y o u c o ul d h a ve a n y j ob i n the w o r l d , w h a t w ou l d i t b e ?
COMMERCIAL LAW • Why cor por ate/com m er cial law ? • Specific inter ests in law/ com m er cial law? • What oppor tunities do you see in the changing legal envir onm ent? • What is a cur r ent news stor y that you find inter esting? • Cur r ent issues/tr ends in com m er cial law? • What do you think is a m ajor challenge facing a fir m like this?
CLERKSHIP-RELATED • What qualities do you think m ake a good cler k? • What ar e you hoping to gain fr om this r ole? • Why not [ your other degr ee/ other exper ience - i.e. consulting, banking, AGS etc.] ? • Do you wor k best when r eceiving clear instr uctions or when given flexibility in decision- m aking? • Do you pr efer wor king in tea m s or by your self?
SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS • Descr ibe a tim e you cam e up with an innovative solution to a pr oblem ? • Descr ibe a tim e in which you showcased our fir m ’s value of XXX? • Descr ibe a tim e in which you dealt with a challenging team? • When have you over com e a bar r ier ? • Descr ibe a tim e you dealt wi th negative feedback? • When have you helped/nur tu r ed som eone? • Tell m e about a tim e when you had to lead. • When have you had tr ouble w i th other people accepting your views? Careers Guide 2021
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SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS (CONTINUED) • H o w d o y o u d ea l w i th stress? • I s y o u r G P A a g oo d re fl ec ti on o f y o u r a bi l i ti e s? • T e l l m e a b o u t a maj or a c c o m p l i s h men t. • T e l l m e a b o u t a ti me yo u h a d g r o u p c o n fl i c t, a n d ho w you r e s p o n d ed . • T e l l u s a bou t a ti me w he n yo ur m a n a g e r w asn ’ t p rese n t a n d y o u h a d to d o so meth i ng • Wh a t i s t he most u n u su a l r e q u e s t y ou h a ve h a d at w ork a n d h o w di d yo u resp on d to it? • E x a m p l e o f a ti me w he n yo u u s e d g o o d j u d g men t a n d l o gic i n s o l v i n g a p ro b l e m. • D e s c r i b e a ti me w he n yo u w er e f a c e d w i t h p ro b l e ms or stre sses t h a t t e s t ed you r co p i n g ski l l s. • T e l l m e wh e n yo u se t a g oa l a n d h o w di d yo u a c h i eve i t. • Wh e n h a v e yo u g on e a b ove and b e y o n d t o d o so meth i ng ? • T i m e f e l t emb a rra sse d • T i m e f e l t ove rw h e l me d ? • H a r d t i m e i n a te a m e n v i r o n m ent a n d ha d to make a t o u g h c a l l /w he n h a ve yo u h a d t o m a k e a h a rd d ec i si o n ? • Wh e n d i d you h a ve to make a d e c i s i o n th a t w en t a g ai nst y o u r m o r a l s an d val ue s b ut was n e c e s s a r y o r ap p rop ri ate i n the situation?
Cl e r k L i f e • What do cler ks in your team usually do? • What does tr aining for cler k s and gr ads at FIRM look like ? • In ter m s of tr aining, who do cler ks get m ost feedback from , and how often would cler ks g et the oppor tunity to lear n fr om Counsel or Par tner s? • Would cler ks only wor k for one m ain par tner at a tim e, or a r e they shar ed am ong the team ? • I welcom e challenges and em br ace har d wor k, but how i s a wor k/life balance achieved b y the fir m ? • How often is feedback pr ovided? And by whom ? D o we get a fair bit of par tner inter action and oppor tunities to lear n? • In ter m s of pr o bono wor k, how do these oppor tunities come up, and how do cler ks and gr aduates usually str uctur e thi s ar ound their nor m al wor kload ?
QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWER P e rs ona l • Wh a t w a s yo u r p a th to F IR M a n d y o u r p ath w i th i n th e F IR M ? • Wh a t a r e some i nte resti ng p r o j e c t s y o u h a ve b ee n i n v o l v e d i n; to th e e xte n t yo u c a n d i s c u ss th e m w i th me? • H o w d i d y o u se ttl e o n yo u r s p e c i f i c are ? 16
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
REFLECTING ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS R ain er Ga unt & A in s lin Grimle y S umme r C l e rks at HSF
ADVICE FOR APPLYING? • F i n d i n g a fi rm tha t i s ri g h t for y o u i s t h e most i mp o rtan t thing. T h i s m e a n s yo u sh o u l d b e yo u rs elf t h r o u g h o u t the re c rui tme n t p roc ess s o t h a t t h e p l a c e s yo u rec e i ve an o f f e r f o r w i l l l i ke l y b e a g oo d cu l tur e f it . • N o t g e t ti n g a cl erkshi p i s not t h e e n d o f t he w o rl d . T h e re are so m a n y o t h e r op p o rtun i ti e s to wor k a s a l a w y er. If you w a n t to do c o r p o r a t e l aw , ma n y l aw yers join o u t s i d e o f t h e c l erkshi p p ro c e ss. • O n t h e fl i p si d e, you sho u l dn’t s e l l y o u r s el f sh o rt o r e xc l ude yourself f r om the a p p l i c a tion pro c e s s j u st b ec a u se yo u d on’t t h i n k y o u ’ r e ‘ c o mme rci al l y-mi nded’ e n o u g h . Bi g co mme rci al fi rms do a h u g e v a r i e t y of w ork, an d you ’ d be s u r p r i s e d h ow muc h o f th a t wor k in v o l v e s t h i ng s l i ke ad mi ni stra tive o r p u b l i c l aw . A N U stud en ts ar e c o n s i d e r e d to b e ve ry strong c a n d i d a t e s , e ve n i f the i r tran sc r ipt isn ’ t l o a d e d w i th co mme rci al l awre l a t e d s u b je c ts. • Ap p l y to as ma n y fi rms as y o u c a n . Whi l e the q u a n ti ty of a p p l i c a t i o n q u e sti on s an d e vents c a n b e o v e rw h e l mi ng , you will giv e y o u r s e l f th e b est o p p o rtunity t o s e c u r e a c l erkshi p i f you i n vest a l o t o f t i m e an d effo rt d u ri n g the a p p l i c a t i o n p e ri o d .
• Pr epar e what you can pr ior to the application per iod so you can spend m or e tim e on the applica ti on questions. This includes pr epa r i ng a CV, secur ing r efer ences, get ti ng a tr anscr ipt, and r esear ching the fir m s likely to be your top pick s . You’d be sur pr ised how m uch m ater ial you can pr e- pr epar e, ri ns e and r epeat for all your applicati ons . • Look up tips for how to set y our ar ea up for a good video- inter v i ew exper ience. • Pr oof- r ead and double check thor oughly. When juggling a l ot of applications, things can eas i l y go wr ong. M y m ost em bar r ass i ng m om ent was when I uploade d a cover letter to one fir m that w as addr essed to a differ ent fir m suffice it to say I did not get to the next stage!
WHAT ARE FIRMS LOOKING FOR? • It seem s to depend on the fi r m . The fir m I cler ked at seem ed to want to cr eate a cohor t of peop l e with differ ent exper iences, sk i l l s , hobbies, and backgr ounds, s o i t is difficult to say pr ecisely what exper ience they ar e looking for . You can usually get a gener al i d ea of what a fir m wants fr om their maj or clients, and the types of deal s or m atter s they wr ite about on t hei r social m edia pages - for exam ple, i f they engage a lot of tech com pani es they’ll want som eone adaptab l e with som e exper ience with or under standing of technology . If their best- known par tner is in the M er ger s and Acquisitions space, they’ll want som eone har dwor k i ng who under stands the m ar ket. But, over all, they know the cler k s hi p is a lear ning exper ience, so y our knowledge of a par ticular f i el d won’t gener ally be a decidi ng factor .
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• T h i n g s tha t se e med co mmon t o a l l w e r e g oo d g ra d es and in te r e s t s o r ho b b i es o u tsi d e o f law s c h o o l - w heth e r th a t b e re l ated t o w o r k , s p o rts, trave l , musi c or o t h e r w e i r d th i ng s yo u l e a rne d to do d u r i n g l oc kd ow n (si d e no te: a v e r y c o m m on ‘ i c e b re a ke r’ q ue stion in n e t w o r k i ng sessi on s, fo r w hich y o u s h o u l d p rob ab l y h a ve a n ons o u r d o u g h a n sw er). S ome p l a ced m o r e e m p ha si s o n co mme rcial u n d e r s t a n d i ng or ac a d em ic dis t i n c t i o n t ha n o th e rs, b u t a l ar ge pu r p o s e o f th e i nte rvi e w p roc ess is t o c o n f i rm th a t you r a mazing CV a n d t r an sc ri p t d i d n ’ t com e a t t h e e x p e n se of you r p ersonal de v e l o p m e nt - yo u r i nte rvi e wer m a y b e c o m e you r c o l l e a g ue , so t h e y w a n t s o meo n e c a p ab l e who t h e y ’ r e h a p py to w ork w i th!
• HSF attr acted m e because of a num ber of factor s, nam ely: o the positive, welcom ing cu l tur e I exper ienced thr oughout all of the cler kship events; o the two one- on- one par tner inter views, which wer e the m os t genuinely enjoyable exper iences I had thr oughout the whole applicati on pr ocess; o the fir m ’s r eputation and ski l l s i n m y ar eas of inter est; and o the am ount of tim e and effor t the fir m invested in us.
HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS ROLE WAS FOR YOU? • I w a n t ed to d o a c l erks hip t o s e e i f c o rp o rate l aw w a s the rig h t p a t h fo r me . It’ s d e si g ned f o r e x a c t l y th a t p urp o se , b ec a use it ’s r e l a t i v el y sho rt, g i ves you s o m e v i s i b i l i ty ove r a few d i ffe r ent pra c t i c e a r eas, an d d oe sn ’ t l ock y o u i n t o a n y thi ng l o n g term. • I m p o r t a ntl y, i f a fi rm offer s y o u a c l e r k s h i p , i t me a n s the y’ve de c i d e d y o u ’ re ri g h t for th e m - they c h a n n e l a l ot of re so u rce s i n to the pro c e s s , s o th e y’ ve p ut p l e n ty of t h o u g h t i n t o th a t d ec i si o n . But, it ’s i m p o r t an t to re memb e r that it ’s e q u a l l y i mp o rtan t to c o n sider whe t h e r t h e y’ re ri g ht fo r you - that’s o f t e n a v e r y p erson a l d ec i si o n , and y o u s h o u l d take i n fa c to rs b e yond ju s t t h e p r e s ti g e of the fi rm or the v a l u e s t h e y l i st o n th e i r w eb s ite (re a d : t h e y ’ re a l l more o r l e ss the s a m e o n t h e b ox).
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
STANDING OUT THROUGH EXTRA CURRICULARS L a k s s h i n i S un d aramoo rthy i s a 6th Ye a r L a w / In te rna ti on a l R e l ati ons s t u d e n t a nd a fo rme r Je ssup mooter.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR UNIVERSITY AGED SELF? L a w s c h o o l ca n b e a sl og ... You m i g h t f i n d th a t yo u a re w ork ing re a l l y h a r d b u t n o t a c h i evi ng the re s u l t s y o u wan t. U n fo rtun a te l y, the s a d r e a l i t y i s tha t j ust b ec a u se you pu t i n t h e h o u rs, d oe sn ’ t me a n y ou wil l s u c c e e d. In vi e w of thi s, ther e a re f o u r t i p s I ha ve fo r al l fi rst-y ear la w s t u d e n t s . F ir s t , l e a r n ho w to l e ve rag e d i gital t e c h n o l o g i e s so tha t you can s t u d y a s effi ci en tl y as p o ssi ble. F o r e x a m p l e, l ea rni ng h o w to u s e Bo o l e an op erato rs e n a bles y o u t o n a vi g a te th rou g h l egal da t a b a s e s qui ckl y. L e a rni ng how t o a u t o m a t ic a l l y cross-re fe rence a n d i n s e r t b i b l i og ra p hi es a re also e s s e n t i a l s k i l l s tha t sa ve a l ot of t im e . Re m e mb er to w ork sma rter , not harder! Se c o n d l y , l oo k fo r o p p o rtun i ties t h a t a r e n o t ad verti se d o n tra d i ti onal pla t f o r m s . I t’ s very e a sy to apply o n l y f o r j o b s th a t are p o ste d o n the AN U C o l l e g e o f La w N oti ce B oar d, o r s c h o l a r sh i p s tha t are offe r ed e x c l u s i v e l y b y the A N U C ol l e g e of L a w . H o w e ve r, th e se p o si ti o n s ar e o f t e n v e r y d i ffi c u l t to g et g i ve n the s h e e r v o l u me o f ap p l i c a ti on s. So
don’t be lazy and look a littl e b i t har der ! For exam ple, it m ight b e wor thwhile investigating wr i ti ng com petitions, wher e you can subm it an essay you’ve wr itten for a cour se to win a neat cash p r i z e. M ake sur e to think outside of the box! Thir dly, tr y to lear n as m uch as possible fr om ANU academi cs . The academ ics at ANU ar e tr ul y br illiant. If you get a chance to wor k closely with them , then definitely take it up. There i s gr eater scope for gr owth w hen you have the oppor tunity for oneon- one lear ning and per sonal i s ed feedback. Som e cour ses w hi ch facilitate this include the Jes s up M oot ( LAWS4010) and Super v i s ed Resear ch Paper ( LAWS4300) . Four thly, get involved in com petitions. Ther e ar e four m ajor com petitions that y ou can par ticipate in: M oo ti ng , Negotiations, Client Inter v i ew s and Witness Exam ination. Each com petition will help you bui l d a differ ent set of skills. Choose w hi ch com petition you want to com p ete in based on the skill set you w ant to develop and the car eer path y ou want to pur sue. For exam ple, i f you wanted to go to the Bar , then M ooting is a gr eat way to bui l d your or al advocacy skills. An d of cour se, don’t be afr aid to tr y them all out! Have fun and good luck!
LAKSSHINI SUNDARAM OORT H Y
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EXTRA CURRICULARS: LAW REFORM Za i r A h m e d i s a 2 n d yea r Law/ PP E s t u d e n t an d ac ti ve me m ber o f t h e AN U La w R e fo rm an d S ocial Justice.
LAW REFORM & SOCIAL JUSTICE M y n a m e i s Z a i r A hmed a n d I a m c u r r e n t l y o n the Me d i a Team f o r A N U L aw R efo rm a n d S o cial J u s t i c e , w h i ch p ro vi d e s fa n ta stic opportunities for all stud ents in te r e s t e d i n mo ral a d voc a c y and a c t i v i s m i n th e l e g al sp he re. I a m a s e c o n d - y e a r stud en t e n rol l e d i n B L a w s ( H o n s ) an d B P P E , ori g i n ally h a i l i n g f r o m th e b est c a p i ta l ci ty in Aus t r a l i a , S y d ne y. My ro l e i n the L RS J p r i m ari l y revo l ves around pu b l i c i s i n g the va ri o u s rese a r ch pro j e c t s , eve n ts, p an e l s, and e v e r y t h i n g e l se A N U L R S J has pla n n e d , m o stl y throu g h so cial media. At a n y g i v e n ti me , th e re are many s e p a r a t e r e se a rch p ro j ec ts b eing u n d e r t a k e n , w h i ch mi g ht e ntail t h e i r o w n e ve n ts an d i ni ti a ti v es, a n d t h u s i t i s vi ta l tha t a d verti sing a n d g e t t i n g the w ord o u t th e re d oes n o t r e s u l t i n c l ash e s a n d ove rl aps. F u r t h e r m o r e, the n a tu re o f so cial m e d i a a n d the e ve r-c h a n ging po l i t i c a l l a n d sca p e, fu e l l e d b y the n e w s c y c l e , mea n s th a t th e ANU L RS J e n g a g es w i th i ts fol l o wer s o n r e c e n t d eve l op me n ts rel ati ng to la w r e f o r m , sp a rki n g d i sc u ssion, a n d p r o v i d i ng fresh p ersp e c ti ves.
Within the ANU cohor t ar e s om e incr edibly talented and passionate students, and getting the wor d out to them that a unique and enr ichi ng exper ience like LRSJ exists all ow s for this talent being used for som e gr eat causes. It was thes e str engths that initially attr acted m e to the r ole, as I am passion ate about letting people know ab out the fantastic wor k the LRSJ do es , such as cur r ent pr ojects Gr eenl aw and Covid- 19 and The Rule of L aw , both especially per tinent in our tim es. All pr ojects in the LRSJ ar e focused on addr essing the var i ous inequalities and injustices that ex i s t in our society, as well as pr ovidi ng solutions to achieving pr ogr es s and potentially r em edying thes e issues. However , it is quite challeng i ng to wade thr ough the m ultitud e of societies and events that A N U pr ovides and pr ovide gr eater exposur e to LRSJ above oth er s . Another challenging aspect i s over com ing m isconceptions that m ight com e with LRSJ, such as m any believing that you m ust b e a Law student ( you do not) and that it only involves car r ying out long ter m r esear ch pr ojects ( r oles l i k e m ine highlight the flexible and copious oppor tunities availa b l e to students of all talent poo l s ) . These necessitate adaptabi l i ty , appr oachability, and being soci al m edia savvy as skills r equir ed for publicising the wor k of LRSJ. The LRSJ can connect students to var ious agencies, depar tm ents , and institutions that will enab l e them to networ k and thr ive i n their aspir ations; it is a wonder ful oppor tunity for any student of any discipline and can ser ve as a fantastic kickstar t to per sonal car eer developm ent.
