International Opportunities

MAKING THE MOST OF INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

ALLENS LINKLATERS

Our alliance with Linklaters connects our clients with an international network of legal leaders that spans 40 offices in 28 countries.

Our global teams act as one, sharing knowledge, best practice approaches and talent to help solve our clients’ most complex problems. While we’re market leaders in our own jurisdictions, we’re even stronger together. A unique combination of in-depth local knowledge and global scale gives our clients a single entry point to the best strategic advice in multiple geographies and practice areas. Through complementary practices and close collaboration, we’re structured to combine seamless service with consistent quality advice for our clients. Our global network also allows our people to accelerate their careers, offering international secondments and opportunities to work with the world’s best lawyers on the most complex multijurisdictional matters in the market. For our people, the alliance means: • Opportunities to work on global deals with market leading lawyers. • Opportunities to work on multi-jurisdictional matters with a broader range of clients. • Access to Linklaters job opportunities globally. • International assignment opportunities (short & long term). Having international counterparts allows us to experience new things, develop new thinking and constantly evolve.

exclusively, namely matters concerning modern slavery, anti-bribery and corruption, ethical procurement, work and labour rights, and whistleblowing laws. The recruitment process consisted of three stages; a phone interview with Human Resources (HR), an assessment centre task; and an in-person interview with a Managing Associate and Senior Associate. While the phone interview took a typical interview format that consisted of standardised interview questions, the assessment centre task and in-person interview were designed to assess competencies relevant to the position. So far, my experience at Allens has been an overwhelmingly positive one. The firm places a significant emphasis on training, collegiality, mentorship, and feedback. Every recruit at Allens is allocated a buddy in a related practice area, which is hugely beneficial in aiding the transition into the workplace. There is no single pathway to a career in human rights practice or ESG risk and compliance. Personally, I have found that years of demonstrated interest in the practice area coupled with related work experience was key to securing the opportunity at Allens. As such, the best advice I can give students who are seeking employment in human rights – whether at a commercial firm, at a consultancy, in a policy capacity, or at a community law centre – is to demonstrate your interest in the area through your employment history and an active involvement in related not-for-profits or NGOs. I have found that a demonstrated interest in international law may also contribute to your success in gaining employment in human rights. My heavy involvement with human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, throughout my tertiary studies, played a significant role in leading me to my current position. I also had valuable corporate social responsibility advisory work experience in the resources sector in addition to experience at an international law firm, barristers’ chambers, and international law journal that was also instrumental in landing my current position. I encourage students to pursue an array of related opportunities while completing their studies. If you are interested in pursuing a career in human rights, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be contacted via email at: chelsea.francis@allens. com.au or hrlegalgroupwa@amnesty.org.au.

To date, we’ve had approximately 150 secondments between Allens and Linklaters. In addition, each year four of our second year graduates are seconded to Linklaters London, one to Linklaters Hong Kong and one to Singapore.

What exactly is the relationship between Allens and Linklaters? • Both firms remain independent partnerships, but we operate through joint ventures. • The two firms have an integrated alliance.

This means our clients receive a seamless service no matter where they want it. This includes one engagement letter and lead partner, a single unified team drawn from the best resources from each firm, advice and assistance in a consistent style and manner and, ultimately, one invoice. • ‘Integrated’ is hence a distinct and important difference from ‘merged’. There are firms that are merged but that are not necessarily integrated. Whilst we operate as if merged, we believe we can provide integrated client service without the sacrifice of independence and our local brands that would come with a merger. Andrew Huxtable, a Perth-based Lawyer, had the opportunity to go on secondment to the Linklaters office in London in March 2020. Despite working from his bedroom for the majority of the year, he had an incredible time living and working in London. Andrew had been on holiday to London before, so he knew how it is normally a fast-paced and diverse city. Nonetheless he found it fascinating seeing this atmosphere being translated into a corporate context. ‘In particular, I really enjoyed working on big cross-border, cross practice transactions with people from all across the world. It was energising to expand my professional network and learn from some of the most experienced commercial lawyers in London. It was exciting to work directly with clients, run smaller transactions from start to finish and provide input at board meetings and client calls. I believe these experiences provided me with learning opportunities that have expedited my development as a junior lawyer.’ Andrew found it interesting to see how the Allens and Linklaters alliance works from the other side, and quickly realised from his interactions with colleagues and clients that Allens, and Australian lawyers in general, have a fantastic reputation overseas. It was clear that Linklaters enjoy working alongside Allens, and the two firms share key values in how they go about their business. ‘I encourage all university students to consider working overseas at some point in their career. Commercial law can take you to every corner of the world and deciding to start my career at Allens has allowed me to do that at such an early stage of my career.’ If you would like to learn more about our alliance with Linklaters and making the most out of international opportunities, please visit our website for further details.