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Practice Management. Taught by myself and Lauren Ziegelaar.

Victorian Clerkship Applications

Calvin Rokich

2020 Juris Doctor Graduate

This article was written in 2020 and published in the 2020 Careers Handbook. It has been slightly amended for publication in 2021.

Applying for clerkships is perhaps the most stressful part of anyone’s law degree. For many it’s the first step in their journey to becoming a lawyer after they graduate. The process can feel all the more daunting if, like me, you are interested in working interstate after you graduate. However, fear not, I am here to assuage your fears and share my experience in applying in Melbourne.

The Melbourne Process

I made an effort to learn all I could about the clerkship process in Melbourne. To my delight, the system in Melbourne (unlike Sydney) is ostensibly the same as the one used here in Perth. That means that the information in the Careers Toolbox is transferrable to your applications over East. If, on the other hand, you are interested in Sydney, the process is considerably different, and I recommend checking out Stephen’s article in the 2018 Handbook to read about his experience applying there. That handbook can be found here: https:// issuu.com/blackstoneuwa/docs/final_careers_ handbook

The key difference between Melbourne and Perth are the Law Institute of Victoria’s (LIV) guidelines. These guidelines are signed by almost all of the firms, and are taken seriously by each signatory. I strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with these guidelines, as they have rules for students around how many clerkships you can undertake and how long you can hold your offers on offers day. They can be found here: https://www.liv.asn. au/Membership/Young-Lawyers/SeasonalClerkship-Traineeship-Guidelines.

Another key difference is that Melbourne clerkships are slightly longer than their Perth counterparts ranging from three to four weeks (rather than the two to three we have here). On the topic of timing, the relevant dates for clerkships in Melbourne are also unlikely to be completely in line with Perth. This meant that I was left waiting for a week wondering about my future while my friends all celebrated their offers. On the bright side, I had a little longer to finish my applications. Make sure you check the dates carefully – they can be found in the LIV guidelines.

In relation to offers day, the guidelines require firms to make offers no earlier than 10am. While many firms in Perth make early offers, neither myself, nor any of my colleagues in Melbourne received early offers. This shows that firms take these guidelines seriously. It is also reassuring given we are three hours behind Melbourne in October!

Applying from Perth

While you can take some comfort in the process being largely the same, there are some obvious practical differences when you are applying to clerk from the other side of the country. The best piece of advice I can offer in this regard is to not neglect your Perth network. I strongly recommend you take advantage of all the Careers events Blackstone has to offer, to develop both your application skills and your network here in Perth. In particular, I strongly recommend still attending the Perth Law Careers Fair as I think it is unlikely you will have the opportunity to attend the equivalent event in Melbourne (nor do I think it is necessary to do so).

I decided I wanted to call each firm I would apply to before sending my application. I found the easiest way to do this was to first get in contact with the HR representative of the Perth office (whom you should know from events like the Careers Fair), explain my ambitions to move and ask if they could connect me with their Melbourne counterpart. I found that these requests were always greeted with enthusiasm, and the ensuing phone conversations were incredibly valuable for my applications. First, the calming power of a phone conversation is not to be underestimated. I found my nerves settled after getting to know the person who would be screening my application. Second, I