T h e m o s t r ew ard i ng a sp ec t of m y ro l e i s s e e i n g A N U stud en ts i nte r act wit h a n d p a r ti ci p a te i n A N U L R SJ. 20
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
ZAIR AHM ED ANU Law Refor m & Social Justice
PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINING T h e r e ’ s m o r e to b ec o mi n g a l awyer t h a n s i m p l y 4 o r 5 ye a rs of study. T h o s e i n t e r este d i n p ra c ti ci ng law m u s t a l s o c o mp l ete P rac ti ca l L egal T ra i n i n g ( P LT) fro m w h i ch yo u will be a w a r d e d a Grad ua te D i p l o ma of L e g a l P r a c t ice (G D L P .) T h i s g e n e r al l y i nvo l ves a fu rther 6 m o n t h s o f t r ai ni ng , fo c u sse d o n the pra c t i c a l s k i l l s ne c e ssa ry for an e n t r y - l e v e l l a w yer.
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Q&A WITH CRAIG COLLINS (LEO CUSSEN) WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? As S e n i o r Men to r & La w yer (A CT) f o r L e o C u s se n C en tre fo r La w – n o w b a s e d a t A N U - I me n to r law gra d u a t e s throu g h the P rac tical L e g a l T r a i n ing (P LT ) re q ui re ments f o r a d m i s s i o n to p ra c ti ce a s an Aus t r a l i a n La w yer. Com p l e t i n g a n LL B o r JD sati sfies academic re q ui re men ts for a d m i s s i o n , but P L T i s a sep arate and n e c e s s a r y ste p - w i th a fo c u s u pon e s s e n t i a l s ki l l s, va l ue s, a tti tudes a n d p r o c e du ral kno w l e d g e for wor k i n g a s a l aw yer. F o r o u r A N U -b a se d c o h o rt, w e b egin wit h a f a c e -to-fac e i nte n si ve w eek be f o r e i n t e rac ti ng on si mu l ated c li e n t f i l e s – w he re my ro l e i s much lik e a c t i n g as a su p ervi si ng p a rtner in a l a w f i r m.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? M y o w n j o u r ne y i s l o n g an d vari e d. I s t a r t e d o u t a s a n A N U l aw stud ent, be f o r e d o i n g arti c l es of cl erks hip wit h G a d e n s L a w yers, Mel b o u r ne. Ar t i c l e s w a s a s an al terna ti ve to PL T . O v e r 1 2 yea rs w i th G ad en s, I wor k e d m y w a y throu g h to l i ti g ation Pa r t n e r , h a nd l i ng so me l a rg e and won d e r f u l l y c o mp l ex c a se s. I m a d e a c a r e e r ch a n g e, b ec o m ing a l a w a c a d emi c a n d re tu rni ng to t h e A N U La w S c h o o l as S enior L e c t u r e r . I con ve n e d th e H o n our s T h e s i s p r o g r am a n d ta u g ht el ec tive a n d c o m p ul sory c o u rses for the L L B a n d J D , a s w el l a s GD LP and 22
M aster s cour ses. I also ser ved as Boar d Secr etar y for a Com m unity Legal Centr e and had a stint as Lawyer Developm ent Advisor for the Austr al i an Gover nm ent Solicitor ( AGS ) , wher e I r ecr uited and tr ained l aw gr aduates fr om ar ound the countr y .
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR UNIVERSITY AGED SELF? Ther e ar e four things which you can do at law school which will lend tr em endous value to your futur e car eer . Fir st, put in the tim e and effor t necessar y to achieve so und academ ic r esults. At tim es I wis hed I had studied har der because l aw school is the tim e and place for y ou to be m aster ing basic knowledg e. You will be too busy wor king a s a lawyer to cover this gr ound later , in the sam e kind of system atic w ay . Secondly, while law schools t end not to focus upon pr actical skill s , i t is a r eal advantage to cultivate thes e whenever you can. Par ticipa ti ng in com petitions r un by the AN U Law Students’ Society, such as negotiation and client inter view i ng , is a r eal advantage going for war d . Also, Leo Cussen has par tner ed with For age to offer fr ee, onl i ne, vir tual inter nships designed to develop pr actical lawyer skills. Any law student at any stage of their degr ee can sign- up, w i th the option to select Hum an Rights Law, Cr im inal Law or both. Th es e inter nships ar e also designed as som ething which can be added to your CV once com pleted. These sor ts of activities r eflect w el l upon your effor ts to better your s el f in ways that ar e pr actically us eful for the job m ar ket.
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
T h i r d l y , t r y to fi n d a susta i nable s t u d y - w o r k - l i fe b al an c e . If yo u can bu i l d g r e a t h a b i ts a n d ro u ti ne s to s t a y w e l l , r o u n d ed a n d p rod uc tive, t h a t c a p a c i ty w i l l b e hi g h l y val ued in t h e p r o f e ssi o n . B e su re to p urs ue in te r e s t s a n d ho b b i es o u tsi d e wor k and study. F in a l l y , make fri e n d s and c o n n e c t i o n s a t l aw sc h o o l ! ANU a t t r a c t s s t u d en ts fro m a l l around Aus t r a l i a a nd the w orl d , an d after gra d u a t i n g , the re i s a si m ilar dis p e r s a l . Th i s p rese n ts an in c r e d i b l y va l ua b l e n e tw ork - and y o u w i l l r e c on n e c t w i th l a w sc hool f ri e n d s i n ran d om w a ys a s your wor k a n d c aree r g row s w i thi n and a c r o s s j u r i s d i c ti on s – p ro vi ding m u t u a l c a r e an d su p p o rt fo r year s a n d d e c a d es C R A IG C O L L IN S L e o C usse n
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Luptur apedi omnimusa vendam quam, oditati cori dolecatur? Ceri aut quae denderchita volupti nventiat. Qui comnienditi ommo offictum reicia dolut at modio. Nequunditas essi acerisq uiditate lam, omnim doluptium rerovid ellandisciam conem de doluptus ventiosanto to te nessit apiti volest odicipsant, enihil id ut audicia debit aut hit, nate ni consenis quidund itibus.
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untur, si andempelis at volor a sae offici tem apitaturis resersperes rat ratector aut que prepudi tatur, quae voluptas perianti nest fugit, si tempori tiorepel ipsunt,
Optiatur abor abor a sinulla ntorporit verorit ateseque Six start dates a year solorae perspedit, aliam sitione mporem quiate sum con plabor sitatur re volorum quametur? Ra nonseque ut voloreh endant ape ni quidemo dignimi nctatiae. in Canberra litempore, evel ilique dent et enis estem rempore rciatur reribus doleseditat esed que alique corions equossequid molesci endaecus corum is intur, solupta tiissim oluptatiis cuptas aruptatis sitiani inveles ecatur? Enimintem quos quidigniae dolorat emporat lanis
Itassed eossimo et plabo. Sa cum quatum eum sequis niam assundae. Nem quatest ibusae exeri alis non rectatur aut in nemporrum assumet venime landanimint quiam siti assiti blabore pernamet mi, serspero volestrum eos pe cor aliquodipsum harum into id moloribus, qui que debitem porest, tem alibus et evenderferem non ne magnati nctore el et, occulle scimus, ipic tempost ionseque rerem dessitior aut pel et quias moloreperum autet voluptat viduci quunt landebis ention nime ratati beateca boreperovita voluptatia ipsumetur? Milicae nonsequatis digendi dolorio nsequaspera natibus et ma dolupta tibusa si ipsamus amendunt iuribus as doluptatur, illaudi coriorio ea diorept ibuscilia a pos sed exera dolore minctur aut modis et perias sunt quunt laborehent asperroviti as invenisi apit uteture dolupta quaepre soluptatquia vel id molende ssitiument.
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Ucit, omnis magnatia cum litem repe in nobitissenis doloris sit plaut re moluptatur si secto doluptatias a dolor sequae poressim vollaborest, ut erovitas ditiorerro magnatet di nonsequam inus erum adicae nis magnatia quae. Et quiae est ut autendenis nonsecerfero dit, si aut voluptat esti quam vella ea et reptur?
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Enient, quam, comniae nobisci millitam faceptas in nam et dicia veriorempos non re necta doloratem etur? Quis nes aut hariasit arumqui apernam desequo to qui blaborum re suntum experis itatur?
15 days or 75 days work experience options - or online alternative
Ellorecat volupta sequasp editaqu ianihicat oditaep roremodiae cusda veriasp ienihillut omnihictatis dio ipsam etur aces ut et et fuga. Ecuptas perferior mint, il impor rem facienimus aliquo quae maio ea dolorit idi que consequia nihil intio in nonet et poribus antemperum et ad quod endem. Ment expe ea
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
PRIVATE LAW T h e P r i v a t e la w se c to r i s o n e of the la r g e s t l e g al i nd ustri e s, d e a ling wit h m a t t e rs b etw ee n p ri v ate pa r t i e s , w he re the state i s not dir e c t l y c o n ce rne d . It i s i n c red ibly div e r s e , w i th a mere sn i p pet o f a r e a s inc l ud i n g c o mme rcial, c o n t r a c t , t o rt, p rop erty an d p ri vate in te r n a t i o n a l l aw . T h e m o s t w el l -kn o w n p ra c ti ti o ner s o f p r i v a t e l aw are l arg e c o rp o r ate la w f i r m s . T h e si ze of the fi rm i tse lf is o f t e n i n d i c a ti ve of the cl i e n te l e and n a t u r e o f b u si ne ss. Fo r e xa mple, t h e w o r k o f a so l e p ra c ti ti o ner is e x p e c t ed l y d omesti c and in d i v i d u a l i s ed i n n a tu re; c o n trasted wit h a l a r g e mul ti n a ti on a l fi r m , whi c h i s l i k e l y to b e w o rki n g on la r g e r - s c a l e , tran sn a ti on a l i ssu es. When c on si d e ri n g d i ffer ent o p t i o n s i n p ri vate l aw , i mp ortant c o n s i d e r a t i ons i nc l ud e: • H o w y o u r p e rson a l val ue s a lign w i t h t h e fi rm' s • Y o u r s p e ci fi c a rea s o f i nte rest • S p e c i f i c p rog ra ms o r rota ti ons available • Location A c l e r k s h i p ca n b e a val uable m e t h o d t o assess yo u r sui tab ility a n d i n t e r e s t , ho w eve r, i t i s i mp ortant t o n o t e t h a t thi s i s n o t th e o n l y way of doing so.
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ALLENS WIL L IA M B R O WN L a w yer at A l l e n s
T h r o u g h o u t the C a ree rs Gu i d e y ou wil l s e e a vast arra y of strong, m e a n i n g f u l an d co n c i se c o rp o r ate v a l u e s w h i c h se rve a s g ui ding pri n c i p l e s fo r ea c h o f th e fi rm s. Sig n i f i c a n t ti me i s i n ve ste d in re f i n i n g t h e se p ri nc i p l es a nd, f o r t h e m o st p a rt, the y c a n o ften f e e l q u i t e ab stra c t i n the co ur se o f d a y - t o - d a y l i fe a t w ork. The s a m e c a n b e sa i d fo r marketing m a t e r i a l s w h i ch a re u se d to a ttr act t h e b e s t and b ri g h te st p e ople t o j o i n t h e fi rm. In the ea rl y d ays o f t h e C O VID -1 9 p an d emi c and in t h e f a c e o f g re a t u n c e rtai nty, m a n y l a w fi rms w e re fa c e d with t h e p r o s p e ct o f maki ng d i ffi cult de c i s i o n s . H ow to p rote c t the f ir m a g a i n s t e c o n o mi c i nsta b i l ity? How t o p r o te c t e mp l oye e s fr om e x p o s u r e t o th e vi rus? H o w to e n s u r e t h a t th e i nte rests o f all e m p l o y e e s are p re se rved ? H ow to a c t i n a c c o rd a n c e w i th fi rm val ues n o m a t t e r t h e sh o rt-te rm c o st? At A l l e n s , o n e of ou r ke y p ri n c i p l es is t h a t w e a r e I n i t tog eth e r, th i s, a b ove a ll o t h e r v a lu e s, h a s b ee n c e n tr al t o A l l e n s ' resp on se to C O V ID- 19 a n d h a s p ermea te d al l l eve l s of t h e b u s i n e ss. In a n i mmed iate re s p o n s e t o o ffi ce cl osu res, the f ir m p r o v i d ed an a l l o w an c e to all e m p l o y e e s to p u rch a se eq ui p m ent t o w o r k f r o m h o me. T h i s p ra c tical assistance w as coupled with constant c o mmu n i ca ti on s from t h e p a r t n e r shi p o u tl i n i ng the fi rm s a p p r o a c h t o tac kl i n g the c ri si s. At a ll t i m e s , t he fi rm w as ho n e st and o p e n w i t h a l l staff me mb e rs about t h e c h a l l e n g e s a n d o p p o rtun i ties pre s e n t e d b y the c ri si s. A s a ju n i o r l a w y er, th i s mad e me feel 30
connected to the fir m des p i te extensive per iods wor king fr om hom e. Watching Allens r espond i n this way was incr edibly gr atify i ng , the fir m did not seek to pr iori ti s e the inter ests of one gr oup o v er another and did all it could to m ak e sur e that the bur dens br ought on b y the pandem ic wer e shar ed equal l y . As a r esult, the pr evailing feel i ng was one of cautious optim ism and cam ar ader ie. Allens has stood b y its values thr oughout the cour s e of the pandem ic when at tim es it m ay have been easier to take the path of least r esistance. Fr om a per sonal per spective , I was concer ned the tim e spent wor king fr om hom e would lim it m y oppor tunity to lear n thr ough out my second r otation in the Restr uctur ing and Insolvency team . This could not have been fur ther fr om the tr uth. M icr osoft Team s and other applications ensur ed that I was in constant touch w i th senior m em ber s of the team while continuing to develop both technical and client m anagement skills. Inter estingly, the extent of inter office collabor ation betw een var ious cities also incr eased and it was fantastic to get to k now colleagues fr om our M elbour ne office. In last year 's Car eer s Guide, I w r ote that I would be com pleting a y ear long secondm ent to Linklat er s ' Singapor e office. As you m ight h av e gather ed, this did not go ahead . While a m issed oppor tunity such as this is tr ivial in the gr and schem e of the pandem ic, it did pr ovide m e with an oppor tunity to lear n m or e about m yself and discover mor e about the char acter istics which ar e essential to successfully naviga ti ng life as a junior lawyer , both dur i ng and after the pandem ic. I have not always found it easy to accept that factor s outside of m y contr ol can have such an im pact on m y choi ces but the last 12 m onths have for ced m e to confr ont this r eality. In the face of uncer tainty, I have le ar nt that it is im por tant to concentr ate
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
m y e n e r g i es o n th e i mp ortant t h i n g s w i t h i n my co n trol su c h as m y re l a t i o n s h i p s w i th fami l y, fri e nds, a n d c o l l e a g ues. N ot w orryi ng about f a c t o r s b e y o n d yo u r c o n trol a l l ows y o u t o b e p r e se n t, w h e th e r a t hom e o r a t w o r k , an d i n a b e tte r frame of m i n d t o t a c k l e th e i nte resti ng and c h a l l e n g i n g q ue sti on s ou r c l i ents t ru s t u s w i t h.
r egular tasks involve com pilin g br iefs to counsel and expe r t witnesses when a m atter goes to hear ing, wr iting sur veillance instr uctions to assess liability under insur ance claim s and wor king with the Adm inistr ati v e Appeals Tr ibunal when they r eview decisions.
I w o u l d e x ten d thi s ad vi c e to y o u , t o o . Wh e n p rep ari n g for c le r k s h i p a pp l i ca ti on s d o no t buy in to t h e c amp u s rumou r mi l l or whe r e t h e ou tsp oke n p e rson in y o u r e q u i t y tuto ri a l h a s sai d they a re a p p l y i n g . R efl ec t o n you r own jo u r n e y a n d the va l ue s w hi ch h ave m a d e y o u suc c e ssfu l a n d w hich wil l b e t h e c o rne rston e fo r y our c a r e e r . Re m emb e r to try to enjoy t h e p r o c e s s a n d th e p e o p l e that y o u m e e t a l on g th e w ay, w he ther t h e y a r e f i r m re p re se n ta ti ves or po t e n t i a l p ee rs for the c l erkship. G o o d l u c k an d a l l the b e st for 2 021 and beyond!
MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF YOUR ROLE?
HWL EBSWORTH S h ib an S h a h id P a ral eg al at H W L E b sw o rth
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?
A s a p a r a l eg al i n H WL E b sw or th’s ins u r a n c e te a m, my rol e en ta ils a lot o f p e r s on a l i nj ury g ro u n d wor k. This l a r g el y i n vo l ves i ssuing Su b p o e n a ’ s, S ummo n s to P ro duce and N o t i ce s fo r N o n -Par ty pr o d u c t i o n on the p a rti e s i n vo lved a n d v a r i o u s thi rd p arti e s (typ i cally m e d i c a l e n ti ti e s) to e n su re th a t we h a v e t h e c omp l ete p i c tu re i n fr ont o f u s w h e n a d vi si ng c l i e n ts on their ins u r a n c e l i a b i l i ty. B eyo n d that,
The fast- paced natur e of the wor k is one of its gr eatest challenges . When you’ve got things piling up and deadlines closing in, ther e is definitely a sense of pr ess ur e and the r oom for m istakes and inefficiencies is nar r ow. As a par alegal, this can get pretty challenging, as ther e will often b e tim es when m ultiple solicitor s n eed things done within the sam e ti m e fr am e, so wor k can som etim es feel like a bit of a juggling act. That being said, ther e is noth i ng quite as satisfying as when y ou successfully juggle all of the wor k. Even wher e ther e is no dir ect feedback, the solici tor s will often incr easingly give y ou tasks which, as a sign of t r us t and you having done your j ob well, is r ewar ding in its own r ig ht.
WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU NEED TO SUCCEED? Without a doubt, patience i s essential. As a par alegal, you ar e rarely going to get the most ‘exciting’ or ‘fast- paced’ wor k - your job i s ver y m uch to suppor t the solici tor s in getting fr om point A to B. W hi l e com piling tr ibunal- docum ents or br iefs to counsel m ight seem ar duous and tir esom e at tim es , the gr oundwor k laid down by the par alegals is often foundational to secur ing a favour able outcom e and it is super im por tant that you t ak e your tim e and keenly scr utin i s e Careers Guide 2021
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e v e r y d e t a i l so th a t so meo n e else do e s n ’ t h a v e to. Th i s i s p arti c u l ar ly im p o r t a n t g ive n tha t you r w ork will h a v e a n e f fec t, w he th e r d i re c t or in d i r e c t , o n someo n e ’ s l i vel i h o od.
KEY TIP FOR SUCCESS? Don ’ t b e a fra i d to sho w o ff y our pa s s i o n s ! Whe th e r i ts p assion a b o u t a p a r ti cu l ar area o f l aw , a fir m o r a h o b b y, p ote n ti al e mp l oyer s lo v e t o s e e tha t yo u ’ re p assi onate a b o u t s o m e th i ng b e c a u se i t me ans t h a t y o u ’ l l bri ng tha t sa me p assion t o t h e j o b . T e c h n i ca l ski l l s ca n be t a u g h t , s o p a ssi on a n d en th u si asm a re t h e e a si e st w a y to ma ke a la s t i n g i m p r essi on !
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS Ja re d H ee & R o sie E t hel S u mme r C l erks
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?
clients or counsel, or shadow a solicitor in cour t. You will not b e expected to know what type of wor k you will be doing or how to do ever ything asked of you. Hav i ng a can- do attitude is the mos t im por tant thing. Rem em ber that you ar e also ther e to have fun a nd exper ience life at the fir m . Take the oppor tunity to speak with people i n differ ent par ts of the fir m to hel p you wor k out whether a car eer i n com m er cial law is for you, and w hat pr actice ar eas m ight suit you.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING AND MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT? The m ost challenging aspect of m y r ole was its lack of fam iliari ty . Having never wor ked in a legal r ol e befor e, m any of the tasks assigned to m e wer e new and daunting at fir st. I had all the skills I need ed but wasn’t sur e how to apply the m . Lear ning how to ask the r i g ht questions and navigate m y wor k i ng r elationships ear ly on r eally helped with this uncer tainty. The m ost r ewar ding aspect of m y tim e with the fir m was obser v i ng and lear ning fr om such talen ted people. Ther e is no better way to wor k out whether com m er cial l aw is for you than by wor king w i th people who love their jobs and ar e the best in their r espective field s .
Yo u r d a i l y t a sks a n d ho w b u sy you a re w i l l v a r y g re a tl y d ep en d i n g on y o u r t e a m an d w h a t ki nd of help t h e y n e e d whi l e yo u a re th e re. You m i g h t b e f i l l i n g o u t tab l e s, crea ting bu n d l e s o f d o c u men ts or ta king meeting n o te s. P roo f-re a ding do c u m e n t s su c h as rese a r ch m e m o s , a d v i ce s o r c o n trac ts is a n o t h e r c o m mo n ta sk. E ven si mple t a s k s a r e an op p o rtun i ty fo r you t o d e m o n s t r ate yo u r en th u si asm , M y biggest takeaway was that a e f f i c i e n c y an d atte n ti on to d etail. long life in the law is as m uch about Yo u w i l l l i ke l y al so b e a ske d to the wor k as it is about finding y our c o m p l e t e r ese a rch tasks from people. Find m entor s, fr ien d s , lo o k i n g f o r a u th o ri ti es to su p p o rt an and good super visor s – inevitab l y a rg u m e n t t o l o o ki ng fo r a n an swer ther e will be a tim e wher e y ou t o a l e g a l q ue sti on th a t yo u r team will look to them for suppor t. W i th h a s n ’ t e n c o u n te red ye t. Wh er e this in m ind, use your tim e in the po s s i b l e , a sk for th e b a c kg ro u n d to application phase to speak to y o u r t a s k s o tha t yo u c a n make the var ious people fr om the fir m w i th m o s t o f t h e l e a rni ng o p p o rtunity. a view to under standing what i t i s Hop e f u l l y yo u w i l l a l so g et the like to wor k ther e. c h a n c e t o s i t i n on me e ti ng s with 32 Australian National University Law Students’ Society
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM THIS ROLE?
PUBLIC LAW T h e p r o x i m i ty of th e p ub l i c se ctor and g o v e rnmen t op p o rtun i ties pla c e AN U s tud en ts a n d g ra d uates in a u n i q u e posi ti o n . T h e re i s g r eat s c o p e t o en g ag e i n g o ve rnm ent wor k v i a stud en t exp eri e n c e or in te r n s h i p op p o rtun i ti e s – j u st a f e w e x a m p l e s o f th i s ap p e a r i n the ‘U s e f u l L i n k s’ se c ti on of th e g uide be l o w . Pu b l i c s e c t o r rol es fu rthe r p l ace s t u d e n t s i n a p ri me p osi ti o n to dir e c t l y e n g ag e w i th l aw re fo rm and le g i s l a t i v e ch a n g e. T h i s i s a g reat a v e n u e t o pursue g re a te r i ssues o f j u s t i c e and so c i al l y co n sc i ous po l i c y d e v e l op me n t. Wi th thi s can c o m e a g r e a t sen se of re w ard and pe r s o n a l s a ti sfa c ti on . Due to th e w el l -esta b l i shed s t r u c t u r e s i n p l a c e fo r ca r eer pro g r e s s i o n , th e p u b l i c servi c e can pro v i d e a n i mmen se l y sati sfy ing c a r e e r p a t h. Th e re i s no si ngle a v e n u e , r a th e r nu merou s fl exible pa t h s , w i t h a g re a t d ea l of i nte r nal m o v e m e n t avai l a b l e b e tw ee n roles a n d d e p a r t m en ts. A P S rol es further pro v i d e j o b se c u ri ty, i n c e n tive t h r o u g h b e nefi t sch e mes a t the pro m o t i o n o f a h e a l th w o rk-life ba l a n c e .
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ALDERMANE R o ry A le x a n d e r Man a g er D i re c tor A l d e rma n e
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? I a m t h e d i r e c to r of a c o n su l ti n g and le g a l f i r m c al l ed A l d erma n e , w hich a d v i s e s G o vernmen t cl i e n ts on the le g a l a n d c omme rci al i ssu e s fa ced in p r o c u r e m en t a n d i nfrastruc tur e pro j e c t s . Since leaving university, I’ve worked m o s t c l o s e l y w i th th e D ep artme nt of Def e n c e o n i ts mi l i tary a c q ui si tion a n d s u s t a i n m e n t p rog ra ms. In m y c u r r e n t r o l e, I p rovi d e a d vi c e on Aus t r a l i a ’ s sh i p b ui l d i n g p ro g ram s and the esta b l i shmen t of a s o v e r e i g n A u stral i a n sh i p b ui l ding in d u s t r y a n d w orkforce . T h e p h r a s e “n o on e d ay i s e ve r the s a m e ” i s a lmost a meme, b ut for m e i t i s t r u e . My d ays are never pre d i c t a b l e – on e d a y I mi g ht be a d v i s i n g a c l i e n t o n h o w b e st to s t r u c t u r e an up co mi n g te n der pro c e s s f o r a n e w ra d ar p roject a n d , t h e n e x t, I co u l d b e ne g oti ating a c o n t r a c t for a c o mb a t system wit h a m a j o r i nte rna ti on a l D e fe nce contractor.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? Alt h o u g h I am a co n trac t l a wyer ba s e d i n C a nb e rra , my l e g al j ou rney be g a n i n c o n struc ti on l i ti g ati on at a s m a l l f i r m i n S yd ne y! I h a d th o u ght I w a s d e s t i n e d fo r th e b a r b ut, after a c o u p l e o f ye a rs ‘ te a ri n g thi ngs do w n ’ a s a l i ti g a to r, I d e c i d e d I wan t e d t o c rea te so meth i ng from t h e g r o u n d up – so I to o k a job in t h e P r o j ects a n d Infrastruc tur e t e a m a t S p arke H e l mo re d rafting 34
contr acts for the m ining, ener g y and r ail industr ies. Soon after joining Spar kes, I w as for tunate enough to m eet s om e gr eat m entor s that intr oduced m e to the wor ld of Gover nm ent and Defence pr ocur em ent, and I hav e never looked back! After 5 ye ar s in this r ole, I felt that it was ti m e for a change of pace, so I m ove d to Ashur st to wor k in their Gover nm ent and Pr ojects team ( doing m uch of the sam e wor k I had done befo r e) . I had a gr eat tim e at Ashur st and m et som e am azing people b ut, as COVID for ced a change to the psychology of wor k in 2020 , i t becam e obvious to m e that l aw could be done better . I wan ted to wor k dir ectly with m y cli ents and have the autonom y to m ak e decisions in a tr uly flexible and agile way, without the constr a i nts of wor king within a tr aditional l aw fir m . To m e, the bur eaucr acy of a lar ge fir m , tim esheet and bil l i ng pr essur es, and com petition among colleagues wer e getting in the way of doing what m atter ed mos t – building r elationships with m y clients, doing gr eat wor k and, m os t im por tantly, having fun. In Novem ber 2020, the scal es finally tipped in favour of work i ng for m yself, so I r esigned f r om Ashur st and founded Alder m ane. Star ting a fir m is not easy, but I am ver y for tunate to have a networ k of wonder ful clients who ar e keep i ng m e ( and m y fir st em ployee! ) v er y busy!
WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU NEED FOR SUCCESS? Is luck a per sonal quality? It has played a huge par t in m y car eer , and I wouldn’t be wher e I am without the people that have advocated for m e. But wor king har d, lear n i ng lots, and building r elations hi p s tr ansfor m s luck into r eality.
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
I q u i c k l y le a rne d a fte r l ea ving u n i v e r s i t y t h a t stud yi n g l aw d oe sn’t pre p a r e y o u to b e a l aw yer. A nyone t h a t m a n a g es to fi n i sh a l a w d egr ee is o b v i o u s l y i n te l l i g e n t – b ut l aw is a b o u t p e o pl e an d rel ati on sh ips, a n d b o o k s ma rts w i l l on l y take you s o f a r . Be ing rel ata b l e , g e n u ine, a n d c o l l a b orati ve (mi xe d w i th a do s e o f c o mmo n se n se ) i s the diff e r e n c e b etw ee n a l a w yer a n d a pe r s o n t h a t j u st kn o w s the l aw . As a n e w g rad ua te , the most im p o r t a n t t hi ng s yo u ca n b e ar e u s e f u l , r e l i ab l e , a n d kee n . You won ’ t b e t h e sma rtest p e rson i n the ro o m – n o b od y i s – b ut a w i l l i ng ness t o l e a r n a nd a g e n u i ne i n te r est in t h e w o r k yo u ’ re d oi ng w i l l set y o u a p a r t a n d l a y th e fo u n d ati ons f o r a r e w a rd i ng c a ree r. D ur ing y o u r e a r l y yea rs of p ra c ti se, you s h o u l d e x p ect to g e t p a i d mo re in e x p e r i e n c e tha n i n d o l l a rs. S eek o u t g r e a t m ento rs a n d su p p o rter s, a n d t h e r e w a rd s w i l l fo l l o w .
ATTORNEY GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT La u re n B u r ke Se n i o r L e g al O ffi c e r
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? I a m a S e n io r Le g al O ffi c e r i n the O f f i c e o f I nte rna ti on a l La w i n the Com m o n w e al th A tto rne y-G en e ral’s Dep a r t m e n t (A GD ). My role in v o l v e s p r o vi d i ng i n te rna ti on a l law a d v i c e a c r oss th e C ommo n w ealth G o v e r n m e n t . O ur Offi ce co ver s a ll k e y a r e as of i nte rna ti on a l law a n d w e h a v e th e fl e xi b i l i ty to wor k a c r o s s d i f f ere n t a rea s o ve r tim e – I a m c u r r en tl y w o rki n g p ri mar ily o n l a w o f t h e sea an d i nte rna ti onal e n v i r o n m e n ta l l a w i ssu e s a n d I have pre v i o u s l y w orked o n i nte rna ti onal h u m a n r i g h t s an d refu g ee l a w and in te r n a t i o n a l e c o n o mi c l aw ma tter s.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? Ther e r eally is no typical day of wor k. We pr ovide legal advice i n m any differ ent ways, so m y d ay m ight involve dr afting for m al l eg al advice; pr oviding legal com ments on cabinet subm issions; r eview i ng dr aft legislation to ensur e i t i s consistent with inter national l eg al obligations; suppor ting Austr al i a’ s r atification of a tr eaty; pr ovi d i ng advice to an Austr alian deleg ati on par ticipating in an inter nati onal m eeting; or negotiating a new tr eaty with other States. Our wo r k i s dynam ic, always inter esting, an d w e have the oppor tunity to contr i b ute to Austr alia’s policy r esponses to key global challenges. I joined the Office of Inter nati onal Law after com pleting the AGD Gr aduate Pr ogr am in 2016. The Gr aduate Pr ogr am was a g r eat intr oduction to the APS and the depar tm ent, and I was able to com plete the Gr aduate Diplom a i n Legal Pr actice thr ough ANU at the sam e tim e. Pr ior to joining AGD I wor ked at the Austr alian Nati onal Centr e for Ocean Resour ces and Secur ity ( ANCORS) at the Univer sity of Wollongong, w her e I built up m y exper ience in law of the sea and inter national fisher i es law thr ough wor king on Pa ci fi c fisher ies gover nance issues.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE AT UNI? I am cur r ently studying an LLM i n Inter national Law par t- tim e at AN U . ANU is a fantastic univer sity for those inter ested in inter nati onal law. M y advice to ANU law students wanting to pur sue a car eer i n inter national law would be to bui l d str ong r elationships with y our lectur er s and m ake the m ost of the oppor tunities available to you at ANU: inter national law electi v es , m oots such as Jessup, pu b l i c Careers Guide 2021
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s e m i n a r s b y i n te rna ti on a l law e x p e r t s , r esea rch -b a se d su b j ects w h i c h a l l ow you to foc u s on s p e c i f i c i n te rna ti on a l l eg al i ssues, c o u r s e s i n G en e va an d e l sew her e, a s s i s t i n g a cad emi c s w i th re se ar ch, e t c . I w o u l d a l so sug g e st ke e ping a n e y e o u t for p a ral eg al or sum m er int e r n o p po rtun i ti e s w i th i n the A P S , f o r in sta n c e , w i th A G D or t h e D e p a r t m en t of Fo rei g n A ffair s a n d T r a d e . Th e re a re so m any di f f e r e n t w ays to g a i n exp eri ence a n d d e m o n strate a n d d e ve l op y our int e r e s t i n i nte rna ti on a l l aw , all o f w h i c h w i l l g re a tl y a ssi st when it c o m e s to se e ki ng g rad uate po s i t i o n s .
DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS Le s c i n s k a Fern an d e z Su m m e r C l e r k
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? A s a s u m m er cl erk at th e D ep artment o f H o m e A f fai rs, I w a s p l ac e d i n the F a s t T r a c k L i ti g ati on S ec ti on o f the L e g a l D i v i s i on . T h i s sec ti on was de v o t e d t o d e a l i n g w i th th e l egacy c a s e l o a d , w hi ch i s co mp ri se d of t h e 3 0 , 0 0 0 u n a u th o ri se d ma ri tim e a r r i v a l s b e tw ee n A ug ust 2012 a n d J a n u a ry 2 0 1 4 . Th rou g hout m y c l e r k s h i p I w a s e xp ose d to a ra n g e o f f ast-tra c k ca se s an d was inv o l v e d i n l i a i si n g w i th p ar cel f i r m s t h a t w ere re sp on si b l e for e a c h c a s e . Mo reo ve r, I kep t tabs o n t h e r e l e van t c o u rt he a ri n g d ates, re v i e w e d s ub mi ssi o n s fo r the cour t h e a r i n g s a nd l o o ke d a t j u d g e ments t h a t w e r e ha n d ed d ow n. I a ssi s ted m y s u p e r v i so r an d en su red that all re l e v a n t i n fo rma ti on w a s p rovided t o t h e f i r ms th a t w e w or ked w i t h . M y c l erkshi p sol i d i fi ed m y u n d e r s t a n di ng o f th e meri ts review a n d j u d i c i al revi ew p ro c e sse s and 36
gave m e an invaluable oppor tu ni ty to see adm inistr ative law in act i on.
MOST REWARDING AND CHALLENGING ASPECTS? The m ost r ewar ding aspect of the r ole was wor king in such a hi g hpr ofile or ganisation. Thr oughout m y cler kship I was exposed to cases that will go on to chang e adm inistr ative law as we k now it, and cases that will pr ob ab l y be in the Adm in Law cur r ic ul um next year ! In par ticular the Lov e v Com m onwealth of Austr alia and the Thom s v Com m onwealth of Austr alia cases wer e being hear d in the High Cour t of Austr ali a i n Decem ber 2019. These cases ar e looking at whether m em ber s of an Abor iginal soci ety have such a str ong claim to the pr otection of the Cr own that they m ay be said to owe per m anent allegiance to the Cr own. As p ar t of m y cler kship, I was able t o g o to the High Cour t and listen to the pr oceedings of these cases, w hi ch was extr em ely r ewar ding. The m or e challenging aspect of the r ole w as under standing Austr alia’s fas ttr ack r eview pr ocess, a sy s tem that has often been cr iticised i n Austr alia.
