19 minute read
Allens
Banking & Finance, Competition, Consumer & Regulatory, Corporate, including: Funds, Super & Wealth, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Disputes and Investigations, including: Commercial Disputes Employment & Safety Restructuring & Insolvency, Intellectual Property and Patent & Trademark Attorneys, Projects & Development, including Projects Real Estate & Development, Tax
Number of Lawyers
757 Lawyers and 135 Partners
What Specific Qualites Does the Firm Look for in a Potential Clerk? We’re proud that there isn’t an ‘Allens’ type’. We know that diverse perspectives help solve complex problems, strengthen teams and enrich client relationships. The more you enjoy working with a diverse range of people, the greater your success will be. While we celebrate our differences, it’s important to understand what unites us. These are attributes that our people have in common. These help us to succeed as a team and individually: • Initiative: a curious mind is vital. The more adaptable you’re able to be and the more energy you bring with you, the more you’ll get out of a career at Allens. • Excellence: it’s a guarantee we give our clients. Intellectually rigorous, driven and eager to learn. • Commerciality: law is more than an academic pursuit; it’s about understanding the client – their objectives and the challenges they face – as well as the wider commercial environment in which we operate. • Flexibility: a key priority for the firm is to ensure our people feel they are trusted to work in a way that allows them to balance the needs of the firm alongside the pursuit of their own career and life goals irrespective of gender, age or life stage. • Commitment: positive people thrive in our environment. We look for people who can build sustainable careers with us, and successfully juggle work and a personal life while maintaining their wellbeing.
Sydney Clerkship Intake
TBC, dependent on business need
After Becoming a Clerk, What are the Prospects of Obtaining a Graduate Role?
We aim to fill our graduate programs with our summer clerks. We endeavor to make graduate offers to all of our clerks unless for whatever reason it isn’t in the best interests of the firm or the individual.
How Does Your Firm Value Corporate Responsibility?
We use our position to give back to our community. We stand up for what we believe in and strive to make a real difference. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because we are truly motivated by positive change. You’ll find individuals and teams across the firm committed to providing access to justice, alleviating disadvantage, promoting reconciliation and protecting the environment. At Allens, we are proud of the important role we play in our community. From support for marriage equality to campaigning for refugee rights and going carbon neutral, we use our technical knowledge and professional skills to help others. > Pro bono Pro bono work is a valued part of life at Allens. Join us and you’ll have the opportunity to apply your skills and contribute to causes and organisations. You’ll also be encouraged to take part in challenging matters and develop new skills that complement what you already know.
> Reconciliation We believe in creating a just society. We’re committed to ensuring the same level of opportunity exists for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as for other Australians. That’s why we launched our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) more than eight years ago. Since then, 23 Allens staff have spent a total of 154 weeks living and working alongside Indigenous communities from Arnhem Land to inner Sydney to the West Kimberley. We’re proud to be the first Australian law firm to achieve certification as carbon neutral. We extend our influence to outside of the firm too.
> Philanthropy At Allens, we have philanthropy committees in each office. This means we’re supporting the causes closest to our community. Our people work hard to support and advocate for charities and community organisations by hosting fundraising days and events. Our legal professionals can take part in volunteering opportunities of their choosing, ranging from making meals for homeless people to mentoring disadvantaged children.
What is Unique About this Firm’s Culture?
We are working to create a culture where our people feel they are trusted to work in a way that allows them to balance the needs of the firm alongside the pursuit of their own career and life goals irrespective of gender, age or life stage.
Allens is committed to providing an inclusive workplace that celebrates diversity and values the contribution that different backgrounds and life experience bring to our firm. We recruit, develop and promote talented people, and we – and our clients – benefit from the different backgrounds, experiences and points of view that shape their thinking. Our diversity and inclusion strategy is focused on seven segments: Gender, Culture, Social, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI), Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander (ATSI), Disability and Carers
How does your Firm Encourage a Work-Life Balance?
We expect a lot from our people. Real commitment and excellent performance. So it’s only fair that we offer a benefits package that reflects your dedication, provides support and allows for development inside and outside the firm. Our rewards and benefits package is paired with a supportive and inclusive culture to ensure that you have every opportunity to succeed.
