12 minute read
Gilbert + Tobin
+ 400 lawyers nationally across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. + 80 partners nationally across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. + 800 people nationally, legal and non-legal.
How many clerks are you intending to take on this summer?
Our summer clerk numbers are typically confirmed closer to time. In previous years our intake has ranged anywhere between 10 and 29 clerks.
How many graduate lawyers did you take on this year?
30 graduates nationally, including 16 in Sydney plus 10 graduates due to commence in August.
How does your firm embody the notions of social and corporate responsibility?
We have always taken corporate citizenship seriously. Since our inception in 1988 we have made and kept a commitment to pro bono services for marginalised and disadvantaged people, Reconciliation for Australia’s Indigenous peoples and protecting the environment and reducing our environmental footprint.
We actively engage with the social and environmental impacts of our operations.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program specifically focuses on three streams – community, reconciliation and the environment. Through these programs we:
Work to ensure the justice system is accessible to everyone by helping parts of the community who cannot afford legal assistance; Monitor, improve and report on our environmental performance to our key clients, and to the public; Commit with our suppliers of goods and services to achieve better environmental and social sustainability by managing our procurement processes; Maintain an open work place where staff are encouraged to commit to causes and provide the flexibility to enable them to do that.
We report on our CSR performance in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines. The GRI Guidelines report on sustainability performance in relation to economic, environmental and social performance outcomes.
We continue to look for ways to improve our contribution as a responsible corporate citizen.
Gilbert + Tobin has a proud community-conscious track record on environmental issues.
We are a National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) certified carbon neutral law firm – one of just two in Australia.
How does your firm strive to protect its junior lawyers’ work/life balance?
G+T offers an informal and relaxed environment, approachable partners and lawyers, diverse teams, friendly people who care about the firm and the high performance contribution they make irrespective of their role. We have a range of flexible working arrangements and support structures available, including best-practice leave entitlements policies, part-time and job share opportunities and flexible working hours. All employees have access to a ‘work from home IT kit’ to enable greater flexibility in how people manage their personal commitments with the needs of clients. We also provide a range of discounted products and services to help our people balance their out-of-work responsibilities.
What opportunities does your firm uniquely offer that may be of interest to prospective clerks?
Aurora Project – Native Title Secondment Opportunity
Each year we offer two Sydney clerks the opportunity to gain work experience with a Native Title representative body through the Aurora Project, during the winter semester break. This unique initiative is fully funded by the firm and will help you build important personal and professional skills. In the past, our clerks have seconded to the Torres Strait Regional Authority on Thursday Island, Queensland and the Top End Women’s Legal Service in Darwin, Northern Territory.
Upskilling lawyers for the future
In addition to legal expertise, we provide our lawyers with essential personal development which focuses on providing tools to be innovative future leaders of the firm.
All summer clerks have the chance work with our legal service innovation team, either as a rotation or via innovation projects. Graduates are also able to undertake a rotation in this area, alongside their commercial practice area of preference.
Development opportunities:
Many of our lawyers choose to undertake postgraduate study. G+T offers funding assistance for masters’ degrees and other postgraduate courses as part of our ongoing commitment to your continuing education. While studying, you may also be offered study leave to study and attend exams.
Each year we award a number of scholarships of up to $10,000 to support our people to study at any educational institution in the world in a subject area of their choice, which aligns with the work that they are doing, or a focus area for the firm. Past scholarship winners have studied at prestigious institutions in the United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong, including Oxford, Harvard and LSE, amongst others.
Does your firm offer any opportunities to work overseas?
G+T offers secondment opportunities overseas (as well as in Australia). These secondments are a great personal and professional development opportunity. Our lawyers tell us that their secondment experience has been an invaluable part of their career development. G+T has a “best friends” network with top tier firms internationally. We will support you in seeking opportunities to work abroad, which will expand your commercial skills in a global setting.
What makes your firm’s culture unique?