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
DIVERSITY AND EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS J a me s K w an S en i or A na l yst Commonwe a lth Supe rannuation Corpora tio n
I t ’s h a r d t o overstate ho w a ttrac tive a s t a b l e j o b c a n b e i n th e mi ddle o f a g l o b a l p an d emi c ! Y e t d espite t h e s t e r e o t yp e of p e o p l e see king e m p l o y m e n t i n th e p ub l i c se ctor o n l y b e c a u s e of the ‘ se c u ri ty’, a jo b i n G o v e rnmen t g ran ts a p ers on a u n i q u e va n ta g e p oi nt i nto the c o n t e m p o r a r y i ssu e s c o n c e rning Aus t r a l i a n s , an d the p ri vi l eg e of c o n t r i b u t i n g to a so l uti on . F a r from be i n g a h omog en o u s w orkfor ce, candidates from a c u l turally lin g u i s t i c and d i ve rse (C A LD) ba c k g r o u n d sho u l d b e e n c o u raged to apply. I M P O RT AN T: A ustral i an c i t i z e n s h i p i s a req ui re ment f o r n e a r l y a l l p o si ti o n s w i th the C o m m o n we a l th G ove rnmen t. If y o u a r e n o t a n A ustral i a n ci ti ze n, t r y l o o k i n g a t p osi ti o n s w i th s m a l l e r g ove rnmen t ag en c i es, s t a t e / t e r r i to ry g ove rnmen ts, or e m p l o y e r s w ho w o rk a d j a c e nt t o g o v e r n men t (i .e . l aw fi rms, c o n s u l t a n ci es).
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? Cur r e n t l y , I’ m w orki n g as a compliance a n a l yst for the Com m o n w e al th S u p eran n u a tion Cor p o r a t i o n (C S C ) to e n su re that CS C c o m p l i es w i th th e l aw i n all o f t h e j u r i s d i c ti on s i t i n ve sts in. O n a n y g i v e n d a y, I’ l l b e l o o king a t f i n a n c i a l re g ul ati on i n A ustralia, t h e U S , E urop e an d a n ything in b e t w e e n! O ne of the g r eat t h i n g s a b o ut my j o b i s w ork ing wit h c o l l e ag ue s fro m d i ffe r ent dis c i p l i n e s a n d b a c kg ro u n d s. As
fellow pr actitioner s, I fir m ly believ e that a diver se wor kfor ce pr oduc es better outcom es.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I definitely did not take a str a i g ht r oute to m y position! M y fir st j ob after gr aduating was with the AC T Gover nm ent as a lawyer wor kin g i n litigation. I then took som e tim e off to pur sue fur ther studies over seas , befor e r etur ning to Austr alia to w or k at the Tr easur y as a policy anal y s t. I then m oved to CSC wher e I work ed as in- house counsel befor e m ov i ng to m y cur r ent location. I feel r eally lucky to have wor k ed in the Law in a var iety of positions , as a pr actitioner , policy ana l y s t and in- house counsel. M y ANU l aw degr ee has always stood m e in good stead for pr oviding a fr am ewor k for whatever pr oblem s I need to s ol v e at wor k.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR UNI AGE SELF? M y fir st piece of advice would b e to sell pr ospective em ployer s on y our individual str engths and qualiti es . The ANU is held in high esteem b y em ployer s in Austr alia, includ i ng within Gover nm ent and the pub l i c sector , so you shouldn’t wor r y about not being ‘sm ar t’ eno ug h ( Im poster syndr om e is r ea l ! ) . While you shouldn’t neglect the qualifications and tr aits em ploy er s list in their position descr ipti ons when pr epar ing applications and for inter views, m ake sur e you disc us s what defines you as an individual i n a clear way to distinguish your s el f befor e the r ecr uiter s. I feel that CALD candidates hav e a r eal advantage in that r eg ar d . Far fr om not fitting the m ould of an ideal candidate, people w i th a CALD backgr ound often hav e a lifetim e’s wor th of exper ience of com m unicating and engagi ng Careers Guide 2021
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be t w e e n c u l tures an d a u d i e n ces. T h e a b i l i t y to co n n e c t an d b e ‘all t h i n g s t o a l l p e o p l e ’ i s a d e si rable t ra i t f o r G o ve rnmen t e mp l oyees re s p o n s i b l e for fash i on i ng p o licy f o r a m u l t i c u l tural soc i ety. F in a l l y , d o n’ t u n d eresti ma te the bre a d t h o f op p o rtun i ty a va i l a b l e in t h e p u b l i c s ecto r. I w as co mp l etely ig n o r a n t t o th e w ork Go ve rnm ent pe r f o r m e d w h i l e I w a s a t un i vers ity, a n d t h o u g ht th a t you ne e d ed a ‘n u m b e r s ’ deg re e to w ork at the T re a s u r y o r F i na n c e d e p artments (y o u m o s t d efi ni tel y d o n ’ t- I s till u s e m y f i n g e rs to c o u n t to 1 0 …) . I f y o u ’ r e u nsu re w h e th e r a p u blic s e c t o r e m p l o ye r i s a g oo d fi t for y o u , t r y f o l low i n g th e i r i n i ti a ti v es in t h e n e w s , o r b ette r ye t, p u l l out a c o p y o f t he i r a n n u a l re p ort. Not o n l y w i l l t h i s e q ui p yo u w i th a b etter u n d e r s t a n d i ng of w ha t th e y do, it ’l l h e l p y o u ti e yo u r ap p l i c a ti ons a n d i n t e r v i ew resp on se s to that e m p l o y e r ’ s c u rre n t p ri ori ti es and pro j e c t s .
USEFUL LINKS APS Jobs https://www.apsjobs.gov.au/s/ At t orney General’s Depart men t https://www.ag.gov.au/about- us / car eer s Aust ralian Compet it ion and Consumer Commission Int ernships https://www.accc.gov.au/aboutus/em ploym ent- car eer s/inter noppor tunities Depart ment of Home Af f airs Summer Clerk Program https://law.anu.edu.au/sites/ all/files/m edia/docum ents/jobs / depar tm ent_of_hom e_affair s_- _ sum m er _cler k_pr ogr am .pdf 38
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES Com m u n i t y L e g al C en tres (C LC’s) a re e s t a b l i sh e d an d ru n b y each s t a t e a n d t e r ri to ry, w hi ch al l o w s for c e n t r e s t o t a rg e t the mo st p ressing a re a s o r i s sue s. C e n tres are notf o r - p r o f i t , di fferi n g fro m p ri vate f ir m s o r p u b l i c o rg a n i sati ons. T h e s e c t o r atte mp ts to p rovide le g a l s e r v i c e s w he re th e y w ould o t h e r w i s e b e i na c c e ssi b l e. V ari ous CLC s w i l l sp ec i al i se o r d i rect re s o u r c e s to c e rtai n member s o f t h e c o m mu n i ty. Fo r exa mple, W o m e n ’ s L e g al S ervi c e s (WL S ) and Ab o r i g i n a l Le g al S e rvi c e s (A LS.) Pri o r t o a p p l yi n g , i t i s i mp ortan t to u n d e r s t a n d the na tu re an d fo c u s of e a c h c e n t r e ’ s w ork. So m e C L Cs h a ve e sta b l i shed gra d u a t e p rog ra ms su c h as L e g a l Ai d (N S W) o r al terna ti vely, de d i c a t e d i nternsh i p s a va i l a b l e to s t u d e n t s . O fte n , stu d en ts may also re g i s t e r t h ei r i n te rest to w o rk or v o l u n t e e r w i th a C L C . T o i n te g rate c o m m u n i t y l aw exp eri e n c e into y o u r d e g r ee, A N U a l so o ffer s L AWS 4 2 6 8 , a cl i n i ca l p ro g ra m, in whi c h s t u d en ts e l ec t to w ork one f u l l d a y a w ee k a t a C LC . W o r k i n g w i th the co mmu n i ty l egal s e c t o r p r o v i d es a n a ve n u e to a d v o c a t e f or p ressi ng i ssue s of s o c i a l j u s t i ce w i th i n th e l oc a l and bro a d e r c o mmu n i ty. F u rthe r, it pro v i d e s h a n d s-o n e xp eri e n c e into t h e p r a c t i c al ski l l s e xp ec te d fr om y o u n g l a w y ers.
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LEGAL AID ACT E llie Wallis S ol i c i tor L e g al A i d A C T
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? M y c u r r e n t rol e at Le g al A i d ACT in v o l v e s p ro vi d i ng a d vi c e to c li e n t s a n d rep re se n ti ng c l i ents in c r i m i n a l matte rs, p ri mari l y in t h e A C T M a g i strate s C ou rt. I wor k wit h c l i e n t s d a i l y a n d am i n c our t m u l t i p l e t i m e s a w ee k. T h i s i n c l udes giv i n g a d v i ce on a d u ty b a si s as wel l a s a m o re o n g oi ng b a si s, al ong wit h r e g u l ar co u rt ap p e a ran ces s u c h a s b a i l a p p l i c a ti on s, p l ea s in m i t i g a t i o n ( s e n te n c e s) a n d va ri ous o t h e r a p p l i c a ti on s. M y p r e v i o u s ro l e i n th e Fa m ily Vio l e n c e t e am a t L e g al A i d i n vo l v ed re p r e s e n t i n g b oth a p p l i c a n ts and re s p o n d e n t s i n th e A C T Mag i strates Cou r t P r o t e cti on U ni t j u ri sd i c tion. Ag a i n , t h i s i nc l ud ed l o ts o f c our t t im e including a p p l i c a ti ons, in te r i m h e a ri n g s a n d c o n fe ren ced negotiations.
HOW DID YOU KNOW THE ROLE WAS FOR YOU? T h e d y n a m ic n a tu re o f th e wor k a t L e g a l Ai d A C T i s a fe a tur e o f m y r o l e tha t sui ts me w e l l . It m e a n s I a m rarel y a t my d esk – u s u a l l y I ’ m ru n n i ng b e tw ee n c our t a p p e a r a n c es, cl i e n t i n te rvi e w s and c a s e c o n f e r en c e s – a n d th a t no two da y s a r e e v er th e same. I l ove the bre a d t h o f ma tte rs I g e t to wor k a c r o s s a n d the amou n t of d i ffer ent le g a l a r e a s I c a n e xp l o re. I’ ve yet t o b e b o r e d a t w ork! C l i en t w ork is a ls o a b i g r e a so n I l o ve my role. I t a k e g r e a t p ri d e i n assi sti n g m y 40
clients to achieve good outcom es , and feel par ticular ly r ewar d ed when I am able to get them a better outcom e in cour t than they m i g ht have achieved as an unr epr esented litigant. I also love the r ole becau s e of the am ple cour t appear ances – these ar e always fun, an adr enal i ne r ush and a good challenge!
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I was one of those people w ho genuinely got into law to h el p people! Dur ing univer sity, I was an Associate in the ACT M agistr a tes Cour t and felt dr awn to cr im i nal law. Dur ing this tim e, I adm i r ed the Legal Aid and Abor iginal Le g al Ser vice lawyer s for the end l es s har d wor k they do to assist o ften ver y vulner able and disadvanta g ed clients. I star ted m y car eer in le g al pr actice at Clayton Utz, wher e I gained valuable exper ie nce and skills acr oss a wide r ange of ar eas including m ajor pr ojects and constr uction, pr oper ty, and adm inistr ative law litigation. A fter having an oppor tunity to purs ue m y passion for litigation in the com m unity legal sector , I m ov ed acr oss to Legal Aid ACT.
TIP FOR APPLYING? Take up and seek out as many client- facing oppor tunities thr o ug h univer sity as you can – inter nsh i p s , par alegal positions and legal cli ni c subjects at ANU will all assis t i n building client wor k skills that ar e cr itical for wor king not just at Leg al Aid ACT, but m ost ar eas of le g al pr actice!
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
USEFUL LINKS G E N E R A L AD V IC E h t t p s : / / w w w .ac tl aw soc i ety.a sn . a u / f o r - t h e - p ub l i c/l eg al -h e l p / c o m m u n i t y - leg al -c e n tres LEG A L A I D h t t p s : / / w w w .l e g al ai d a c t.o rg .a u / a b o u t - u s / w orki n g -a t-l e g al -a i d h t t p s : / / w w w .l e g al ai d a c t.o rg .a u / a b o u t - u s / w orki n g -a t-l e g al -a i d / v o l u n t e e r s - wo rksho p -p l a c e men tswor k - e x p e r i en c e WOM E N S L EG A L C E N T R E h t t p s : / / w o m e n sl eg al ac t.o rg /g etin v o l v e d / AB O R I G I N AL L E GA L S E RV IC E S AC T h t t p s : / / w w w .al snsw ac t.o rg .a u / wor k _ w i t h _ u s CA N B ER R A C O MMU N IT Y L AW https://www. c a n b e r r a c o mmun i tyl a w .org .a u / jo b v o l u n t e e r-o p p o rtun i ti e s.h tml AN U C O M M UN IT Y L AW C L IN IC h t t p s : / / p r o g ramsan d co u rses.a n u. e d u . a u / c o u r se /l aw s42 6 8 AN U A C T I VE A P P R OA C H TO LR SJ h t t p s : / / l a w . a n u .e d u.a u /si tes/a l l / f ile s / m e d i a / b row ser/a5 _a n _a c ti v e_ a p p r o a c h _ w eb .p d f
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CRIMINAL AND FAMILY LAW Cr i m i n a l l a w yers ma y be c h a r a c t e r i s ed as e i the r on e of t w o c a t e g ori e s: on the si d e of prosecution or defence. Prosecutors a re e m p l o y ed b y S tate , T e rri tor y or C o m m on w ea l th g o ve rnm ent a n d a c t a s rep re se n ta ti ves of the Cr o w n . C o nversel y, d efe n c e acts a s r e p r e s e n tati ves o f th e a c c u sed, wor k i n g i n b oth p u b l i c org a n i sati ons a n d p r i v a t e fi rms. F a m i l y l a w y e rs a re exp ose d to a div e r s e r a n ge of ma tte rs, i nc l uding bu t n o t l i mi te d to sep aration, div o r c e , c hi l d sup p o rt, ad op tion a n d p r o p e r ty matte rs. Th e wor k undertaken by fa mi l y l aw y er s is highly i nd i vi d u a l i se d , with o u t c o m e s o fte n rel ati ng to d ra stic lif e e v e n t s . W o r k i n g i n cri mi n a l an d fam ily la w c a n b e b o th c h a l l e n g i n g , yet h ig h l y r e ward i ng . C o mp a ssion and e m p ath y a re va l uable s k i l l s i n e n su ri n g co n struc tive c o m m u n i c a t i on b e tw ee n p a rties, e s p e c i a l l y i n the fac e of often emotionally c h a rg e d , stre ssful matters.
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
FAITH GORDON S e n i o r L e c tu rer C r i m i n a l L aw
Dr F a i t h Gord o n i s a S e nior L e c t u r e r i n La w a t the A N U C ol l ege o f L a w , T he A u stral i a n N ati onal Uni v e r s i t y . S he c o n ve n e s C ri minal L a w a n d P ro c e d ure L L B a n d JD a n d t h e Y ou th L a w C l i n i c. She h a s p r e v i ousl y he l d a c a d em ic po s i t i o n s at Q ue e n ’ s U ni vers ity Bel f a s t , U n i ve rsi ty of Westmi n ster a n d M o n a s h U ni versi ty. Fa i th is t h e D i r e c t o r of the Inte rd i sci p l i nar y I n t e r n a t i o n al Y ou th Justice Net w o r k w hi c h she esta b l i shed in 2 0 1 6 . S he i s al so a R ese a r ch As s o c i a t e at th e In fo rma tion L a w & P o l i cy C e n tre, Insti tute of Ad v a n c e d Le g al S tud i e s, Lo n don. F a i t h h a s i nte rna ti on a l exp ertise a n d r e s e a r ch exp eri e n c e i n youth ju s t i c e ; m ed i a re p re se n ta ti ons; c h i l d r e n ’ s ri g hts; cri mi n a l l aw; dig i t a l t e c hn o l og i e s; reg ul ation and privacy law. H er rese a r ch o n p o l i c e re l ea se o f c h i l d ren’s im a g e s h a s b e e n refe rre d to by t h e U N C o m mi tte e o n th e R i g h ts of t h e C h i l d ( 20 1 5 ), i n th e N orther n I re l a n d H i g h C o u rt a n d i n the UK Cou r t o f A p pea l (2 0 1 9 ).
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I a m o r i g i na l l y from N o rther n I re l a n d a n d a m th e fi rst i n the f a m i l y t o g et to U ni versi ty. I saw m y U n i v e r s i ty ye a rs as a r eal o p p o r t u n i t y to i mmerse mys elf in t h e s t u d y of l aw an d exp l or e it s p r a c t i c al a p p l i c a ti on i n the c o m m u n i t y . I ha d a l w a ys w a n ted t o b e c o m e a ch i l d re n ' s l aw y er , h a v i n g w i t n essed i n my co mmu nity c h i l d r e n a n d yo u n g p e o p l e b eing dis c r i m i n a t e d a g ai nst, trea ted diff e r e n t l y a n d o fte n b l amed for t h i n g s t h a t th e y ha d n o t d o n e. I s a w i n e q u a li ti es a n d I al so n o ti ced t h e v e r y f e w op p o rtun i ti e s c h i l dr en a n d y o u n g p e o p l e ha d to ch a l l e nge h o w t h e y w ere b ei ng tre a te d .
I had gained hands- on exper ie nce volunteer ing with yo uth or ganisations in m y teens and while at Univer sity studying law , I volunteer ed at the Childr en's Law Centr e and Save the Childr en i n Nor ther n Ir eland. M y under gr adu ate thesis was m y fir st oppor tuni ty to conduct qualitative and quantitative r esear ch on childr en' s r ights and I gained a gr eater ins i g ht into the challenges for advoca tes , lawyer s and youth wor ker s. It w as awar ded the Nor ther n Ir eland Law Society Pr ize for the best r esear ch disser tation and was r efer r ed to by sever al or ganisations in pol i cy subm issions. It was at this m om ent that I r ealised that r esear ch co ul d m ake a r eal differ ence. This w as the im petus for m e em bar king on a PhD.
