Busting Myths & Misconceptions

“I’ll only get a clerkship if I have an HD average”

Your grades are only one indication of your ability to succeed. Firms are looking for a well-rounded individual that will t into their team culture. Being a university student comes with many stressors; the cost of living, learning how to juggle responsibilities, and illness can all a ect grade performance. As long as you are able to explain the context for those grades and the strategies you have in place to strive for improvement (if indeed they are on the lower side), you can reframe a negative experience into an opportunity for building resilience and overcoming adversity.

“I need to have experience in Mooting and Debating”

Whilst valuable activities to take part in, there is no single extra-curricular that is necessary for law students to be competitive clerkship applicants. You do not need to be a fully- edged debate champion or master orator, but you do need to be able to demonstrate how your interests have added value to your skill set. If you’re more interested in graphic design or music, you could talk about creative problem solving and how you have learned the importance of self-discipline when developing a new skill. If you can demonstrate your passion and how that would make you the perfect applicant, you should not feel hesitant to include it on your resume.

“If I don’t get a clerkship I can’t be a lawyer”

A law degree has so many applications outside of commercial practice. Whilst an incredibly valuable stepping stone in the professional life cycle, it is not the be-all and end-all if you are not successful in obtaining a clerkship during your degree. You may want to try volunteering in a community legal centre or use your legal skills in another sector such as policy analysis or consulting. You might prefer to gain paralegal experience in private practice, where there is a smaller team and more opportunities for direct feedback and mentorship. There are many pathways to being admitted as a lawyer – it’s what you make of your experiences along the way, and how you frame your experience through the lens of acquiring knowledge and skills that is the most important.

“The only good experience is legal experience”

We all start somewhere. It is highly unlikely that you will only have work experience in the legal eld, and rms are not expecting you to! All skills have transferable applications to other professions. Whether you worked in retail or hospitality, try and showcase how you have developed soft skills like communication and time management by framing how these may be applicable to the role, or stakeholder engagement.

That’s the beauty of a clerkship! You rotate around di erent areas of practice and get to try out di erent tasks under the guidance of senior lawyers, mentors, and buddies. While it’s admirable to have a solid grasp of what area you wish to practice in, don’t limit your scope too early and allow yourself the freedom to apply for things you may not think are 100% for you.

If you do not throw your hat in the ring, you will never know if you will be successful or not. The fear of rejection can be immobilising, but it is an inevitable facet of professional growth. Even if you are not successful in securing a clerkship in your rst round of applications, there are ways to improve your chances the next time round. Failure is not only subjective, but an opportunity to reassess the evidence at hand and look for ways to actively seek improvement in areas needing development. You can ask for speci c feedback from the Hiring department, you can do more interview prepping with friends; you can use the UTS online resume checking service, or volunteer to gain more practical experience. If you are facing personal di culty which is causing academic stress, there are community resources available such as bulk billed GP access, mental health services, and food banks to help ease the mental load of the cost of living.

Applying for a clerkship when you are unwell or stressed will often translate to how you are able to prepare. If you do not feel good enough to be a competitive applicant, ask yourself why? Where are your insecurities, are there ways to overcome them through practice or community aid? Try to feel empowered by your desire for success and channel that into direct action.