Clifford Chance

Across our two Australian offices we have 10 partners and around 90 lawyers. Globally, our expansive network of 6,000 team members (including approximately 550 partners and 3,000 lawyers) is spread across 32 offices in 21 countries.

How many clerks are you intending to take on this summer?

We are intending to take on between 6 – 8 clerks in our Sydney summer program and 4 – 6 clerks in our Perth summer program.

How many graduate lawyers did you take on this year?

In 2020 we welcome 11 graduates across our two Australian offices.

How does your firm embody the notions of social and corporate responsibility?

We are committed to inspiring the trust of our stakeholders by making Responsible Business a central part of our strategy. We have over 6,000 people working for the firm, hugely talented and with a fantastic range of valuable skills and experience. Together, we can really make an impact. There’s also an important point here about individual development. Our people who are involved in this type of activity – whether it’s pro bono advice, mentoring local students, or working alongside clients on an environmental initiative – all have a much broader, more considered view of business life, and develop a wider range of really valuable life skills and business skills. For our lawyers, it’s a great way for them to understand the context beyond the immediate confines of the transaction or case.

Feeling that you can have a positive impact on some of the more pressing issues facing society is also hugely motivating, and that’s an important aspect of ensuring that everyone here feels that Clifford Chance is a really great place to work.

How does your firm strive to protect its junior lawyers’ work-life balance?

As a Responsible Business, we support our people in developing resilience and managing their wellbeing. We believe these are fundamental blocks in building a sustainable business and providing excellent service to all our clients.

We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining the best team to deliver the very highest level of service to our clients. As part of this commitment, we invest in our people’s wellbeing so that they can perform at their full potential. This means caring for their physical and mental health. We have made it a strategic objective to support our people in developing their resilience. One way in which we are doing this is through our global Employee Assistance Programme, which provides individual support from trained counsellors as well as fast access to a range of services, including life management advice.

We realise that working in a law firm can be a pressurised and demanding environment. Our wellbeing agenda aims to ensure our people are able to recognise and appreciate the importance of maintaining good mental health and in building their resilience and ability to operate healthily and successfully. Promoting a healthy lifestyle is another focus. We support our people in making healthier choices and encourage them to view exercise as social activity.

What opportunities does your firm uniquely offer that may be of interest to prospective clerks?

What makes Clifford Chance lawyers different? Firstly, our collaborative and adaptable culture. We work together across borders, languages and legal systems, sharing insights and expertise to achieve our clients’ commercial goals. Secondly, we’re pioneers, working on many ‘first of a kind’ deals. Finally, it’s the nature of our people. Highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak, they embrace our culture of learning and are more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge.

Does your firm offer any opportunities to work overseas?

Our extensive international network and the global nature of our business mean that it is both possible and beneficial for graduates to take one of their seats in one of our overseas offices. Secondments are an opportunity for them to acquire new skills and experiences, develop language skills and provide a valuable international perspective in a new business and cultural environment.

What makes your firm’s culture unique?

If global law firms are competing to provide the same kind of professional services, you might think we would all end up the same. The fact is, firms vary in spirit, culture and atmosphere. We’re one of the world’s largest law firms, but it often doesn’t feel like that. We have a professional, cando culture. Partners are hands on with the work and newly qualified lawyers are expected to demonstrate leadership behaviour from a very early stage. Every single person is critical to the success of the team.

GET TO KNOW US

What areas of law do we practice? Across Australia, our core areas of focus are Corporate, Banking & Finance, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Antitrust & Competition.

Why are we different? Firstly, our collaborative and adaptable culture. We work together across borders, languages and legal systems, sharing insights and expertise to achieve our clients’ commercial goals. Secondly, we’re pioneers, working on many ‘first of a kind’ deals. Finally, it’s the nature of our people. Highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak, they embrace our culture of learning and are more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge.

Your contacts Kelly Byrnes, National HR Manager & Melissa Urquhart, HR Advisor

Grads.Australia@CliffordChance.com

Clerkships Students must be at least penultimate year and eligible to participate in the 2022 Graduate Program

When are our clerkships held? Our Clerkship program in Sydney runs in Summer; in 2020, it will run from 30 November, 2020 – 12 February, 2021.

Our Clerkship program in Perth runs in Summer; in 2020 it will run from 30 November – 18 December.

How many clerks do you take? Sydney: 4 – 6

Perth: 4 – 6

How many graduate jobs do we offer? Sydney: 4 – 6

Perth: 2 – 4

Do we make graduate offers to the open market, or just through clerkships? Graduate offers are primarily made from the clerkship pool however applications from students unable to complete a clerkship program are still accepted and considered.

How / when should students apply?

Sydney

Applications open: 9 June, 2020 Applications close: 5 July, 2020

Perth

Applications open: 13 July, 2020 Applications close: 2 August, 2020

What kind of work can a clerk expect to do? Our clerkship program is designed to provide you with a real insight to life at Clifford Chance in Australia.

Throughout the program, you will work alongside all levels of lawyers, including partners, while you assist with real-time matters.

You will have two seat rotations, allowing you to experience two different teams.

Throughout the clerkship you will hear from various departments across the region, helping you to develop a comprehensive understanding of life in a magic circle law-firm.