WHAT QUALITIES ARE REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE? I think being positive and "a peop l e per son" ar e essential qual i ti es , as well as being em otional l y intelligent. I do r esear ch in setti ng s which ar e often challenging places , such as pr isons and juv eni l e justice or detention facili ti es , you do need to be adaptable and Sim ilar ly in the context of pas tor al car e for students, being sensi ti v e, suppor tive and a good listener ar e essential qualities. I also think have an inquir ing mi nd , an ability to wor k independ entl y or suppor tively as a team - pl ay er in teaching team s or r esear ch team s is essential. Finally, bei ng passionate and som eone w ho per sever es, despite the "ups and downs" of academ ic life or life i n gener al, is essential. Careers Guide 2021
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MOST REWARDING AND CHALLENGING ASPECTS? T h e r e a r e so man y rew arding a s p e c t s o f b e i ng an a c a d emi c. I le a r n e v e r y d a y fro m my stu d ents, f ro m my c o l l e a g ue s, fr om pa r t i c i p a n t s i n th e rese a rch I do a n d f r o m t h e l i te ratu re I rea d .
without consent, pushed for chang e to the UK national guidelines for jour nalists ( 2015/2016) . When your wor k involves peo p l e exper iencing injustices, it can be difficult to switch off fr om the r esear ch and the issues it r ais es . This is the m ost challenging asp ect for m e per sonally.
M y r o l e a s a te a c h e r i s o f g reat im p o r t a n c e to me. I sti l l kee p in c o n t a c t w i t h a nu mb e r o f tea c her s who r e a l l y i nsp i red me as a law student. Th e most rew arding a s p e c t s o f th i s p art o f my role a re w a t c h i ng stu d en ts g ro w in c o n f i d e n c e , w atc h i ng the m d e velop n e w s k i l l s , an d n o ti ci ng th a t spar k f o r w a n t i n g to a c h i eve so c i al j u stice f o r a l l . I t i s al w a ys a w on d er ful f e e l i n g w h e n you re c e i ve an e-mail, t w e e t , o r w r itten ca rd fro m a former s t u d e n t , w i th a n u p d a te o f the won d e r f u l a nd i n sp i ri n g th i ng s they h a v e g o n e on to d o a n d a c h i eve on t h e i r o w n j o urn e y. I a m a l s o e xtremel y fortun a te i n m y re s e a r c h t o en g ag e w i th c h i l d ren, y o u n g p e o pl e , a d voc a te s, p olicy m a k e r s a n d o th e rs on a reg ular ba s i s . M y m i ssi on i s to e n su re that m a r g i n a l i s e d voi ce s, i n p arti c ular t h o s e o f ch i l d re n an d yo ung pe o p l e , a r e he a rd an d resp ec ted. Se e i n g m y r ese a rch d i rec tl y i mpact a n d p r o v i d e the evi d e n c e for pra c t i t i o n e r s an d p ol i c y offi ce rs to lo b b y f o r c ha n g e an d b ei ng u sed by p r a c t i s i ng l a w yers i n c o u rt, is a n e x t r e m e l y re w ard i ng a sp ec t of be i n g a r e s e a rch e r. I ha ve b een v e r y f o r t u n a te tha t my re se a rch has be e n u s e d i n l oc a l an d i n te rna ti onal s e t t i n g s . F o r e xa mp l e, my re se a r ch o n p o l i c e re l ea se o f c h i l d ren’s im a g e s h a s b ee n refe rre d to b y the Uni t e d N a t i on s C ommi ttee o n the Rig h t s o f t he C h i l d (20 1 5 ), i n the Nor t h e r n I r el a n d H i g h C ou rt an d in t h e U K C o u rt of A p p e a l (2 0 1 9 ) and m y r e s e a r c h o n j ou rna l i sts' use o f c h i l d r e n ' s soc i al med i a w i thout
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
LEGAL ACADEMIA L e g a l a c a d emi a i s a ch a l l e n g i ng, y e t h i g h l y ful fi l l i ng c a ree r p ath. T h e r o l e o f a l eg al ac a d emi c is o f t e n t i m e s hi g h l y se l f-d i rec te d in it s n u m e r o us el emen ts. N a mely, in t e a c h i n g , re se a rch a n d w ri ting. Legal a c ad emi c s th e msel v es m a y a l s o c h o o se to c o n ti nue pra c t i c i n g i n some l eg al ca p acity, f u r t h e r a d d ing to the p rofe ssi onal wor k l o a d . T h e n a t u r e of th e w ork re q uir es h ig h levels of sel f-d i sc i p l ine, s e e i n g a s y ou a re n o t a n sw er ing t o p a r t n e r s o r trac ki ng b i l l able h o u r s . R a t h er, en su ri n g rese a rch is c o m p l e t e d on ti me a n d syl l a b uses a re e f f e c t i v e l y cu rate d . A s i s the c a s e a c r o s s th e l eg al se c to r, this is a h i g h l y co mp e ti ti ve fi e l d that re q u i r e s e x c e l l e n t re se a rch sk ills a n d a c a d e mi c h i story.
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INTERNATIONAL LAW ACADEMIA D r C a s s a n d ra S tee r
Dr . C a s s a n d ra S te e r F H E A i s a M i s s i o n S p ec i al i st w i th the ANU I n s t i t u t e o f S p ac e (In S p a c e ), and a S e n i o r L e c tu rer a t the C o l l ege o f L a w s p e c i al i si ng i n sp a c e l aw, s p a c e s e c uri ty an d i n te rna ti onal la w . D r . S te e r ha s more th a n a de c a d e o f i n te rna ti on a l exp eri e nce t e a c h i n g a t uni versi ti es i n A ustralia, Eu r o p e , N o rth A me ri c a an d S outh Am e r i c a , a n d b ri n g s a co mp a rative pe r s p e c t i v e to al l he r rese a rch and teaching. Her c u r r e n t rese a rch foc u se s on s p a c e s e c uri ty, i nc l ud i n g sp ace s itu a t i o n a l aw aren e ss a n d sp ace t ra f f i c m a na g emen t, an d the a p p l i c a t i o n of th e l aw o f a rmed c o n f l i c t a n d u se of force i n outer s p a c e . S h e h a s b ee n a c o n su l tant t o m i l i t a r y l aw yers i n th e C an a dian J u d g e Ad v o c a te G en e ral ’ s O ffice a n d t o t h e U .S . a n d A ustralian Dep a r t m e n t s o f D e fe n c e on these iss u e s .
M cGill Faculty of Law, Univer sity of Br itish Colum bia Law School, and the Univer sidad Tor cuato Di T el l a in Buenos Air es.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I had a pr otr acted jour ney of st ud y over 10 year s, and when I finis hed m y M aster s I hesitated about doi ng a PhD and heading into academi a, or seeking a gover nm ent job wh er e I could pr actice inter national la w . I wanted to know the “best” path, b ut a fr iend said to m e I just had to fo l l ow what felt r ight inside. I som e how knew teaching and r esear ch wo ul d fit m e like a com for table ou tfi t, so I contacted a pr ofessor w ho I adm ir ed, and I was lucky to land a contr act as a junior academ i c i n the Nether lands. Right away I k new it was r ight for m e. I pur sued a P hD in inter national cr im inal law, tau g ht dom estic and com par ative cr im i nal law, and star ted to discover who I am as an academ ic, car ving m y ow n theor etical path as a r esear cher and engaging with inter acti v e pedagogical techniques as a teacher . When I com pleted m y PhD, I fel t like ever yone ar ound m e wa s a specialist in inter national cr imi nal law, and I wanted to find a fiel d of law wher e m y concer n for hum an conflict could still be expr ess ed , but wher e new questions co ul d be asked about technology, w ar , and r esponsibility. Colleag ues who specialised in m ilitar y l aw pointed m e to space law and space secur ity, and it becam e m y ins tant passion. I’m now excited to be a specialist in a tr uly bur geon i ng field of inter national law.
F o r m e r l y D r. S te e r h a s held po s i t i o n s as A cti ng E xec u tive Dir e c t o r a t th e U ni versi ty of Pe n n s y l v a n ia’ s C en te r fo r E thics a n d R u l e o f Law , E xe c u ti ve D i rector o f W o m e n i n Inte rna ti on a l S e c u r ity - C a n a d a , E xe c u ti ve D i rec to r of t h e M c G i l l In sti tute of A i r and Sp a c e L a w , an d S e n i or Le c tur er a t t h e U n i v e rsi ty of A mste rd am . Sh e h a s a d eg re e i n p hi l o so phy (U N S W ) ; u n d erg rad ua te and M a s t e r s d e g ree s i n l a w a n d a PhD in I n t e r n a t i on a l C ri mi na l L a w , all f ro m t h e U ni ve rsi ty o f A msterd am . I n 2 0 1 1 D r S te e r w as a F u l b ri ght Sc h o l a r a t C o rne l l L a w S ch o o l , and s h e h a s b e en a V i si ti ng S ch o l ar at 46 Australian National University Law Students’ Society
WHAT QUALITIES ARE REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE? Su c c e s s i n ac a d emi a ca n be m e a s u r e d i n so man y d i ffe r ent way s . Re s e arc h ou tp ut i s ac tu ally t h e m o s t i mp o rtan t, so a l o ve for e n d l e s s h o urs so l vi n g th e o retical pu z z l e s i n y ou r h e a d , a l on e , i n front o f y o u r c o mp ute r, i s d efi ni tel y a de s i r e d q u al i ty. N o t al l suc c e ssful a c a d e m i c s a re g oo d tea c h e rs, but I c o n s i d e r t h e rol e of the ed uc a to r to be a n h o n o ur, a n d a resp on si b i lity. So i n t e r p e rson a l ski l l s ar e im p o r t a n t : the ab i l i ty to en g age wit h s t u d e n ts, to ca re ab ou t their le a r n i n g , t o su p p o rt the m i n a pa s t o r a l r o l e are re a l l y i mp o rtant. (Es p e c i a l l y i n th e fa c e o f the im p a c t s o f a p an d emi c !) B u t this wil l n o t a l w ays b e as va l ue d b y the in s t i t u t i o n , so se l f-c o n fi d e n c e is n e e d e d . A l so , some hu mi l i ty: to be c o m f o r t a b l e w i th the fac t tha t som e s t u d e n t s w i l l g o on to ha ve much m o r e i l l u s t r i ous ca ree rs th a n I! And a w i l l i n g n e ss to h a ve a c a ree r that m e a n s y o u ca n ne ve r shu t th e d oor a t 5 p m a n d turn off the w o rk i n y our head.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR UNI AGE SELF? Don ’ t b e d i sc o u rag ed b y fe e ling lik e y o u d o n’ t fi t i n (I rea l l y d i dn’t in m y f i r s t yea rs of l aw sch o ol! ) . Don ’ t b e afrai d o f n o t kn o wing wha t c o m e s ne xt. A l l th e th i ngs y o u c a r e a b out i n thi s w o rl d c a n be a d d r e s s e d by th e l aw , eve n i f they c a n ’ t b e s o l v ed b y th e l a w , so keep do i n g a l l t h e rea d i n g , you ’ l l thank y o u r s e l f l a t er. A l so , yo u re a l l y d on’t k n o w e v e r y thi ng a b ou t th e w or ld o r y o u r s e l f yet, tha t j o u rne y has de c a d e s t o g o , so j ust c h i l l .
Associat e Prof essor Esm é Shirlow
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? M y r ole as an academ ic at the AN U College of Law is divided betw een r esear ch ( 40% of m y wor klo ad ) , teaching ( 40%) and ser v i ce/ adm inistr ation ( 20%) . M y r esear ch focusses on public inter national law, inter national disp ute settlem ent, and inter national investm ent law and ar bitr atio n. I have significant fr eedom to sel ect m y r esear ch topics, and typical l y tr y to use m y engagem ent i n pr actice, as well as m y netw or k s with pr actitioner s and gover nment officials to identify topics w i th potential policy or other pr acti cal im pacts. I r esear ch, for examp l e, how inter national cour ts and tr ibunals give weight to dom e s ti c public policy decisions; how ci v i l society benefits fr om incr ea s ed tr anspar ency in inter nati onal law and dispute settlem ent; how inter disciplinar y r esear ch m ethodologies and theor ies can b e used in international law scholarship to pr oduce evidence- bas ed r esear ch; and how individuals and cor por ations m ight be accord ed r ights and r esponsibilities un d er inter national law. I cur r ently teach at the under gr aduate and postgr aduate levels in inter national law, and super vise r esear ch students on inter national law pr ojects. The 40% teaching load is r oug hl y equivalent to teaching four cour ses per year . In m y ‘ser v i ce’ r ole, I wor k as an ANU Tuck w el l Fellow ( pr oviding enr ichm ent and one- to- one m entor ing activ i ti es for ANU Tuckwell Scholar s) , an Editor of the Austr alian Year B ook of Inter national Law, and as a coopted m em ber of the Council of the Austr alia and New Zealand Soci ety Careers Guide 2021
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o f I n t e r n a ti on a l La w a n d CoCha i r of the S o c i ety’ s 2 021 Ann u a l C on fe ren c e C o mmi ttee. I a l s o e n g a g e i n e xte rna l serv ice a c t i v i t i e s , i n c l ud i n g a s an A ssoc iate Ed i t o r w i t h K l uw er A rb i trati on Blog (m a n a g i n g the E urop e te a m, and t h e i n v e s t me n t arb i tra ti on team , o f As s i s t a n t E d i to rs) an d a s an As s o c i a t e E d i to r o f th e IC SID Rev i e w – F o rei g n In ve stm ent L a w J o u r n al . I al so co n ti nu e to pra c t i c e a s a co n su l tan t/l aw yer on in te r n a t i o n a l d i sp ute s.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM THIS ROLE? M y j o b a l l o ws me to l e a rn ne w th i ngs e v e r y d a y . My re se a rch , tea c hing a n d s e r v i c e rol es a l l a l l o w me to h a v e d a i l y c onve rsati on s w i th a wide array of people including academics in v a r i o u s d i sci p l i n e s; g ove rnm ent o f f i c i a l s b oth i n A u stral i a and o v e r s e a s ; p rac ti ti o n e rs i n fi rms, at in te r n a t i o n a l c o u rts an d at th e bar ; in te r n a t i o n a l c i vi l soc i ety g ro ups; a n d s t u d e n ts at va ri o u s a c a d em ic s t a g e s a n d i n d i ffe ren t d eg re e s.
r esponsible for pr oviding adv i ce to the feder al Gover nm ent on Austr alia’s inter national law obligations. M uch of m y job involv ed r esear ching and wr iting advic es for counsel and senior pub l i c ser vants on issues of inter national law. I loved this aspect of m y r ol e, and began using the var ious ga p s in the liter atur e that I identified to dr aft r esear ch ar ticles. M y m entor s at the Depar tm ent eventual l y encour aged m e to apply for an LL.M . and, subsequently, a PhD i n the United Kingdom . I thor oughly enjoyed b oth exper iences, which allowed m e to inter act with academ i cs , gover nm ent officials and pr actitioner s thr ough m y r esear ch, and students thr ough teaching . An academ ic car eer com bines the skills and activities I have enjoy ed my pr ofessional engagem e nts and so was a logical choice after finishing m y PhD.
T h e d i v e r s i ty of my ro l e an d the t y p e s o f p e op l e I g e t to sp e n d tim e wit h m e a n s th a t I ha ve i nte resting (o f t e n c h a l l eng i n g !) co n ve rsati ons o n a d a i l y ba si s. T h i s h a s h e l ped m e t o l o o k a t myse l f, th e l a w , and t h e w o r l d i n d i fferen t a n d e ver e v o l v i n g w a y s.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I w a s o r i gi na l l y a ttrac te d to a c a r e e r i n p u b l i c se rvi c e , so a fter gra d u a t i n g fro m my u n d erg rad uate de g r e e s I a p p l i e d for a p l ace in s e v e r a l g ove rnmen t g rad uate pro g r a m s , e ve n tu a l l y a c c e p ting a r o l e w i t h th e A ttorne y-G en e ral’s Dep a r t m e n t ’ s G ra d ua te P rog ra m . I was l u c k y e n o u g h to h a ve a rota tion t h r o u g h t h e Offi ce of Inte rna ti onal L a w , w h e r e I ul ti mate l y settled a f t e r t h e p r o g ra m. Th e Offi ce is 48
USEFUL LINKS CoL Scholarships and Grant s https://law.anu.edu.au/study/ scholar ships- gr ants Ext ernal Scholarships https://law.anu.edu.au/study/ exter nal- scholar ships Planning your career pat h in leg al academia https://gradaustralia.com.au/ career-planning/planning-yourlaw- car eer - path- in- academ ia
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
ADMIN LAW ACADEMIA P ro fes s o r G reg We e k s
MOST REWARDING AND CHALLENGING ASPECTS? T h e r e a r e three e sse n ti al p ar ts t o m y r o l e , an d I en j oy (an d am c h a l l e n g e d b y) e a c h o f th e m. T h e f i r s t p o i n t i s hu g el y i mp ortant – do n ’ t t a k e o n a tea c h i ng j ob i f you do n ’ t l i k e s tu d en ts a n d the tim e y o u w i l l s p en d w o rki n g w i th th em . I e n j o y w o r k i n g w i th stud en ts v er y m u c h – m y jo b w ou l d b e very l i ttle f u n i f I d i d n ’t. Se c o n d l y , r esea rch i s no t a c h or e f o r m e – i n fa c t, i t i s so meth i ng I ge n u i n e l y e nj oy. T h a t i nc l ud es not o n l y t h e w o rk I p u b l i sh a l on e , but t h e c h a n c e to w ork w i th o th er s, e ith e r s e n i o r or j u n i or to me. T h i r d l y , n o t e ve ryon e l ove s ta king o n m a n a g e m en t an d se rvi c e ro les, bu t I d o . B e i ng the D ep uty H ead o f S c h o o l p uts i n te resti ng (and s o m e t i m e s d i ffi c u l t) i ssue s o n m y de s k . I t r u l y e n j oy b ei ng ab l e to c o n t r i b u t e to the ma n a g emen t of t h e C o l l e g e b y d ea l i n g w i th th em . So , t h a t ’ s a cop o u t – I ha ve na m ed t h r e e a s p e cts, b u t I a m rew arded and c h a l l eng ed by th e m all s im u l t a n e o usl y.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE?