Clerks will work with some of the most experienced lawyers in Australia and encounter first-hand the type of work you could do as a lawyer at Allens. You’ll get to be part of a team, assisting with real matters. Your performance coach and buddy will be there to support you, help you make the most of your clerkship, get to know our people, and thrive.
We believe that we stand out as an employer because of our high-quality technical training and excellent learning environment. We’ll work with you to develop your understanding of commercial law and build your skills, providing the foundation you need to become a successful lawyer. You’ll be involved in some of the market’s most complex domestic and global transactions.
Our clerkship program is a stepping stone to bigger things – most clerks go on to become graduates with us. Here is a quick rundown of what you can look forward to:
A personalised induction program that introduces you to our people and the work we do; On-the-job training with support from a partner and a junior lawyer, who will act as your performance coach and buddy; Learning opportunities across practice areas and partners, as we don’t work in silos; The chance to work on real matters with many of Australia’s and the world’s top 100 companies; The opportunity to get involved in community and pro bono work, and learn about our committees and interest groups; The chance to learn about working within our alliance with Linklaters and about secondment opportunities; Seminars that will build a strong foundation of skills to help you become an excellent lawyer and thrive in our ever-changing world; Social events, where you will really get to know us; and The opportunity to network with some of the best in the profession.
With us, you’ll be more than a lawyer. Our people are technical experts, but they’re also trusted business advisers who think bigger, more broadly and more strategically. Together, we solve complex legal challenges, and collaborate across practice areas and disciplines to guide our clients.
We work across borders too, thanks to our alliance with Linklaters. This provides opportunites for our firm and our people, including annual rotations in Linklaters London, Hong Kong and Singapore being available to our graduate lawyers.
An early legal career at Allens includes highly tailored training through the Allens Academy. Developed in partnership with the Australian National University, our Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice will help you transition from law graduate to legal expert and trusted business adviser.
In a rapidly changing world, we seek opportunities to innovate, embracing creative thinking, new approaches and emerging technology. We don’t just seek opportunities to benefit ourselves and our clients, we believe strongly in driving positive change to do right by our community too, as demonstrated through our strong pro bono practices.
Our teams are open, inclusive and encouraging, giving you the opportunity to learn and grow while feeling supported. You’ll have the flexibility to drive your own career, and we’ll recognise your achievements and hard work as you progress through the firm. Are you ready to begin?
CLERKSHIP PROGRAM
A clerkship at Allens is the first step in a rewarding legal career, and will give you invaluable insights into our work and culture. With support from a buddy and development supervisor, you’ll work on real matters for real clients and be involved in a variety of projects. The programs: run from three to 10 weeks;
are available at our Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney offices; feature ongoing support, including a buddy system; and
include exposure to one or two practice groups.
GRADUATE PROGRAM
In each rotation, you’ll gain a depth of experience that comes from seeing matters through to the end, and get exposure to stimulating legal challenges. At Allens, we don’t work in silos, meaning you won’t be limited to working with only one partner or by your practice areas. You’ll work alongside a range of partners and lawyers, giving you exposure to a wide variety of tasks. Working with different teams and leading organisations, you’ll grow a solid skills base and develop the agility needed to thrive in our ever‑changing world. The programs include: two 12‑month rotations in your areas of interest; secondment options in London or Asia, via our alliance with Linklaters; ongoing supervision, coaching and mentoring; completing a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (via Allens Academy); and a 12‑month weekly legal seminar series (Cornerstone Program).
Rare Case Study
MONA ABU ZALAF SUMMER CLERK 2017/18
Mona Abu Zalaf completed her clerkship in Sydney in 2017/18. After winning a client interview competition sponsored by Allens, she was encouraged to apply for a clerkship. When she applied she was identified as an outperformer by the Rare Contextual Recruitment System.