As a young and independent firm we’re not constrained by tradition, so we are always open to change, new ideas and different perspectives on how to deliver the best outcomes to our clients. We work within a flat structure, which means our clerks and graduates have direct access to lawyers and partners who are experts in their fields, as well as matters that will improve their skill sets and career prospects.
We offer an informal and relaxed environment, approachable partners and lawyers, diverse teams, friendly people who care about the firm and the high performance contribution they make irrespective of their role.
G+T presents a unique opportunity for you to make a name for yourself through the matters and transactions you work on, with personal accountability yet supported by those around you.
“Our culture is quite unique, with its focus on innovation and change. It challenges you to do better, and to be bold and stand by the advice we give. But one thing that surprised me when I joined is how caring it also is. It’s not just about getting the work done – there’s genuine empathy, and a lack of formality or bureaucracy.”
ARE YOU READY TO BE BOLD?
Not all corporate law firms are the same. If you’re up for the challenge of working with Australia’s most innovative corporate law firm, learn more via gtlaw.com.au/bebold
WE’RE BIG ON BOLD
Standing up for what you believe in and standing out in the crowd. Having the confidence to take risks and the courage to say no. Trusting in the tradition of embracing innovation. Being adventurous, spirited and unexpected. At Gilbert + Tobin, we believe in being bold.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR? The G+T clerkship experience is open to students in their penultimate year of study, as well as final year for our Sydney office. We’re not a prescriptive firm when it comes to our people; we invite individuality and diversity. We also hold ambition, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in high regard. Our people are collaborative, passionate and dedicated – but most of all they enjoy what they do and never forget to have fun. We seek clerks and graduates who will complement our practice groups and don’t feel the need to take themselves too seriously.
WHAT WILL YOU EXPERIENCE? Depending on your location, you’ll complete two, four-week rotations across the firm’s practice areas in summer, or a seasonal clerkship over a number of weeks in winter or summer. All clerks are assigned a supervising partner, mentor and buddy to assist with on-the-job training for each rotation - an immediate support network to help smooth the transition from university and assist with your professional development. While your main focus will be corporate work, everyone has the opportunity to assist on pro bono matters, innovation projects and participate in firm-wide activities.
HOW WILL YOU LEARN? During the clerkship you’ll take part in our customised in-house training, and cover topics such as research, analysis, drafting, developing technical skills, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, business development and client orientation. As you progress through your rotations you’ll develop invaluable skills and knowledge and gain first-hand experience of our various practice groups. Understanding the mechanics of legal practice through research, drafting memos, attending court and meeting clients will all help to build your confidence. And we’ll encourage you to contribute ideas and your own fresh perspective.
GRADUATE PROGRAM Our summer clerk program is the primary pathway for graduates at G+T, however we also invite interest from graduating students who may have clerked elsewhere or taken up other opportunities in their penultimate or final year of studies. Keep an eye on our website for active graduate vacancies.
KEY DATES
OFFICE Sydney Melbourne Perth
APPLICATIONS OPEN 9 June 6 July 13 July
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 12 July 16 August 2 August
CONTACT KRISTIE BARTON Clerk + Graduate Program Manager +61 2 9263 4575 | kbarton@gtlaw.com.au
BE BOLD BE PART OF THE ACTION
Gilbert + Tobin is a leading transactions, regulatory and disputes law firm, committed to outstanding citizenship. We guide our clients through defining moments in their business and are renowned for our ability to get things done.