I im m ediately loved adm in law and continued to wr ite on the sub j ect even when I was in pr actice as a solicitor . When I decided to star t a PhD, I applied for full- ti m e academ ic wor k – and didn’t g et it. The next year , I didn’t ge t i t either . Finally, I was hir ed at UN S W because their pr evious adm i n lawyer had m oved to another j ob . M ost law schools see one ad m i n lawyer as plenty. This is m y b i g tip: I got a job because I was luck y ; being good wouldn’t have m atte r ed if ther e was no vacancy. If y ou can’t be lucky, be per sisten t – which is to say, som etim es peo p l e get lucky because they tur n up . Keep tur ning up.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR UNI AGE SELF? M y univer sity aged self w as older than m ost of the stud ent cohor t is now, so I’ll answer thi s by pr etending that I was a l i ttl e younger , not m ar r ied and with no childr en. Although, not tr ying to do law school with babies in the house is wor th consider ing – b ut that’s an issue for people to w or k out for them selves. The thing that I r eflect on w i th satisfaction is that m y wife an d I had no fam ily in Sydney; we live d a fr ugal existence, and both wor k ed . However , I always went to clas s es and did m y r eading and assessment wor k. The advice I would giv e i s to r em em ber that your lectur er s ar e not scar y people. In fact, they ar e people who genuinely wan t to help. Ask questions. Contr ibut e to tutor ials. Don’t be afr aid of be i ng wr ong. Find out what you can lear n fr om your lectur er s that isn’t in the book. Really, these people ar e nicer than you think.
I w a s a v i d e o sto re man a g er and t h e n r a n a l i q u o r store. I d i dn’t s t a r t l a w sc h o o l u n ti l ten year s a f t e r I l e f t s c h o o l . Whe n I g ot ther e
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WORKING IN THE COURTS As a l a w g ra d ua te , a nu mb e r of ro l e s a r e a vai l a b l e i n a c o u rtroom s e t t i n g , n a me l y w orki n g a s an a s s o c i a t e or ti p sta ff. Th e d u ties o f b o t h a n a sso c i ate a n d ti p s taff v a r y d e p e n d i n g o n the j u ri sd i c tion t h e y o p e r a t e i n . B o th h a ve a d i r ect wor k i n g r e l ati on sh i p w i th j u d ges, primarily engaging in legal research, dra f t i n g a n d g en e ral a d mi ni stra tive t a s k s . T h e s e ro l es are b o th of im m e n s e v al ue i n b ui l d i n g y our n e t w o r k a s w el l a s p ro vi d i ng an in - d e p t h u n d erstan d i n g of j ud i cial re a s o n i n g a nd th e i n n e rw o rki n g s of our courts. Em p l o y m e n t op p o rtun i ti e s ar e a ls o a v a i l a b l e for c u rre n t stud ents in t h e f o r m o f C ou rt Offi ce r or a lte r n a t e l y , a s a C o u rt Gu i d e . of t h e s e r o l e s p rovi d e exp osu re into a c o u r t r o o m se tti ng w i tho u t the rig o u r a n d q ua l i fi ca ti on s exp ec ted o f t h e a f o r e men ti on e d p osi ti ons. T h e r o l e o f a C o u rt Offi ce r e n tails, t h o u g h i s no t l i mi ted to, ru n ning t h e c o u r t r o o m fo r th e j u d g e and lit i g a t o r s . T a sks i n c l ud e ma n a ging o f d u t y l i s t s , sw ea ri n g i n w i tne sses, o p e n i n g a n d c l osi ng co u rt. Kee p a n e y e ou t for op p o rtun i ties a v a i l a b l e , w he th e r on th e A N U Law Car e e r s p a g e or th rou g h w o rd - ofm o u t h , o p p o rtun i ti e s a re a va i l a ble.
USEFUL LINKS ACT Supreme Court Associat eship https://www.cour ts.act. gov.au/supr em e/about- thecour ts/cor por ate- infor m ation/ em ploym ent- as- an- associate- i nthe- act- supr em e- cour t High Court Associat eship https://www.hcour t.gov.au/ em ploym ent/applying- for - anassociateship- with- a- justice- ofthe- high- cour t- of- austr alia Federal Court Associat eship https://www.fedcour t.gov.au/ about/em ploym ent/associates ACT M agist rat es Court Associat eship ht t ps: //www.cour ts.act.gov.au / m agistr ates/about- the- cour ts/ cor por ate- infor m ation/wor king- as an- associate- or - r esear ch- assi s tto- a- m agistr ate NSW Supreme Court Associat eship https://www.supr em ecour t.justi ce. nsw.gov.au/Pages/sco2_about us / sco2_car eer s.aspx#associate_ r oles
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
JUDGE’S ASSOCIATE La u re n S k i nn e r J u d g e ' s As s oc i ate AC T M a g i s t r a te s & S up re me C our t
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? I n m y f i n a l se meste r a t th e A NU, I w a s f o r t un a te en o u g h to be o f f e r e d a p osi ti o n as an asso c iate t o M a g i s t r a t e C a mp b el l at the ACT M a g i s t r a t e s C ou rt. A fte r w ork ing a t t h e M a g i stra te s C ou rt for the pa s t s e v e n mon th s, I h a ve rec e ntly c o m m e n c e d a n a sso c i ate sh i p in t h e A C T S u p reme C ou rt w i th Ju stice L o u k a s - K a r lsson . As a n a s s o c iate , yo u a re e sse n ti ally t h e J u d g e ’s p erson a l assi stant a n d i n - c o u rt a ssi stan t. In the M a g i s t r a t e s C ou rt, th i s i nvo l v es pre p a r i n g a l l fi l es b e fo re C o ur t, lia i s i n g w i th p arti e s, reg i str y, c o u r t l i s t i n gs an d th e Ma g i strates, o rd e r i n g t h e co u rt l i st, re c e i v ing t e n d e r e d d oc u men ts, op en i ng and c lo s i n g C o u rt, an d mu c h more. Es s e n t i a l l y , you r j o b i s to o rg a nise a n d r u n t h e c o u rtro o m. Mo st d ays a re s p e n t i n c ri mi n a l l i sts, w i th the o c c a s i o n a l ci vi l h e a ri n g , p ro te c tion unit a p p l i cati on , or c o ronial in q u e s t . A s ta n d ard d ay c a n i nvolve u p t o t h i r t y m atte rs i n th e morning, f o l l o w e d b y up to fo u r sen te n ces in t h e a f t e r n o o n . O the r d ays ar e s p e n t i n c o nteste d he a ri n g s, w her e a s s o c i a t e s h a ve th e o p p o rtunity to see ad voc a te s in a c tion m a k i n g a p pl i ca ti on s on evi d e nce a n d c r o s s -exa mi n i ng w i tn e sses.
I n t h e S u p r eme C o u rt, a sso c i ates a ls o a s s i s t the i r Ju d g e i n c o ur t, h o w e v e r , t he w o rk i s more l egal in n a t u r e , a n d the p ri ma ry role o f t h e a s s oc i ate i s to assist t h e J u d g e i n p rep ari n g fo r and dra f t i n g j u d g men ts. Th i s i nvo l v es
sum m ar ising subm issio ns , r esear ching case law, and play i ng an active r ole in discussing a nd debating cases with the Judge.
MOST REWARDING AND CHALLENGING ASPECTS? By far the m ost r ewar ding p ar t of being an associate is the oppor tunity to build a close work i ng r elationship with your Jud g e/ M agistr ate, and to gain an ins i d e per spective on life at cour t. The exposur e to cour t and to the deliber ations of a judicial office r as an associate is unpar alleled. That being said, it is a challenging r ol e that r equir es a ver y high standar d of wor k and involves significant r esponsibility for a gr aduate or young lawyer .
WHAT QUALITIES ARE REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE? Associateships can be difficul t to obtain, as hir ing decisions ar e often just as m uch about y our com petence as they ar e about y our per sonal com patibility with the M agistr ate/Judge you ar e apply i ng to. You will be spending 40+ hour s a week with your judicial officer , s o they ar e looking for som eone w ho is not only capable, but whose w or k style is com patible with their s. To give your self the best chance of gaining an associateship, y ou should focus on your r esilien ce, your com m unication skills, y our ability to wor k under pr essur e, y our ability to think on your feet, and y our willingness to wor k har d; these ar e all cr ucial to the associate r ole .
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Mela n y To o mb s A sso c i ate - Fa mi l y C ou rt of A u stral i a
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? W o r k i n g a s a n asso c i ate i n the F a m i l y C o u r t o f A ustral i a ha s b een a n i m m e n s e l y va l ua b l e exp eri e nce t h a t t a u g h t me a b ou t h u man n a tur e, u n c e r t a i n t y , a n d the w i l d d i versi ty of pe o p l e ’ s p r ob l e ms. I ha ve g row n to a p p r e c i a t e the d e e p c o n si d e ration t h e j u d g e s ded i c a te to ea c h case. T h e s p e c i a l i st l a w of th e F a m ily Cou r t h e l p s i t d ea l w i th si g ni fi cant u n k n o w n s a nd un p ro va b l e fa c tor s. Cas e s o f t e n d i sp en se w i th reg ular ru l e s o f e v i d en c e , fo c u si ng on f a c t - f i n d i n g an d h o w to w eigh u n c e r t a i n t i e s w he n j ud g i ng risk. M a t t e r s f e atu re e ve rythi ng from f ina n c i a l c o erci on to mi n d -b en ding c ry p t o c u r r e ncy, su p eran n u a tion a n d u n f o r g e tta b l y u n i q u e p ro p er ty a s s e t s . P e rfo rmi ng c o u rt o fficer du t i e s h a s al so g i ven me a g r eat pra c t i c a l u nd erstan d i n g of h o w the c o u r t r o o m fun c ti on s. It h a s b een a p r i v i l e g e to w o rk so cl ose l y with s u c h a t i g h t - kn i t an d co mp a ssi onate c h a m b e r s t eam i n n a vi g a ti ng these cases.
WHAT JOURNEY LED YOU TO THIS ROLE? I n e v e r e x p e c te d to w o rk i n Fa m ily L a w . T h r o u g ho u t my d e g re e I de v e l o p e d a n i n te rest i n ho w law a f f e c t s w o me n an d mi g ra n ts. I wa s c o n s i ste n tl y d ra w n to mor e t h e o r y - o r i e nte d su b j e c ts l i ke ‘ L aw, L ite r a t u r e a nd H uman R i g hts’ , and ‘F em i n i s t C ri ti c a l L e g al T h e or y’. W he n a f r i end sug g e ste d I a pply f o r a p o s i t i on a s an asso c i ate in t h e F a m i l y C ou rt, I j u mp e d a t the o p p o r t u n i t y to see the l e g al system f ro m t h e i n si d e . It g ave me the 52
chance lear n about how over lappi ng issues such as sexual violen ce, housing, and child pr otection p l ay out in a legal context. You can not m ake up the types of stor ies y ou encounter in Fam ily Law, so if y ou thr ive on var iety I would encour ag e you to consider it. Fam ily Law w i l l consistently sur pr ise, challe ng e and am aze you.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR UNI AGE SELF? I would wholehear tedly r ecom mend doing electives you enjoy, r ather than slogging it out in subjects that you think em ployer s will des i r e. Lectur es and assignm ents that excite you can help in deciding on your car eer path, and you will li k el y per for m better too! I com bined m y inter ests in colonial law and ar chitectur e in ‘Law and the Hum anities’ to wr ite about Isla m i c ar chitectur e in Souther n Sp ai n, which ended up taking m e to Du b l i n for the Global Under gr adu ate Awar ds! Likewise I had a bl as t r esear ching M or occan witchcr aft, colonial law and fem inist theor y for m y Super vised Resear ch pap er . Whether it be pop m usic and intellectual pr oper ty law, or spor ts law, consider what dispar ate areas of your life you can com bine i n your academ ic wor k! Finding thes e niches also m akes you invaluab l e to potential em ployer s. I enthusiastically r ecom mend r eflecting on why you ar e her e doing law ( it is ok if you don't know ) . For m e law is about loving God and loving other s as best I can w i th the skills, tim e and ener gy gi v en to m e. This involves contr ibu ti ng to gender equality and seeking to pr ovide high quality legal ser vi ces to people as I star t wor k as a fa m i l y lawyer. Crossroads Christian church and the Fellowship of Chr istian U ni Students ( FOCUS) which m eet on the ANU cam pus ar e helpful and suppor tive com m unities in wr est l i ng with big questions. Volunteer i ng
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
and c o m m u n i ti e s b e yo n d law s c h o o l s u c h a s the V i ki n g s C yc ling Clu b a r e g rea t w ays to re-ce ntr e y o u r s e l f a n d re mai n g ro u n d ed .
KEY TIP FOR APPLYING? Do n o t w o r r y i f yo u h a ve n o t stu died t h e s p e c i f i c fi el d th a t yo u w i sh to wor k i n . Wh i l e sec to r kno w l e dge c a n b e u se fu l , emp l oye rs ar e f u n d a m e n t a ll y co n c e rne d with e m p l o y i n g pro a c ti ve, smart p e ople who l e a r n w e l l a n d co n tri bute c re a t i v e l y t o th e i r w orkp l ac e . How c a n y o u d r aw on yo u r exi sting e x p e r i e n c e s to d emon strate your s k i l l s a n d stre n g ths? R e a c h out t o y o u r l e c tu rers, A c c e ss and I n c l u s i o n , ac a d emi c ski l l s office a n d C a r e e r s H u b for he l p i n w ork ing o u t w h e r e y ou w a n t to g o w i th y our de g r e e a n d h o w to g et th e re.
Careers Guide 2021
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make the difference
to your career, clients and community
Aim beyond pure legal knowledge. Beyond commercial advice. Be known for something more: a clarity of thought and an instinct for problem solving that can influence governments and leading businesses the world over. Join us and we’ll help you enrich and expand your worldview, grow your skills and influence new ways of thinking. In other words, we’ll help you make the difference.
Begin now at ashurst.com/careers
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Make the difference at Ashurst As a global law firm with a rich history spanning almost 200 years, we’ve established ourselves as a leading adviser to corporates, financial institutions and governments, on all areas of the law including finance, M&A, disputes and competition. We’re renowned for helping our clients navigate through a complex and constantly evolving global landscape. With 26 offices across the world’s leading financial and resource centres, we offer the reach and insight of a global network combined with deep local market knowledge. Our people are our greatest asset. We bring together lawyers of the highest calibre with the expertise, industry experience and regional know-how to provide the incisive advice our clients need. As a global team we have a reputation for successfully managing large and complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, disputes and projects.
Ashurst around the globe
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STAY TRUE. Staying true to your direction is what defines Clayton Utz. We’ve built a very special culture that sets our firm apart but don’t just take our word for it. A good lawyer needs compelling evidence - so hear what Isla has to say about her experience at Clayton Utz.
WHY CLAYTON UTZ? When deciding where I wanted to apply for clerkships, I was initially attracted to Clayton Utz because of the firm’s involvement in high-profile, exciting legal work. While that aspect particularly appealed to me, my experience during the recruitment process also gave me an appreciation of what a supportive and inclusive workplace Clayton Utz is. From the very first day of my clerkship, the Clayton Utz team made every effort to ensure that I was having the best possible experience - and that continued when I started as a graduate in March 2019. I’ve not only had the support of my fellow lawyers, but also the support staff and People and Development team, who all work hard to ensure that our professional and personal needs are being met.
claytonutz.com/graduates
Isla Tobin Clayton Utz Graduate, 2019
MY ROTATIONS My first few weeks were filled with learning more about Clayton Utz and meeting my fellow graduate cohort. After our orientation, I started my first rotation in the Public Sector team where I also had the opportunity to gain some experience in the Major Projects and Construction team, who work on some of the largest transport developments in Australia. I really enjoyed the reward of seeing the real-world application of our work in action all around me. After six months, I began my second rotation in the Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety team. I found the people-oriented nature of the work to be fascinating. During this rotation, I spent time on secondment at Canberra Community Law, which was a challenging but highly fulfilling experience. Clayton Utz takes justifiable pride in its Pro Bono practice, and as well as providing opportunities for lawyers to perform day-to-day pro bono work, the firm is also very supportive of longer-term opportunities, such as secondments. I am currently undertaking my third and final rotation in the Public Sector team, focusing on litigation and disputes work. My role involves a variety of court and tribunal-related work, as well as assistance with an ongoing Royal Commission, privacy impact assessments and general legal research. Soon I will have the opportunity to appear at a tribunal hearing on my own for the first time. I am very excited and looking forward to it!
CLERKSHIP PROGRAM If you’re a law student in your penultimate year, our Clerkship Programs will expose you to the fast pace of a full-service commercial law firm and show you the law in action. You’ll be working under the guidance of some of the sharpest legal minds in Australia, on challenging, complex and high-profile transactions and matters. You’ll be mentored by partners and lawyers who are leaders in their fields, in a firm where individuality is embraced and innovation actively encouraged.
GRADUATE PROGRAM It’s not just about wearing a suit. There’s always a gap between theory and practice, and post-university prospects can be daunting. How do you make the leap to working in the industry?
That’s where we come in. Once you’ve completed your studies, our national Graduate Program gives you the perfect foundation for your legal career. Our 2.5 week orientation program is designed to ensure that you’ll hit the ground running. It consists of PLT+, local training and a national orientation week in Sydney. Our rotations will help you discover different areas and find the right fit. From day one you’ll be working on complex and sophisticated legal issues, and with our innovative learning and development approach, you’ll get the support to become the best you can be.
