Herbert Smith Freehills

Notable awards

• David Jenaway, 40under40

GradAustralia – Top 100

Graduate Employers – 20152020 • Stonewall – Top global employers for LGBTI+ 2020 • Financial Times Most

Innovative International

Law Firm in Asia Pacific 2019 & 2020 • Financial Times Award for

Innovation in Diversity &

Inclusion 2019 • Social Mobility Foundation – 15th in Social Mobility

Employer Index 2018 • Minds Count Foundation – Best Mental Wellbeing

Initiative in a Legal

Workplace 2019 • Winner 2021, Legal Services

CLERKSHIP INFORMATION

During which period do you offer clerkships?

Summer 1, Summer 2, Winter

How many clerkship positions are available for 2021?

30-35

What tasks do clerks usually undertake?

Truthfully, there is no ‘average day’ at HSF. Every day is different. As a clerk you will be immersed in whatever matter the group has on at the time. You might be researching a new piece of legislation, drafting advice for a client, or preparing for an upcoming trial. The tasks you do will vary depending on the group you are in and the matters that are live at the time. We also encourage our clerks and graduates to seek out work that interests them. Whether it be assisting adjacent teams in the group, innovation projects with our Digital Law Group or Legal Operations Group, or getting involved with Pro Bono matters.

If you would like to find out more about what a career in law at Herbert Smith Freehills looks like, you can explore our globally accessible virtual internship program: https:// careers.herbertsmithfreehills. com/au/grads/virtualinternship.

How can a clerk stand out or make a good impression?

A successful clerkship is one where you can balance: • Building great relationships across the firm and networking with the practices and members of the team you’re genuinely eager to learn more about • Be enthusiastic – say “yes” to new opportunities and volunteer to get involved in areas you are interested in • Delivering great quality work for your team that assists in their ongoing pieces of work • Showing attention to detail, accountability, and awareness of what our clients’ needs might be.

What are some things students should avoid doing in their clerkship applications?

Some common mistakes we see are: • Discounting their non-legal work experience – we want to hear about all of your achievements • Addressing the cover letter to the wrong firm • Spelling and consistency errors • Not conducting research into the firm they are applying for • Not being clear on your

‘why’

Do you offer clerkships to non-penultimate year students?

NB: These can be First or Final year students Our clerkship program is open to non-penultimate year students, however we prioritise applications from penultimate year students. Our clerks and graduates often find it is better to time their clerkship and the commencement of the graduate program on either side of their final year of study.

What does your firm look for in a graduate?

There’s no single path to becoming a commercial lawyer. We consider your academics, work experiences, extracurriculars, and personal achievements. We’re focused on finding people who have the curiosity to explore all the angles and the empathy to place themselves in their clients’ shoes. We value that everyone brings themselves and their own unique different perspectives, but we work together and with our clients to tackle really complex legal problems.

Herbert Smith Freehills is proud to use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS). The CRS allows us to understand each applicant’s achievements in the context that they have been gained. We understand that not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper – and we want to recruit the best people, from every background.

How can students apply for a graduate position at your firm?

We select many of our graduates through our vacation clerkship program.

How many graduate positions are available in 2022?

10-15

Does your firm offer any international opportunities for graduates or junior lawyers?

Yes. As part of our graduate program, you will have the opportunity to apply for an international secondment within your first two years in the job. This is a six-month secondment with all the support from the firm you might need to succeed (e.g. transport, accommodation, language lessons).

Our graduates have previously been seconded to our London, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, and Hong Kong offices.

Much of our work has a crossborder element and we aim to offer a seamless, integrated service. Our international offices share a number of clients and work together to advise on multi-jurisdictional matters and regulatory issues. We recognise that international secondments provide considerable benefits to our clients, to the firm, and to our graduates. In 2019, we sent 14 Australian graduates to our international offices.

INTERVIEWS

What does your firm like to see in a clerkship or graduate job interview?

