A Message from the Manager of the Careers Service

Message from The Careers Service

Siobhan Ryan

The Law Careers Service at the UNSW Law School exists to optimise your chances of finding and securing a fulfilling job. We believe that you should begin ‘forward planning’ your career the moment you commence your studies at UNSW Law to identify what type of legal role best suits your skills and personality rather than focussing only on traditional legal roles.

The Careers Service aims to provide you with resources and opportunities that improve your employability in the legal profession including advice on navigating the jobs market and how to put your best foot forward in terms of your resume, cover letter, on-line profile and interview skills. We are here to support you in securing employment both while you are a student at UNSW and when you ultimately graduate. We recommend that you read the UNSW Law Careers Service online resources online, including our E-book which brings together everything you need to know to forward plan your career: https://www.law.unsw.edu.au/students/ careers

These are some of the specialised services we offer which complement UNSW Careers and Employment broader career services : One-on-one careers counselling appointments with our team advisor; A carefully tailored Jobs Board advertising a range of roles with employers as diverse as law firms, corporations, government, departments, not-for-profits, community organisations, the Bar and the Judiciary; Legal profession career resources such as detailed information about career pathways, Resume and cover letters; Yearly updated lists of oppurtunities for clerkships, graduate, corporate and public service roles.

2020 sees a continued rising trend in the number of immersion opportunities offered by commercial law firms. Firms are seeking to diversify their talent pool from the traditional hiring profile of Law/ Commerce; Law/Business students, to recruiting students with double degree combinations such as Law/Information Technology; Law/Science, amongst others.

Increasingly, international firms have established an Australian presence and are eager to offer a diverse range of internship programs – so make sure to keep an eye out for these firms, even if they are not on the Law Society of NSW list of firms participating in Legal Vitae. Check out the Law Careers updated work opportunity lists on the resources page. In 2020 UNSW Law Careers Service will focus on expanding opportunities for in-house counsel clerkships which is a growing market for graduate roles and a new career pathway

Message from The Careers Service

which previously recruited lawyers with varying PQE.

UNSW Law Careers service has partnered with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) in 2020 to offer in-house counsel clerkships with 2 days training in-built to assist students to explore these legal/business career pathways and start their career. This is an excellent pathway to develop your commercial/legal skills in client-facing roles.

Again in 2020 we will be increasing awareness of public sector roles by expanding the ‘A Day in the Life Of Series’ whereby students visit public sector organisations for a day to better understand the realities and rewards of what a career in the public service can offer.

Ranked 14th law school in the world, UNSW provides you with an exceptional educational foundation. We encourage you to use your Law Careers Service to explore the different pathways which your law degree can take you on. In 2020 UNSW Law Faculty is committed to supporting you with broader opportunities.