You’ll get… • Three rotations of six months in our national practice groups • continuing legal education programs and professional development support • mentoring from some of the best lawyers in the country • a buddy who’ll give you the inside information
• the chance to participate in our Community Connect and Pro Bono programs and really give back
• meaningful performance feedback so you know you’re on • social and sporting activities, because we know it’s not the right track all work and no play.
We hire most of our Graduates from our Clerkship Programs. Occasionally, additional opportunities may arise. These opportunities will be listed on our website.
WHERE BRIGHT MINDS MEET
SEEKING LAWYERS FOR A CHANGING WORLD Clients expect more from their lawyers than ever before. They look to us as business partners on their journey to achieve their objectives. It’s not just about precedents and compliance, but finding new ways to build relationships and deliver the results that matter.
Think global
Collaborate
Embrace new challenges
#1
Local excellence global standards
It takes immense drive and motivation to stay ahead in a world that’s changing as fast as ours. If you’re excited and inspired by that, Clifford Chance could be the right firm for you. To learn more, scan the QR code below
WHERE BRIGHT MINDS MEET What areas of law do we practice?
When should students apply?
Across our two Australian offices, Perth and Sydney, we advise clients on their most complex matters in areas including Corporate, Banking & Finance, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Antitrust & Competition and Global Financial Markets.
You can apply between these dates.
Why are we different? Our teams work across borders, languages and jurisdictions and share insights and expertise to achieve our clients’ commercial goals. Secondly, we’re pioneers and work on many ‘first-of-akind’ deals. Finally, it’s the nature of our people - highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak. We embrace our culture of learning and collaboration.
CLERKSHIP PROGRAMME Who is eligible for clerkships? Students must be at least in their penultimate year and are available to participate in the 2023 Graduate Programme.
When are our clerkship programmes held? Sydney: 28 June 2021 – 16 July 2021
Perth: June to July 2022
How many clerks do we take? Sydney: 4 – 6 Perth: 4 – 6 To submit your application, scan the QR code below.
Enquiries Melissa Urquhart
Grads.Australia@CliffordChance.com
Sydney: 8 March 2021 – 14 May 2021 Perth: 13 July 2021 – 2 August 2021
What kind of work can a clerk expect to do? Our clerkship programme is designed to provide you with a real insight into a legal career at Clifford Chance in Australia. Throughout the program, you will work alongside all levels of lawyers, including partners, while you assist with real-time matters. You will have two rotations which allow you to experience two different practice areas. Throughout the clerkship you will hear from various practice areas across the region which helps you develop a comprehensive understanding of life at a leading international law firm.
GRADUATE PROGRAMME Do we make graduate offers to the open market, or just through clerkships? Graduate offers are primarily made from our clerkship programme. However, we also consider applications from students who have not participated in our clerkship program.
How many graduate jobs do we offer? Sydney: 4 – 6 Perth: 2 – 4
Life at KWM holds endless opportunities for those who dare to grow As an elite international law firm headquartered in Asia, we are reshaping the legal market by challenging our people and our clients to think differently about what a law firm can be today, tomorrow and beyond. We thrive on exceeding the expectations of our clients, and as such the world’s leading organisations turn to us to unlock their biggest opportunities and deliver clever solutions to their most vexing challenges. Where others see limitations, we see possibility.
King & Wood Mallesons. You’ll get to know our people, the way we like to work, our culture, practice areas, clients and more.
With a growth mindset and innovation in our DNA, we partner with
During your clerkship, you’ll learn:
our clients to bring to life pioneering solutions which will help them to
• The day-to-day skills to get you started – taking instructions, meeting with clients, drafting memos and documents, managing your practice and professional relationships.
adapt, reinvent and evolve. We believe innovation comes from giving our people room to grow, and as such actively encourage input and ideas from all levels of the firm. Our people are encouraged to shape their own career path, supported at every step of the way, with world-class training, coaching and hands-on experience. There is no ‘one size fits all’ career model, and we offer multiple opportunities for our lawyers to gain experience and thrive.
KEY STATISTICS • #1 ranked law firm in Australia and China* • Top 15 global elite brand** • 28 international offices; • One of the largest international legal networks in the Asia region with 500+ partners and more than 2000 lawyers; • Our clients range from a mix of global financial and corporate powerhouses through to new industry-makers and all levels of government • With an unmatched ability to practise Chinese, Hong Kong, Australian, English, US and a significant range of European laws under one integrated legal brand, we are connecting Asia to the world, and the world to Asia.
GLOBAL REACH The King & Wood Mallesons network extends across the following regions: • Asia Pacific (Australia, Mainland China including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore) • Europe • Middle EastNorth America
• The core practice teams at King & Wood Mallesons – who they are, what they do, how they’re structured, the clients they work for, and of course, your role within them. • Our culture – working within your team, you’ll be exposed to (and encouraged) to get actively involved in the many activities and events that help create our unique culture. • Our people – you’ll find that people from every part of the business will help you by sharing their knowledge and ensuring you have everything you need to succeed. Your role Clerks usually work in one or two different practice groups, depending on the length of the clerkship.
SEASONAL CLERKSHIP PROGRAM
You’ll be allocated a supervisor in each of your practice groups and you’ll work closely with the partners, senior associates and solicitors in that team. It’s a hands-on role, so you won’t just be watching from the sidelines.
How to apply: Via our online application system at kwm.com/careers
GRADUATE PROGRAM
OUR PROGRAMS
We offer clerkships to give you a clear picture of what it’s like to be a lawyer at
*Source: Chambers and Partners 2020 **Source: 2020 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index
We offer a unique future-focused training experience and invest heavily in development to support you to fulfil your potential. You
think
growth/thinkKWM We are redefining what a law firm can be. Working for some of the world’s most innovative organisations, our people go beyond the law. They are inventors, designers and pioneers – translating smart ideas into ground-breaking solutions. KWM is a launchpad for endless opportunities. We want to help you think differently about yourself and the possibilities of where a career in the law might take you. will benefit from a bespoke comprehensive learning and development program tailored specifically for our graduates. As a graduate you will take part in graduate technology bootcamps. These bootcamps will provide you with exposure to the many different types of emerging legal technologies, which are available at our firm. These skills will help prepare you for the future and ensure that we continue to evolve to meet our clients’ changing needs. We also offer a Practical Legal Training (PLT) course with the College of Law to our Australian Law graduates, ensuring that you meet the requirements for admission to legal practice. The program also promotes and supports the mobility of our staff across our offices by giving you the opportunity to apply to go on exchange in one of our interstate or overseas offices. Through this, you can access a greater choice and variety of destinations and on-the-job experience. VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM Wherever you are in the world you can now experience what it is really like to be a lawyer at KWM with our Australian-first legal virtual work experience program (VEP). Originally launched in 2017, the platform features two programs – ‘Intro to Law’ and ‘Advanced Law’ – which each include five learning modules curated by KWM based on real life firm matters and activities. Through this program you can build real skills and the confidence to excel in a commercial law career before you even step into one of our offices.
WE OFFER: • Culture of innovation, collaboration and high performance • Multiple career pathways where you can shape your future • World-class training and coaching to unleash your full potential • High impact work for the world’s leading organisations • Relationships that last a lifetime
Will you dare to grow with us? KWM graduate website careers.kwm.com/en/graduates-australia
Forage virtual experience program theforage.com/kwm King & Wood Mallesons refers to the network of firms which are members of the King & Wood Mallesons network. See kwm.com for more information.
Working at Jones Day… One Firm Worldwide® Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers in 42 offices across five continents. The Firm is distinguished by: a singular tradition of client service; the mutual commit-ment to, and the seamless collaboration of, a true partner-ship; formidable legal talent across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions; and shared professional values that focus on client needs. The Firm’s 125 years of sustained growth—in experience, reputation and successful client interaction—have been built by its dedication to a ‘One Firm Worldwide’ philosophy, which fosters the creation of interoffice and cross-practice teams, assembled to ensure that clients receive the best possible guidance and representation, without regard to barriers conventionally imposed by geography, borders, time zones or language.
Australia Jones Day’s presence in Australia has grown significantly. The Firm has added new offices in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane over the last five years in addition to our office in Sydney, reflecting our commitment to expanding our service to the Australian market. Our lawyers work in a dynamic and stimulating multidisciplinary environment by collaborating with colleagues from different practices and different offices worldwide. We continue to attract many of the legal industry’s most highly regarded and sought-after lawyers while maintaining our focus on promoting internal talent through the ranks.
The New Lawyers Group Jones Day recognizes that many law students leave law school not knowing which practice they want to enter. We also believe that a more well-rounded lawyer is a better lawyer and that a wide range of experience is valuable to a new lawyer. Accordingly, many years ago Jones Day created the New Lawyers Group, which allows new associates to gain exposure to different practice areas and lawyering styles at the Firm before making a commitment to a specific-practice. We provide extensive training through the New Lawyers program. Each year, we endeavor to bring together new associates from across the Firm at the “New Lawyers Academy” in Washington for three days of hands-on training and meetings with Firm leaders. In addition to helping them understand Jones Day’s culture, organization and operation, the Academy gives our new lawyers the opportunity to meet their peers in the Firm’s other offices.
Graduate and Clerkship Program We run clerkship programs at Jones Day across our offices in Australia that offer selected positions to talented students who are in their penultimate year of university. We give our clerks real work for real clients, to provide them an oppor-tunity to learn what the practice of law at a large firm is all about. Providing challenging assignments also allows us to assess clerks’ potential to deliver first-rate legal services and to flourish in Jones Day’s culture. We aim for clerks to become future graduates of the Firm.
A Culture of Client Service and Collaboration Jones Day’s commitment to client service means our law-yers work together in a collaborative atmosphere where teamwork is essential, respect for and from colleagues is the norm, and credit is shared for a job well done. In fact, every facet of the Firm is structured to promote an environment that’s client-focused, but also professionally fulfilling for lawyers at any career stage. We expect our lawyers to focus completely on a client’s needs, with the full support and encouragement of their peers. We recog-nize that partners and associates alike contribute to the Firm in a variety of ways, and we reward lawyers for their overall contributions to the Firm and for promoting the Firm’s values.
JONES DAY AUSTRALIA THE FACTS Jones Day’s Australian offices, an integral part of the worldwide Firm, are seeking highly skilled graduates and lawyers who are interested in working as part of an integrated team of lawyers on a truly global scale. Joining Jones Day means starting your career in a dynamic global law firm, in which you will find ample opportunity to acquire the full array of skills and experience necessary to meet the legal-services needs of sophisticated clients on a worldwide basis.
FIRM OVERVIEW AUSTRALIAN OFFICES
2500 4 42 17 LAWYERS WORLDWIDE
Detroit Chicago Minneapolis San Francisco Silicon Valley Los Angeles Irvine San Diego Dallas
OFFICES
COUNTRIES
Amsterdam Cleveland Pittsburgh Boston New York Washington
Brussels London Paris Madrid
Düsseldorf Frankfurt Munich Milan
Columbus Atlanta Miami
Beijing Shanghai Tokyo
Taipei
Saudi Arabia
Hong Kong
Dubai
Mexico City
Singapore
Houston
Brisbane Sydney São Paulo
Perth Melbourne
AUSTRALIA MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE
CLERK RECRUITMENT
Antitrust & Competition Law
Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne offices take part in the NSW Summer Clerkship Scheme, the Queensland Vacation Clerkship Program and the LIV Seasonal Clerkship Program.
Banking, Finance & Securities Business Restructuring & Reorganization Capital Markets Energy Environment
Financial Markets Global Disputes Intellectual Property Labor & Employment Mergers & Acquisitions New Lawyers Group Private Equity Pro Bono
Sydney: Applications open on 8 June 2021 Application close at 11.59 pm on 4 July 2021 Brisbane: Applications open on 5 July 2021 Applications close at 5pm on 13 August 2021 Melbourne: Applications open on 28 June 2021 Applications close at 11.59 pm on 15 August 2021 Applications must be made online. Please visit us at www.jonesdaycareers.com/australia and follow the links to the relevant page.
Together we make a mark Graduate careers in law Working at White & Case opens doors to experiences and relationships around the world that will help you build your career, wherever it takes you. If you’re a team player with a global mindset, apply for our graduate opportunities in Australia.
whitecase.com/careers
1
2
97
of the only law firms to offer a guaranteed overseas seat
Australian offices in Melbourne and Sydney
nationalities represented across the Firm
44
Tier 1
89
offices across 30 countries
by The Legal 500 for Project Development and Project Finance
languages spoken across the Firm
Together we make a mark
“Learning to adapt has made me more effective as a lawyer.” Callum Fitzpatrick, Associate, Singapore
Working in Singapore: The bridge between Asia and Australia When it came to deciding on where to go for his overseas seat, graduate Callum Fitzpatrick was clear about what he wanted. “After just six months with the Firm, I wanted both the challenge of living and working abroad, but also some continuation in terms of the work that I was doing.” The promise of an overseas seat is something that sets White & Case apart, in Callum’s view. “When I was at law school, I knew that I wanted to work for a firm with an international presence. White & Case offered the mobility and fluid interactions between offices that I was looking for.” Singapore has been home for the last few months—so has it lived up to his expectations? “Absolutely! In terms of work, Singapore is a real bridge between Asia-Pacific and Australia. I can build on the work that I was doing in Melbourne, and even continue to work on some of the same projects. There’s a strong connection between the offices and the work too.” Working in Singapore has also opened new doors, as Callum explains. “This rotation has helped me develop new and different skills. For example, I have had a lot of client contact here and the chance to take on more responsibility.” The type of client varies too, as Callum explains. “I’ve really enjoyed working with some of the smaller clients from developing markets in Asia—it’s been a real learning curve in terms of culture and ways of working, and also with regard to legal jurisdictions and precedence.” How easy was the move to working in a new office? “It was really simple, and that made it straightforward to concentrate on the work and on getting as much as possible out of the experience. For example, the resources that lawyers use every day are just the same.” There’s still plenty of work that’s
new and different, though: “The team in Singapore has the same diligence and work ethic as in Melbourne. However, they have a different approach on some issues, plus there are religious and cultural norms to take into account.
Travel, culture and a new group of friends Apart from work, what have been the highlights of Singapore for Callum so far? The country’s location is a definite plus when it comes to exploring this part of the world. “I’ve been to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia—it’s amazing to be able to experience so many places so easily.” When he’s not taking weekend breaks, Callum says there’s plenty to enjoy in Singapore. “It’s a very multicultural place, with incredible cuisine and a great cultural life. I particularly enjoyed all the celebrations for Diwali and Chinese New Year.” Meeting others is easy, thanks to a 40-strong WhatsApp group of rotating graduates and associates from White & Case and other firms. “This made it so easy to meet people and get to know Singapore and the region.” For Callum, this has been an opportunity to grow and develop. “It’s been professionally and personally enriching—a real chance to get out of my comfort zone. I truly believe that it will make me a more polished and professional lawyer.”
Callum Fitzpatrick Associate, Singapore
We're looking for those who see things differently, the kind of people who bring new ideas and create innovative opportunities for our clients.
ABOUT US With over 25 offices spanning Asia, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle east, we can show you exactly what a world class commercial law firm has to offer, giving you the chance to work as part of an international team, on high-profile matters, for some of the most significant organisations in the market. Our focus is on the future: the future needs of existing and new clients, the future of the legal profession and investing in our future lawyers. That’s why we aim to attract the best talent from a broad range of backgrounds, ensuring we are optimising our position as a progressive, forward thinking professional services business. At Herbert Smith Freehills, you’ll be given the opportunity to develop the skills you need to help solve our clients’ most complex challenges in thoughtful and innovative ways.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
Great lawyers are both curious and creative. We encourage you to challenge assumptions and open yourself up to new ideas. It’s this growth mindset that creates opportunities for you and your clients. So, what exactly are we looking for? There’s no single path to becoming an exceptional commercial lawyer. We look beyond your academic record and your technical aptitude. We’re focussed on finding people who have the curiosity to explore all the angles and the empathy to place themselves in their client’s shoes. Building great relationships takes a certain understanding and as our global village gets ever smaller, we look for graduates who think of themselves as citizens of the world.
HERBERTSMITHFREEHILLS.COM
CLERKSHIP PROGRAM
We select many of our graduates through our vacation clerkships. During this immersive experience, you’ll receive hands-on practical experience, actively contributing, as you work on some of the diverse challenges facing the team you’re collaborating with. You will gain a deeper understanding of life at the firm and what your future could look like if you join us. Some key features include the opportunity to:
KEY DATES/DEADLINES SYDNEY Approximate number of positions
30-35
Clerkship programs
1 Summer
Applications for 2021/22 program open:
8 June 2021
• Sit within a specific team, delivering real work for key clients
Applications for 2021/22 program close:
14 July 2021
• Before you join, submit a preference for a team to tailor your experience
Offers made
15 September 2021
• Navigate the first step of your career with partner and graduate mentoring support • Attend workshops and presentations covering all our practice areas • Contribute to our pro bono practice • Work with cutting edge technology through our innovation projects • Networking opportunities to meet people across the firm
JOINING US
We offer a range of summer and winter clerkships across our Australian offices. If you have queries about graduate or vacation clerk positions, please visit our website: careers.herbertsmithfreehills.com/au/grads/ vacation-clerkships or contact one of our graduate recruitment consultants.
Please note: An application should only be submitted to the office where you intend to start your career as a graduate. Multiple applications will not be considered.