Mona was born and brought up in western Sydney. Her father is a Palestinian refugee, and her mother, who was born in Lebanon, never went to school and doesn’t speak any English. They both migrated to Australia in search of opportunity, which is certainly something that Mona has made the most of. Her mother always encouraged her to try her hardest at school, and impressed upon her the importance of getting an education. Though she was unable to help Mona with any homework, she was incredibly supportive and nurtured her ambition. The fact that her mother didn’t speak any English meant that Mona became very independent at a young age. She often had to be a translator and take the lead in handling situations that required fluency in English. This helped her to become comfortable with taking on responsibility, which was demonstrated through her success at work. Mona got a job as soon as she was old enough and was promoted to crew chief at McDonald’s within a year, despite being only sixteen. She worked six-hour shifts four nights a week, as well as studying for school. She first became interested in the law while she was at school. Mona thought she might want to be a human rights lawyer when she started to learn about the history of Palestine, her father’s country.. It was her interest in business that eventually led her to go into commercial law – she enjoys the fact that this type of law is so entwined with the way that businesses function. Mona applied to university through an Access Scheme and a Principal’s Recommendation Scheme, to strengthen her application. On results day, she found out that she had just missed out on the HSC grades she needed in order to secure her place in law at the University of Technology Sydney. ‘I cried for a week but then decided to make the best of the situation. I decided to study for a journalism degree for a year, and I had always been interested in that too. I kept in the back of my mind that I would need to get a distinction average, which would allow me to change to law.’ She fully committed herself to the course, and also started to take the lead on lots of political campaigning in her community. That transition from school to university was quite difficult for Mona. She had attended a religious institution and describes her life at school as being quite sheltered. University was very culturally different to what she was used to, which made her feel slightly isolated. It took her a while to become confident enough to get involved with the law society and participate in competitions. She said that the moment she finally felt like she deserved to be in the law course was when she received the highest score in her real property course, which led to her receiving a faculty award. This gave her the boost she needed. In her second year, she started to enter competitions, and then she came to Allens for the grand finals. ‘The first time I ever visited a law firm, (and Allens), was during the client interview competition grand finals. I assumed that I’d never be able to work somewhere like that.’ ‘My uncles are all painters and they painted number 1 Bligh Street, which is the office of a law firm. That’s the biggest connection I had to the legal world before I started to network when participating in competitions.’ When Mona applied to Allens, she was identified as an outperformer by the Rare CRS. This added to her already impressive achievements, and she was invited to interview. She wears a headscarf and was, sadly, verbally abused moments before walking into the building for her interview with us. Despite this, she kept her cool and performed well at the interview. She was offered a clerkship. Talking about her experience on the clerkship Mona said, ‘Working at Allens was absolutely amazing. It was everything that I expected and more. The work is enjoyable, the team were supportive, and the partners were approachable.’ The feedback that she received was just as positive. Her resilience and motivation shone through, and her willingness to take on extra work impressed those that she worked with. Mona is now a Lawyer at Allens. She’s ready. Are you?
KATE SINCLAIR SUMMER CLERK 2018/19
1. What kind of work were you involved in during your clerkship at Allens? I rotated through the Competition, Consumer & Regulatory and the Projects and Development teams. The work was varied, but some examples of what I did day to day are: drafting advice and commercial contracts; attending client meetings; research, both legal and commercial; and ‘sensechecking’/ proofreading advice, commercial contracts, articles and leases.
2. What did you enjoy most about working at Allens? Not only is Allens genuinely invested in you and your career, the people are so lovely. During the application process, you meet so many people from different firms and practice areas; you attend what feels like 50 cocktail evenings and interviews; and you meet a tonne of other applicants. The stress of the process stops you from connecting with other people, but this pressure is lifted when you start a clerkship. Rather than being a source of anxiety, socialising becomes enjoyable. Potential employers become colleagues, and competitors become friends. I loved settling in and learning about, and from, the people I was working with.
3. What are the social opportunities like at Allens? The clerkship is full of social activities! Monday night sport and Friday night drinks were staple events, as were informal Clerk lunches in the botanical gardens each day. There were lots of organised events where you could bond with fellow Clerks, with activities like lawn bowls, karaoke, tenpin bowling, cork and canvas, and trivia. The lead-up to Christmas is also a blast, with team lunches and the firm Christmas party, which are great opportunities to learn more about your colleagues outside the office. Even before the clerkship started, Allens put on a wine and cheese night for the Summer Clerks, where we learned more about the practice areas we could choose to rotate through.