We employ a diverse mix of talented and ambitious people who are attracted to the firm because of its entrepreneurial spirit, creative approach and capacity for change. These are the reasons we enjoy a reputation as the most successful corporate law firm to emerge in Australia in many years. We advise many of Australia’s and the world’s leading organisations and focus on the most dynamic sectors. Our clients and projects span Australia, Asia and emerging African markets. Located in the heart of the CBD, the partners and lawyers in our Sydney office include some of Australia’s leading practitioners in: + Banking + Infrastructure + Competition + Regulation + Corporate Advisory + Energy + Resources + Intellectual Property + Disputes + Investigations + Pro Bono + Real Estate + Projects + Technology + Digital
If you want to challenge your thinking and stretch your abilities, this is the firm for you. There has never been a better time to be a part of our story and enjoy the stimulating challenge of working with Australia’s most innovative corporate law firm. Find out more at www.gtlaw.com.au/bebold
WE DELIVER ON OUR PROMISE TO PROVIDE REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER. WE PROVIDE THE CHANCE TO BE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN INTERESTING, CHALLENGING WORK MUCH EARLIER IN YOUR CAREER, ACCELERATING YOUR OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCE.
I CAME INTO DAY ONE OF MY CLERKSHIP AT GILBERT + TOBIN WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS. TEN WEEKS LATER, I CAN SAFELY SAY MY EXPECTATIONS WERE WELL-EXCEEDED.
All firms throughout the clerkship recruitment process pitch a glossy image of life at their firm to potential candidates. What I loved most about G+T was it not only acknowledged all the pros it had to offer, including working for big-name clients on the most challenging and interesting legal work with the brightest legal minds in the country. It was also candid about the not-so-glossy aspects of the industry. At our first clerk cocktail night, Danny Gilbert openly discussed current issues affecting graduates in the profession. His willingness to be so transparent and keep us aware of how the firm was addressing these was a key factor in my decision to clerk at G+T over other firms. It gave me the sense that the firm truly did champion, and believe in, the importance of its people. This was confirmed to me during my clerkship experience. I felt immediately welcome at the office, thanks to the friendliness and approachability of the lawyers I worked with and the HR and Knowledge staff who ran training and review sessions. In both my Corporate Advisory and Intellectual Property rotations, lawyers and partners took it upon themselves to initiate coffee catch ups and involved me in as much work as possible. With an open plan office, there is a real sense of collegiality among teams from the top-down, as partners and senior lawyers are sitting amongst juniors. I learnt so much about professionalism and the client-facing aspect of legal work simply by absorbing how the experienced lawyers sitting around me were conducting day-to-day business. I also did a substantial amount of work directly for partners, which was extremely valuable, and I received frequent feedback in response to each task that I submitted - a huge learning opportunity! The work I completed during both my IP and Corporate rotations was stimulating and varied. I worked on a range of matters that gave me an invaluable insight into what each team actually does, both day-to-day and in a ‘bigger picture’ sense. In Corporate, I worked for one of the biggest private equity firms in the country, assisting them with assessing the legal risks of new business acquisitions. This demanded an eye for detail and aptitude for interpreting contracts. In IP, I was involved on several patent litigation matters which gave me a wonderful taste of life as a litigant. Regular opportunities to attend court and see Australia’s best IP barristers in action, advocating on issues that are at the very forefront of IP law was a highlight. I was also tasked with some interesting research tasks, including looking into a famous YouTube influencer and innovation in the coffee machine industry. As well as work from our practice teams, we completed pro bono and innovation projects over the course of ten weeks. Both provided wonderful opportunities to contribute towards two core tenants of G+T’s culture, namely its sense of responsibility towards addressing social inequities and its market-leading aptitude for innovation. My pro-bono group submitted a report on an impactful litigation strategy that G+T could adopt to tackle reforming the NDIS, which was extremely rewarding. My innovation team created a chat bot for corporate lawyers to determine what reporting requirements applied to a client company. The design process was collaborative, creative and a lot of fun. Lastly, the social aspect of my clerkship experience was my favourite of all. I didn’t anticipate that I would form so many genuine friendships in ten weeks. With G+T facilitating weekly clerk sports games, clerk pasta making, social drinks, numerous Christmas party events and more, it was inevitable that our cohort would end up a tight-knit group. Ultimately, my clerkship was the ideal launchpad into an exciting legal career and I couldn’t be happier with my choice to start that journey at G+T.