Our global practice groups • Alternative Legal Services (ALT) • Competition, Regulation and Trade • Corporate • Dispute Resolution • Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety • Finance • Projects and Infrastructure • Real Estate
Contacts James Keane Graduate Recruitment Manager T +61 2 9322 4313 james.keane@hsf.com
© Herbert Smith Freehills 2020 NOF186936_A4_Advertorials v2 /170220
Your future. Your choice. Choose to make an impact. Our clerks and graduates become well-rounded, technically excellent lawyers who help to solve some of our clients’ most complex challenges. But we’ll empower you to be so much more. Never underestimate the power in you to make an impact We’re driven by a strong sense of purpose: to create lasting impacts with our clients, our people and our communities. As one of Asia Pacific’s leading law firms, our clients look to us to help them address their most complex legal challenges. But we know, in a world of relentless disruption, we also need to think beyond the law. We’re driving digital transformation and embedding a culture of curiosity and innovation. We’re investing in adjacent consulting capabilities that enable us to provide seamlessly integrated solutions to our clients. And our people are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities they live and work in.
We support you to succeed Our award-winning clerk and graduate programs will expose you to a wide variety of business areas, skills, teams and challenges, helping you to understand where your strengths and interests lie. You’ll accelerate your legal and business acumen by working alongside high-performing partners, lawyers and professionals in a diverse, collaborative and innovative environment.
Your success is our success We celebrate and invest in our people. We’re committed to helping our people achieve their best and progress in their careers. Our development programs and initiatives are second to none. We’ll work with you to provide you with challenging and career-building experiences, and we’re always working to open more doors for you.
“The biggest impact I want to have as a lawyer is working with our clients to deliver a solution that not only meets their goals now, but also creates long-term, meaningful impacts for the future.” Emily Hill Lawyer
For information and to apply visit graduates.minterellison.com
You’ll have the opportunity to gain international exposure through our broad network of offices and industry partnerships.
MinterEllison Virtual Internship Want to experience a true-to-life day of a MinterEllison lawyer? Our interactive virtual internship offers you an insight into the commercial work we undertake here at MinterEllison. Curious?
graduates.minterellison.com
Your career begins on
Day One
From Day One you will have challenging, meaningful work, gain exposure to clients, be given a good level of responsibility, work in a supportive and collaborative team and have regular access to our partners. The training you receive throughout your clerkship will ensure you are thoroughly prepared and ready to get involved in and contribute to client work straight away. The program begins with a comprehensive orientation which includes training and development activities. Join our clerkship program and become part of a firm where you’re involved from Day One. Scan this QR code to find out what it’s like to work at Maddocks.
Great change is here. Shape the future with Allens At Allens, we’re focused on equipping our people with the skills and experience they need to be the lawyers of the future. We’re ready to define tomorrow. Are you? With us, you’ll be more than a lawyer. Our people are technical experts, but they’re also trusted business advisers who think bigger, more broadly and more strategically. Together, we solve complex legal challenges, and collaborate across practice areas and disciplines to guide our clients.
We work across borders too, thanks to our alliance with Linklaters. This provides opportunites for our firm and our people, including annual rotations in Linklaters London, Hong Kong and Singapore being available to our graduate lawyers.
An early legal career at Allens includes highly tailored training through the Allens Academy. Developed in partnership with the Australian National University, our Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice will help you transition from law graduate to legal expert and trusted business adviser.
In a rapidly changing world, we seek opportunities to innovate, embracing creative thinking, new approaches and emerging technology. We don’t just seek opportunities to benefit ourselves and our clients, we believe strongly in driving positive change to do right by our community too, as demonstrated through our strong pro bono practices.
Our teams are open, inclusive and encouraging, giving you the opportunity to learn and grow while feeling supported. You’ll have the flexibility to drive your own career, and we’ll recognise your achievements and hard work as you progress through the firm. Are you ready to begin?
CLERKSHIP PROGRAM A clerkship at Allens is the first step in a rewarding legal career, and will give you invaluable insights into our work and culture. With support from a buddy and development supervisor, you’ll work on real matters for real clients and be involved in a variety of projects. The programs: run from three to 10 weeks; are available at our Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth
and Sydney offices;
feature ongoing support, including a buddy system; and include exposure to one or two practice groups.
GRADUATE PROGRAM In each rotation, you’ll gain a depth of experience that comes from seeing matters through to the end, and get exposure to stimulating legal challenges. At Allens, we don’t work in silos, meaning you won’t be limited to working with only one partner or by your practice areas. You’ll work alongside a range of partners and lawyers, giving you exposure to a wide variety of tasks. Working with different teams and leading organisations, you’ll grow a solid skills base and develop the agility needed to thrive in our ever‑changing world. The programs include: two 12‑month rotations in your areas of interest; secondment options in London or Asia, via our alliance
with Linklaters;
ongoing supervision, coaching and mentoring; completing a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
(via Allens Academy); and
a 12‑month weekly legal seminar series
(Cornerstone Program).
Find out more at graduates.allens.com.au Allens is an independent partnership operating in alliance with Linklaters LLP.
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ARE YOU READY TO BE BOLD? There’s never been a better time to be part of Gilbert + Tobin. From day one, our flat structure allows you to take ownership of challenging work and cutting-edge projects. Work directly with partners and team leaders – nobody is too important to take time to explain things clearly, or give a helping hand. Our open and welcoming culture underpins our continued success in Australian corporate law. Through our pro bono practice, we are actively making a difference, every single day. If you’re comfortable being challenged, as well as challenging us on the way we think and operate – you’ll fit right in. We’re not worried about you being you. We’re counting on it.
gtlaw.com.au/careers
VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES I n l i g h t o f th e nu merou s ch a n ges re s u l t i n g fro m th e C OV ID - 19 Pa n d e m i c , ano th e r d i srup ti o n faced wit h i n t h e s ec to r i s th e a c c e ssi b ility t o i n t e r n s hi p o p p o rtun i ti e s. As s u c h , t h i s y ea r w e h a ve d ec i d e d to in c l u d e a s ecti on of an emerging t re n d : v i r t u al i n te rnsh i p s. Bel o w w e h a ve p rovi d e d i nfo rma tion o n t w o p re d omi n a n t p ro vi d er s: Pro s p l e a n d Fo rag e. F o r further in fo r m a t i o n on b oth p l a tfo rms, l ook t o t h e u s e f u l l i nk se c ti on b el ow .
FORAGE (FORMERLY INSIDE SHERPA) F o r a g e c u rre n tl y o ffe rs vi rtual internships with firms including King W o o d M a l l e so n s, A l l e n s, A sh ur st a n d m a n y more. Th i s se rvi c e can c o n n e c t s t u de n ts w i th i nte rna ti onal f ir m s a n d g ai n val ua b l e ski l l s from e x p e r i e n c e d l eg al p ro fe ssi on als. W h i l s t t h e s e p rog ra ms d o re q uir e a t i m e c o m mi tme n t, th e se rvi c e is f re e t o a l l stu d en ts. Th e re i s no a p p l i c a t i o n proc e ss, i t i s merel y the go a l t o b u i l d ski l l s an d c o n n e c ti ons. O n c e r e g i stered , stud en ts m ay bro w s e a n y n u mb e r o f vi rtual in te r n s h i p s an d fi rm o p p o rtun i ties. T h e s e v i r t u al i nte rnsh i p s are also n o t e x c l u s ivel y l a w b a se d . For s t u d e n t s i n te reste d i n no n -l egal wor k , c o n su l ti n g , e n g i n e e r ing a n d m a n y oth e r o p p o rtun i ti e s ar e a v a i l a b l e . Fi rms may c h o o se to v ie w s t u d e nt w o rk, u n l ess they o p t o u t . T he re a re a l so fu rther s p e c i a l i s a t i ons ava i l a b l e w i thi n a n u m b e r o f the p rog ra ms; c h o ose t h e m o d u l e th a t b est refl ec ts your in te r e s t s a nd co mp l ete th e wor k a t y o u r o wn p a c e . D i sci p l i nes
available include intellectual pr oper ty, r isk m anagem ent and m any m or e. Given the curr ent changes faced by students i n com pleting in per son pr ogr am s , al l For age inter nships ar e com ple ted online. Following which, students ar e left with gr eater skills and fur ther , a boost to the CV.
PROSPLE Another gr owing platfor m is Pr opsle, used to assist students i n seeking gr ad jobs, inter nships and other r elevant wor k exper ience. The platfor m is designed to hel p students have clear access to available positions acr oss a num ber of sector s, pr oviding the convenience of having all lis ted openings available in the one place. Pr osple m ay be of gr eat benefit to those star ting to seek a gr aduate position, or gener al le g al exper ience to bolster the CV.
LAW CAREERS SUPER FAIR Scheduled for the 24th of Apr i l of this year , Pr opsle is also ho s ti ng a Law Car eer s Super Fair . Th e fai r is open to all students explori ng a car eer with a fir m , in- house l eg al , gover nm ent or non- pr ofit se ctor . Students are able to directly connect to fir m r eps, HR and cur r ent g r ad s fr om these afor em entioned sector s . Students m ay com m unicate wi th as few or m any fir m s as desir ed and ar e welcom e to enter and ex i t the fair as they please. For fur ther infor m ation on the Sup er Fair , look to ANU LSS Face b ook page in the com ing m onths.
USEFUL LINKS Law Careers Super Fair: https://pr osple.com /super - fair s / law- car eer s- super - fair - 2021 Forage Virt ual Int ernships: https://www.thefor age.com /vir tual inter nships?id=Law&r ef=byPr qFx s q7Lm 55hnL Careers Guide 2021
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CLERKSHIP TRACKING
For p e nul ti mate stud ents, t h e c l e r k s hi p se a so n i s fast a p p r o a c h i n g . Th i s sec ti on i nte nds t o c l a r i f y t he ke y d ate s o n the c le r k s h i p c al en d ar. I t i s i m p o r t a nt to ta ke n o te o f th ese da t e s e a r l y , so a s to fe e l p rep ar ed a n d a l l o c a t e the ne c e ssa ry tim e f o r a p p l i c a t i on s. T h e ke y d ate s ar e pro v i d e d b el ow , an d p l ea se note t h e s l i g h t c ha n g es b etw ee n sta tes.
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State
Applications Open
ACT/NSW
8th June
VIC
8th July
11th August
10th October
11th October
QLD
5th July
13th August
7th October
8th October
SA
11th June
15th July
Applications Close
Offers Made
Offers to be Accepted
4th July and 14th 15th September 16th September July (firm dependent)
Australian National University Law Students’ Society
18th September 19th September
FORAGE TRACKER T h e F o r a g e C l erkshi p trac ke r is a h ig h l y u s e f ul reso u rce th a t assists in s t a y i n g on top o f the cl erks hip pro c e s s . A p p l i ca b l e fo r both do m e s t i c ( t op , mi d , b ou ti q u e ) and in te r n a t i o n a l l aw fi rms, stu d ents m a y t r a c k t h ei r ap p l i c a ti on p rog ress a n d s t a t u s . Th e p a g e i s i n to four c o l u m n s , a s see n b el ow , the re is a Wi s h l i s t (for fi rms o f i n te rest) , s h o r t l i s t , f i r st d raft a n d ap p l i e d .
USEFUL LINKS F o r a g e Cl e r k s h i p Tr a c k e r h t t p s : / / www. t h e f o ra g e . c o m/ c le rk s h i p t ra c k e r? re f = b y P rq F x s q 7 L m5 5 h n L NS W L a w S o c i e ty Cl e r k s h i p I n f o h t t p s : / / www. la ws o c ie t y. c o m. a u / le g a l c o mmu n it ie s / la w-s t u d e n t s / in t e rn sh i p p ro g ra m/ c le rk s h ip -p ro g ra m L a w I n s ti tu te o f Vi c to r i a Cl e r k s h i p I n fo h t t p s : / / www. liv. a s n . a u / Me mb e rs h i p / Yo u n g -L a wy e rs / S e a s o n a l-Cle rk s hi p Tra in e e s h ip -G u id e lin e s L a w S o c i e ty o f S o u th Au s tr a l i a h t t p s : / / www. la ws o c ie t y s a . a s n . a u/
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NON-LEGAL SECTOR T h e r e i s n o stri c t p ath w ay a fter attaining a l aw d eg re e . Not e v e r y o n e d esi res to sp e n d ti me in a c o u r t r o o m, or e ve n p rac ti ce the la w i n a n y cap ac i ty. N on e th e l ess, t h e c r i t i c a l thi nki ng , w ri ti n g and c o m m u n i c a t i ve ski l l s d e ve l oped du r i n g t h e 4 or so ye a rs sp e n t a t law s c h o o l a r e inva l ua b l e i n nu merous o t h e r p r o f e ssi on s. J u s t a f e w e xa mp l es o f p ro fe ssi ons whe r e a l a w d eg re e i s of si g ni fi cant v a l u e i n c l u des; • J o u r n a l i sm • C o n s u l t ing • Ad v i s o r y – p ol i ti ca l o r o th e rwise • Economics • Marketing • Bu s i n e ss an d Fi na n c e And m a n y , ma n y more! T h e sc ope t o a p p l y a l aw d e g re e i s far w i der t h a n i m m e d ia te l y exp ec te d .
USEFUL LINKS The following links ar e sim ply a few exam ples of alter nate, nonlegal pathways. Consult ing Int ernships https://gr adaustr alia.com .au/ consulting- inter nships Journalism https://wor kfor us.theguar dian. com Policy Development https://cpd.or g.au/about/car eer and- inter n/ Grat t an Inst it ut e https://gr attan.edu.au/about- us / car eer s/
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
EY & KPMG D a v id C h ien g V a c a ti on e r at E Y an d K P MG
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? I w a s a V ac a ti on e r i n EY’s Bus i n e s s C o n su l ti n g (S u p p l y C hain a n d O p e r ati on s) tea m, an d at KP M G ’ s M a n a g emen t C on su l ting (O p e r a t i o n s A d vi so ry) d i vi si o n in t h e i r 2 0 2 0 S u mme r i n ta ke . T h e V a c a t i o n e r ro l e i s a paid Su m m e r / W i nter i nte rnsh i p and pro v i d e s an o p p o rtun i ty to u n d e r s t a n d th e fi rm cu l ture, type o f c l i e n t s e n g ag ed , the n a tu re of a s p e c i f i c s e r vi ce l i ne an d e xp osur e t o t h e e x peri e n c e s o f d i ffe r ent c o l l e a g u e s . In C an b erra , th e c l ient ba s e i s p r i ma ri l y g ove rnmen t, so m o s t o f t h e wo rk an d en g ag ements I h a v e b e e n i n vo l ved i n have be e n w o r k i ng w i th g o ve rnm ent c li e n t s t o d el i ve r l a rg e p ro j ects, o rg a n i s a t i o nal c h a n g e an d i nd ustr y re s e a r c h . T hi s i nc l ud ed revi ewing o rg a n i s a t i o nal stru c tu res to d el iver re c o m m e n d ati on s fo r b usi ness t ra n s f o r m a t io n fo r a g ove rnm ent c li e n t , d r afti n g p rop osa l s for tenders, and researching legislation f o r t h e p r oc u remen t of mi l i tar y capabilities. A s a V a c a ti oner y o u a r e e x pose d to hu g e variety o f d i f f e r e n t w o rk, so i f you ar e c u r i o u s t o e x p l o re w ha t a c a ree r in t h e p r i v a t e sec to r a n d c o n su l ting m i g h t l o o k li ke , thi s mi g ht b e the o p p o r t u n i t y for you !
the oppor tunity to wor k w i th incr edibly br ight and suppo r ti v e people. Having the chance to l ear n about people’s individual journey s and their exper iences is g r eat for putting your own jour ney i n per spective. I found that the exper i ence pr ovided an invaluable oppor tuni ty to dive into under standing whether you can see your self wor king w i th the fir m and that ar ea of wor k i n the long ter m .
ADVICE FOR FIRST YEARS? Do as m uch as you can and hav e a lot of fun! Balancing these two can be difficult but tr y your best to fi nd the balance that wor ks for yo u – I have per sonally not had as m uch ener gy and spar e tim e as I had i n m y fir st year . Explor e what it is y ou want to know m or e about, m eet as m any differ ent people as pos s i b l e and don’t for get to enjoy ev er y step along the way. If you ar en’ t enjoying what you ar e doing , b e willing to change what you do. Fi r s t year is the best tim e to exp l or e. Also, pr ior itise your studies and wor k to excel in ever y cour se y ou do, it will pay off down the l i ne. Don’t com par e your self to other s because the law school exper i ence br ings together people fr om al l walks of life, on ver y sep ar ate jour neys heading to ver y differ ent destinations.
MOST REWARDING ASPECT? A b i t o f a cl i c h é , b u t th e m ost re w a r d i n g a s p ec t of the w o rk i s the
Careers Guide 2021
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREMIER SPONSORS
MAJOR SPONSORS
GENERAL SPONSORS
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Australian National University Law Students’ Society
What can you expect from the Graduate Program? The Sparke Helmore Graduate Program is a challenging and rewarding way to kick-start your legal career. The first year of practising law can be daunting. Our graduate program is designed to guide you through the experience, providing you with comprehensive training and mentoring as well as networking opportunities. During the program, you will receive specialised soft skill training to equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to become a capable practitioner and allrounder. The training covers areas such as time management, business development and firm finances. You will also get to work on high-quality, complex matters with leading legal practitioners from day one. Our graduate cohort also has access to the firm’s mentoring program, which pairs you with a senior lawyer in another practice group, to give you a broader understanding of the firm and its other practice areas.
Sparke Helmore Lawyers is a truly integrated national firm that looks to the future. Established in 1882, we have over 900 people flexibly working from nine offices across Australia. We offer the security and history of a long-established firm with the excitement and opportunity for growth. We operate in a way that puts our clients and our people at the heart of everything we do—we’re proud to be described as being down to earth, practical and easy to deal with. Our firm values and celebrates diversity. We aim to increase the diversity of our workforce to better represent the communities in which we live and work. Our culture provides the foundations of a welcoming and inclusive environment, and we encourage people from all backgrounds to join us—and bring their whole selves to work.
www.sparke.com.au/join-us/graduate-program/ adelaide | brisbane | canberra | darwin | melbourne | newcastle | perth | sydney | upper hunter