4. What surprised you about working at Allens? I was pleasantly surprised to meet so many cool and lovely people at Allens. I was concerned that I wouldn’t fit in at Allens (that I didn’t have the right background), due to its reputation as a traditional (and stuffy) firm, but I didn’t feel out of place at all. Everyone was so nice and welcoming! Of course, the work is fascinating, but the most interesting work in the world isn’t worth it if you don’t like who you’re working with (particularly if you’re working late nights).
5. What would be your advice to students wishing to apply to Allens? Two things: (1) Do it – apply. Before doing my clerkship, Allens intimidated me; I didn’t think I would be selected and I wasn’t sure the firm was for me. But I could not have been more wrong and I’m really pleased I applied. (2) Be genuine. Applying for clerkships is a tiresome and stressful time, and it’s easy to get carried away with what you think firms or HR want to see, but there would be nothing worse than pretending to be someone you’re not and ending up at a firm that isn’t the right place for you. Be yourself, and if it’s the right fit, it’ll work.
6. What’s the most exciting thing you worked on? Doing work on the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry and Snowy 2.0 was cool, but I was most excited to work for the giraffe-in-a-van from my childhood – Healthy Harold.
WILL BROWN ANU ALUMNI & ALLENS GRADUATE
One of Allens 2019 Graduates and Australian National University JD alumni Will Brown shares his clerkship experience in a feature with Lawyers Weekly.
Having spent the best part of five years studying at the ANU, it felt like the right time to make the move from the nation’s capital to the place most commonly mistaken for the nation’s capital, Sydney. After several brief glimpses into life at Allens, it was with much excitement that I awaited the start of my Summer Clerkship. I could picture it – exciting work, new colleagues, and Christmas functions to boot. I did not, however, foresee a trip to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, an advanced screening of Jumanji, losing to a rival firm in soccer (controversially and in wet weather…) and karaoke on a Thursday night somewhere in Surry Hills. Trying to imagine life inside a commercial law firm is quite difficult. Most of the work is confidential and each person’s experience and perspective differs greatly. I had always thought - or at least hoped - that I would fit in and that I would be given a chance to use my skills not just commercially, but in the context of helping other people too. After several days of training and exploring the less travelled parts of Microsoft Word, we were let loose onto the floors to join the teams for our first rotation. For me, this was Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT). Here, I was met with genuine warmth and excitement. The arrival of clerks, I was told, meant it was almost Christmas. In the weeks since, I have had the privilege to work on largescale service agreements in addition to novation deeds, licences, advice on cryptocurrencies and even the issue of zero-ratings and net neutrality. It has been a process of constant learning, navigating new laws and trying to anticipate the regulation of new and exciting concepts. By the same token (couldn’t help myself), I have also worked on a number of Allens Accelerate matters. Accelerate works with aspiring entrepreneurs in the embryonic stages of starting their own companies, many of which could have a big impact on a number of sectors in the coming years. What has really rounded out my experience has been the chance to work on pro bono matters. While clients are always grateful for receiving advice, there is something really rewarding when you can make a difference for a client that would not ordinarily be in a position to access legal services. Allens has a strong commitment to pro bono work and clerks are encouraged to get involved from day one. Aside from having front-row seats for a senior colleague’s rendition of Geri Halliwell’s It’s Raining Men, the highlight of my Allens experience has been the people. There is a genuine team spirit among the clerks and it has been a pleasure getting to know so many interesting people from all over the country. Special thanks must go to the entire TMT and People & Development teams, without whom my experience would not have been as seamless and enjoyable as it has been. In the last few weeks, a sense of confidence has been instilled in me by the lawyers I work alongside. Despite having complex matters to attend to before Christmas, they have all taken the time to explain new concepts to me and give me detailed feedback on their work. Particular thanks must go to Ian McGill, my supervising partner. No matter how busy he has been, Ian has set aside time to review my work and provide feedback which has allowed me to increase the standard of my work immeasurably. His approachability has allowed me to ask questions and to work with confidence, without fear of making mistakes while I learn. I am also grateful to Connie Ye and Alice Williams who have also been formally involved in mentoring me during this process. Now I can’t wait to see where my career at Allens takes me! But first, I’m off to Linklaters in Singapore for a year, as part of my graduate program.
