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Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Level 6, Brookfield Place Tower 2, 123 St Georges Terrace, Perth 6000

corrs.com.au/careers

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About the Firm

How would you describe your firm’s culture? Corrs Chambers Westgarth is Australia’s leading independent Australian law firm. We’re known for delivering legal excellence, exceptional client service and outstanding results. Through our long-term relationships with leading law firms across the world, we advise on the most significant global matters and connect with the best lawyers internationally to provide our clients with the right team for every engagement. At Corrs, you’ll enjoy the benefits of working alongside a highperforming team with a shared commitment to our culture of excellence, collaboration, commitment and respect.

How is Corrs distinguished from other firms? Corrs lawyers are known for their strategic approach with clients. We don’t just focus on legal advice, we provide our clients with strategic guidance to help them mitigate risks and achieve their business goals. Our lawyers work together across practice groups to deliver exceptional results and support you in building your future, wherever you want to take it. Our success is based on the success of our people. “We encourage individuals to play to their strengths. And we bring our diverse and talented lawyers together to create top-performing teams.” The combination of these factors creates a firm that celebrates its independence, is open to new ideas, has the courage to think and act differently from the rest of the market, and thrives on new challenges and opportunities.

What are some notable awards Corrs has received? Corrs is a leader in its field. We’re proud of our many awards for world class service, client results and for being an employer of choice. This included being named Law Firm of the Year in the 2021 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards. Corrs is also consistently recognised as an employer of choice for graduate lawyers, and in 2022 we were one of only four firms recognised in all Australia-wide graduate rankings –Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE), GradAustralia, and GradConnection with AFR. From Global Guides, to Chambers Asia Pacific and Best Lawyers, Corrs lawyers are called out for legal excellence across our practice areas. What significant work has Corrs undertaken? We let our work speak for itself. We’re proud to work with some of the biggest organisations in the world on their most important matters. Our clients include more than half of the top fifty ASX-listed companies, some of the largest privately owned companies in Australia and a number of global Fortune 500 companies. We work with well-known organisations like AGL, Amazon, BP, Blackstone, CBA, Coles, eBay, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Medibank, NAB, PayPal, TPG Telecom, Wesfarmers and Westpac. We also work with governments, Federal and State, on major transactions that make the news. A few examples of our recent significant work can be seen here - https://corrs.com.au/deals.

What kind of pro bono work does Corrs engage in? From local schools to global organisations, we have a long and proud history of helping those in need. As a graduate lawyer, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to pro bono matters. In 2021 Corrs: • Increased overall pro bono hours by 73% from FY20

through our dedicated pro bono and community program; • Acted pro bono for Harold

Thomas, the owner of copyright in the Aboriginal

Flag, in the landmark case which saw copyright in the

Aboriginal Flag assigned to the Commonwealth. Corrs worked on the matter for over two years. The Prime Minister announced in January 2022 that the copyright had been secured and the flag was now freely available for public use by all Australians. Corrs also worked with Mr Thomas to mint a non-fungible token (NFT) of the work, allowing

Mr Thomas to retain the NFT and his moral rights in the

Flag. • Acted pro bono for Mr

Noel Zihabamwe on his complaint to the United

Nations Working Group on

Enforced and Involuntary

Disappearances in relation to the disappearance of his brothers in Rwanda; • Established a new relationship with Refugee Legal mobilising 70+ volunteers following the rise of the Taliban and the consequent deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan.

Over the last three months of 2021, Corrs contributed 1000+ hours of advice through Refugee Legal’s

Afghanistan advice line, helping people prepare visa applications under Australia’s

Refugee and Special

Humanitarian Programme. In our Perth office, Corrs provides legal representation and support services through our work with the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA; Circle Green Community Legal, an independent, not for profit community legal centre specialising in employment law; and the Street Law Centre, a free outreach legal service for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in WA. For each of these, Corrs provides a secondee one day a week. The Perth office also supports Law Access by providing legal advice and administrative secondees sourced from our legal assistants.

Clerkships

How many clerkship positions are available for 2022/23? Corrs Perth will offer three, threeweek clerkship programs which will be held in either summer or winter. Each program will have approximately 8-10 clerks. Overall, we anticipate recruiting 30 clerks for our Perth programs.

What do clerks do? The Corrs seasonal clerkship program enables you to work alongside some of Australia’s leading lawyers on high-profile work for major Australian and international clients. Our three week clerkships give you the opportunity to connect with partners and lawyers across the firm, learn what a ‘day-inthe-life’ at Corrs is like, and experience the type of work we do and clients we partner with. You’ll be exposed to a broad range of interesting matters. You’ll also have the chance to complete a broad range of tasks, such as conducting research, reviewing and presenting documents, attending client meetings, court hearings, mediations and settlements, as well as shadowing partners and lawyers in client meetings and business development activities.

