Message from UNSW Law Careers Service

Siobhan Ryan

Hi, I’m Siobhan Ryan, Manager of the Career Service in the UNSW Law Faculty.

Law is a versatile and foundational degree for many career pathways, especially within public interest. At UNSW the law faculty has a strong tradition in advocacy and social justice, offering a high number of social justice internships under the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs and working closely with centres on campus providing direct legal service delivery and policy reform. This strong tradition has resulted in many UNSW alumni taking on roles in the public sector, community legal centres, and other national and international social policy driven organisations.

Your law degree and the training you receive at UNSW are in high demand by employers. Identifying the right career pathway for you can be difficult with so many choices available but trust your instincts and know that you will likely change your career multiple times during your working life so there’s no wrong career pathway. It’s all experience.

The role of the law career service is to help you maximise your chances of finding - and landing - your dream job at the end of your studies. This includes keeping you up to date with industry news and information on different career pathways. The MyLaw website offers a range of resources to support you in exploring the best career fit for you, understanding the current legal market and applying for work.

Work experience is invaluable in assisting you to discover what career fits your strengths and interests. On the UNSW law career website, the Law Jobs Board showcases a selection of roles for both students and graduates, including jobs exclusively advertised to UNSW students. The Careers Service organise a range of events for students, including career fairs, panel discussions and in 2019 an exclusive spring clerkship program for UNSW students with a top tier law firm. 2019 also saw the launch of the ‘Day in the Of’ series wherein students were invited to attend public service departments to better understand the role of a lawyer on the ground in government agencies. The Law Careers service also offers career counselling appointments, to review your job applications and discuss career options aligned to your interests and goals. As a UNSW Alumni and having working in the community and government sectors most of my career, I understand the rewards of a career in public interest better than most!

I know you will find the law careers service useful and I look forward to hearing from you.

For more information : https://my.law.unsw.edu.au/ or email law.careers@unsw.edu.au

Siobhan Ryan

UNSW Law Careers Manager