CVMail

Overview

CVMail is a centralised law student portal run by Thomson Reuters. It provides information about the legal industry and enables law students to apply and schedule interviews online. Most law firms use CVMail for summer clerkship applications, but ensure that you check with each firm first.

How to use CVMail

1. Go to ww.cvmail.com.au; 2. Click ‘register’ at the very top-left-hand corner of the page, and enter your details; 3. You will then be asked to complete your ‘Personal Profile’, which includes contact details 4. Return to ‘Application Manager’; and complete your academic profile, which records your degree, subject and mark details.

Submitting an Application

1. The ‘Application Manager’ displays which firms are taking applications. Click the ‘seasonal’ tab for the summer clerkship and ‘NSW’ for law firms in this state; 2. At the top of the list of firm names, you will see ‘Practice Firm’. This allows you to fill in a mock application in order to familiarise yourself with the process; 3. You can also click ‘Resources’ towards the top of the page to access a range of useful material about each law firm; 4. When the applications are open, CVMail will walk you through the process of entering your details; 5. Depending on the firm, there may be a number of interview-style application questions to answer. It is recommended that you prepare answers to these in a word processor, and then copy/paste them into CVMail; 6. This same method can be used to insert your cover letter; 7. Your CV can be attached to your application by uploading the relevant file from your computer.

Application Timing

1. As CVMail can only store a work-in-progress application form, you can only work on one application at a time; 2. Partially completed applications can be saved, allowing you to continue at a later time; 3. When completing the application form, CVMail only allows you 90 minutes to answer the questions and fill in your details before it automatically logs out; 4. You should apply as early as possible, as CVMail has been known to crash and succumb to internet traffic close to the application deadline. Be prudent and make sure it is completed days before it is due. 5. Before you submit your application, make sure that you have saved a backup copy of your responses to your computer; 6. Once you have submitted your application, you are given a unique receipt number and are sent an automated email confirming that your submission has been successful.

My CVMail

This section of the website allows you to view submitted applications, correspond with law firms regarding your applications, and schedule interviews once the firms have contacted you.