How can a clerk stand out or make a good impression? We look for people who can make a positive contribution to the firm and help us in delivering legal excellence and outstanding client service. During your time as a clerk with Corrs, it is important to be genuine, approach each task with enthusiasm, complete tasks to the best of your ability, be open to receiving feedback and strive for continuous improvement. In addition to this, if you have a great attitude, communicate well and have excellent attention to detail, this will help you stand out from your peers.

Do you offer clerkships to non-penultimate year students? Yes – we do accept applications from non-penultimate year students.

What should students avoid doing in their applications? There are a variety of obvious, and perhaps not so obvious, things students should aim to avoid when preparing and submitting clerkship applications. • Excessive length: We recommend one page for cover letters, and a maximum of 2-3 pages for resumes.

Don’t use screen shots of academic transcripts either! • Not tailored to the firm.: Make the effort to research the firm and tailor your application by referencing partners or deals that interest you and demonstrate why you would like to work at the firm. • Spelling mistakes or addressed to the wrong firm – yes, this happens multiple times every year! Take the time to thoroughly proofread your application or have someone else read it for you. • Weird fonts, unusual bullet points or graphics. Your application should be clean and easy to read – don’t distract the reader unnecessarily from your key messages and experience, or make it hard to review. • Applications that simply repeat information verbatim in the cover letter and questions.

Please don’t cut and paste from your cover letter to the answer the online application questions – the firm is asking these questions for a reason and wants to read something different! What does your firm look for in a graduate? The reason we continue to attract exceptional graduates and lawyers is simple: we provide you with the opportunity to work with great people; to work on careerdefining matters from the start of your career; and to work and/or study internationally. As with our clerks, we celebrate diversity in our graduates and are looking for candidates who can bring a variety of ideas and experiences to the firm. In particular, we look for well-rounded individuals who can demonstrate exceptional academic performance, evidence of work experience (law or non-law related), as well as experience in leadership positions, volunteering or community service, and other extra-curricular activities. We are looking for genuine, hard-working candidates who have great communication skills and approach their work with enthusiasm. We also look for candidates who are keen to learn, open to receiving feedback and continually improving themselves.

How can students apply? Previous clerks will be eligible to receive a priority offer for 2023 Graduate positions. Corrs contacts eligible clerks about the priority recruitment process in June, with offers made in late July. If necessary, Corrs will open applications to the general market after the priority offer process. How many graduate positions are available? Corrs anticipates recruiting 8-10 graduates for our 2023 Graduate Development Program in the Perth office.

Does your firm offer any international opportunities for graduates or junior lawyers? Through our long-term relationships with leading law firms and institutions across the world, we offer a wide range of outstanding international opportunities for personal and professional growth. Our international program will allow you to gain experience, skills and relationships that will provide enduring career benefits. In addition to our roles advising on significant global matters, connecting with the best law firms and lawyers internationally, we offer: • International secondment opportunities to premium independent firms in New

York, London, Paris, Frankfurt,

Hong Kong, Singapore and

Tokyo. • Scholarships to study masters programs at leading institutions including Oxford,

Cambridge and Harvard.

How can students best prepare for a job interview? Don’t underestimate the importance of good preparation for your interview, as a lack of planning will be evident to those interviewing you. A few key tips on preparing for an interview at Corrs are: • Plan your trip: Make sure you know where the firm is located and how you plan on getting there. Will you take public transport, drive in or get a lift? • Be well presented: Organise what you are going to wear in advance and don’t leave it to the last minute. Is the outfit professional, comfortable and ready to go? • Arrive early: This ties in with planning your trip. Make sure you arrive 10 minutes early to your interview as this demonstrates you are organised, prepared and punctual. • Research the firm: Check out the firm website, as well as media or newspapers to pick up any current issues or news items relating to Corrs, our clients or the legal industry in general. • Re-read your application: This will jog your memory on what you submitted and allow you to easily answer any cover letter or resume specific questions you may be asked. • Relax: We want to get to know you as a person, so try to relax and go with the flow of the conversation, rather than being too stiff or rehearsed. What does your firm like to see in a clerkship or graduate job interview? Interviews can be a stressful or daunting process, so being nervous is understandable and perfectly ok – most candidates are! With this in mind, we take a relaxed approach to interviews – think conversation, rather than interrogation. Ideally, we are looking for candidates who can build rapport with their interviewers and are comfortable articulating their experience, as well as demonstrating why they are studying law and pursuing a commercial law career. We want to know why you applied to Corrs and what you know about us as a firm. We also want to get to know you as a person, so come ready to talk about your hobbies, interests or passions outside of the law too. The interview should also be a two-way discussion, so asking questions is definitely encouraged and welcomed. Do the firm offer any casual or part-time employment? We recruit casual paralegals to support our busy practice groups throughout the year. Please note that these opportunities are typically offered to candidates in our seasonal clerkship pool but, from time-to-time, we recruit from the open market.

How can students find these opportunities and apply? Expressions of interest for casual paralegal opportunities can be submitted via email to the local People & Performance Consultant for their review and consideration. Interested applicants will need to provide a copy of their resume and latest academic transcript, together with an indication of their availability.

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