We are not looking for the finished product and we know that gaining legal work experience can be difficult. What we are looking for is your potential. Demonstrate the transferable skills you have gained through the experience that you have – legal or nonlegal.

When talking about your experience, explain how the skills you have gained are relevant to a career in law – and to Herbert Smith Freehills specifically. Consider the way we work and the skills and abilities we look for to deliver a consistently excellent experience for our clients.

How can students best prepare for a clerkship or graduate job interview with your firm?

Know where your strengths are and guide the conversation to touch on your experiences that demonstrate them. We don’t expect you to have a great deal of experience or knowledge of specific sectors, but it is worth doing some basic research into what practice areas our firm offers. Put thought into the questions you’d like to ask us.

CASUAL EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

Does the firm offer any casual or part-time employment?

Yes. From time to time we offer casual paralegal positions to law students.

How can students find these opportunities and apply?

These opportunities are advertised on our website and through student law societies such as Blackstone.

HHG Legal Group

Cloisters Building - Level 8 863 Hay Street Perth WA 6000 careers@hhg.com.au | (08) 9322 1966

4 Offices - Perth, Albany, Mandurah and Joondalup https://www.hhg.com.au

Corporate and Commercial Law; Family & De Facto Law, Wills, Estates & Succession Planning, Property Law, Employment Law, Building & Construction Law, Criminal & Traffic Law and DIspute Resolution & Litigation

ABOUT THE FIRM

What are your firm’s core values?

The six key values that define HHG Legal Group, guide our behaviour and growth strategy are: • Teamwork. We are committed to establishing and maintaining collaborative, supportive teams with our colleagues and with our clients. We also encourage personal responsibility and accountability. • Client focus. We value our client relationships. We listen to our clients and respond to their needs with energy, enthusiasm and efficiency. We focus on solutions that create value for our clients. And we will always go the extra mile for our clients. • Respect. We are committed to building and maintaining an environment in which we respect each other, in terms of talents, personal qualities and differences.

We appreciate diversity in thinking and share what we know. • Integrity. We inspire trust as legal advisors. We deliver on our promises and maintain the highest possible ethical standards. • Continuous improvement.

We believe in continuous learning. We embrace change and reward goal-oriented effort and

achievement. We are committed to coaching where everyone can enhance his or her ability to contribute. • Fun. We enjoy what we do.

How would you describe your firm’s culture?

At HHG Legal Group we are aware that our reputation will always depend on the people behind us. That is why we are committed to attracting staff that not only demonstrates great legal knowledge, but who have the skills to communicate effectively and build close relationships with all types of clients.

In addition, we look for those who display our standards of integrity and a commitment to helping those in need. Our philanthropic arm, HHG Giving Back, assists many vulnerable groups by way of charitable giving and fundraising, sponsorships of community initiatives and via our pro bono commitment to Law Access and various community organisations.

At a fundamental level, everyone at HHG Legal Group enjoys what we do (and have fun doing it), but we’re not afraid to work hard either. We place great importance on working collaboratively across our five offices (Perth, Albany, Mandurah, Bunbury & Joondalup) which drives the opportunities to learn from each other and be a valued and vital team member.

How does your firm distinguish itself from other law firms?

What really sets us apart from other firms is the HHG Service Guarantee. We understand that good service is subjective from client to client and guarantee that we will strive to deliver the best service, no matter how complex a matter is. We do this by checking in regularly and ensuring that our clients are receiving the level of service they want, in-line with their desired outcome and budget.

We can do this by ensuring: • Expertise - The best solicitor will be selected and will possess the right legal expertise coupled with real industry or matter type experience. As a full-service firm, you have the benefit of having access to multiple specialist solicitors across all areas of law covering every eventuality and giving you peace of mind. • Knowledge - The solicitor will garner full knowledge and understanding of your matter, insofar as possible, during your consultation. • Responsiveness - is of the utmost importance.

Depending on the urgency of action required, we will guarantee to get back to clients by the following business day, at the very latest, however in most