MSLS Careers Guide 2019

MURDOCH STUDENT LAW SOCIETY PRESENTS

CAREERS GUIDE 2019

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO LEGAL CAREERS

Acknowledgements The Murdoch Student Law Society would like to thank the following Murdoch University students and alumni, and sponsors for their contribution to the 2019 Careers Guide.

Editor-in-Chief Louise Dinnie

Editor

Karla Fernandes

Graphic Design Louise Dinnie Karla Fernandes

Special thanks to Mo Berrached Alex Di Rosso Alex Manning Kashmirra Thevar Timothy Wrathall Owen Wright

Premium Sponsors

Allen & Overy Allens Ashurst College of Law Corrs Chambers Westgarth King & Wood Mallesons Leo Cussen MinterEllison Squire Patton Boggs

Supporting Sponsors Clayton Utz Clifford Chance EY Gilbert + Tobin Hopgood Ganim Norton Rose Fullbright

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Contributors Nalin Behere Emily Bell Clinton Bonomelli Adriana Costanzo Kai Huan Edward Love Tessa Mayberry Daniel McCarthy Ashley Roberts Lucy Stronarch Sonia Walker We would like to especially thank Clayton Utz for offering and providing assistance to update the Practice Areas section.

Educations & Careers Team Careers Officer | Louise Dinnie Educations Officer | Alex Manning Educations & Careers VP | Karla Fernandes

Contents 04 Letter from the Editor 04 Head of Law & Criminology Address 06 Guide to Becoming a Lawyer 13 The Graduate Application Process 31 Useful Skills for the Graduate Process 36 Opportunities at Murdoch University

44 Graduate Pathways 84 Graduate Testimonials

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Letter from the Editor W

elcome to the Murdoch Student Law Society Careers Guide for 2019.

Over the past eight months, Karla Fernandes our Education VicePresident and I have been working on updating the Careers Guide.

Many people may ask us why we would start so early. The answer is simple. We want to provide the best resource we can to Murdoch University students to succeed in their future careers.

A law degree is the stepping stone for students to start their career.

Whether that career is in the legal field or not - a law degree opens up many opportunities. However, we continue to hear that the graduate market is over saturated and it is becoming difficult to find a graduate position with just an undergraduate degree.

Our aim with the Careers Guide is to equip murdoch University students with the skills and to approach the graduate market with confidence. We hope that this Careers Guide can be a resource to you to better understand the range of opportunities available.

We have been very fortunate to have a range of insights from Murdoch graduates, and contributions from

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current students. I would like to especially thank the Education and Careers team for their endless support. In particular, I would like to thank Karla Fernandes, our Education Vice-President, for sharing my passion to see Murdoch students succeed and learning how to use graphic design applications alongside me.

On behalf of Murdoch Student Law Society, I would like to wish you good luck for your future careers wherever it may take you.

Louise Dinnie Careers Officer 2019

Head of Law & Criminology Address

P

lanning your career is an important part of your academic journey. It is not something you should leave until the year you are graduating. Planning requires knowledge about the careers that are available. It also requires knowledge of who you are and what will suit you. The MSLS Career Guide is a great way to begin that process by showing you the range of options that are available when you complete your degree.

A big ‘Thank You’ to MSLS for organising the guide and the many career focussed events they run throughout the year.

When you are thinking about your future career, consider your areas of interest, where you want to end up and how to differentiate yourself in a competitive environment. Think about the skills that you might be able to offer to a future employer. Choose specified electives or combined degrees that will help support your interests and your future work plans. Importantly, take as many opportunities as possible to complete volunteer work and internships in areas where you think you may like to work. This will not only help your CV, but it will allow you to test whether the career of your dreams is the right one for you.

even if it is in an unrelated area, may allow you to demonstrate administrative skills, a strong work ethic, communication skills and an ability to balance competing responsibilities.

Whilst your degree is important in obtaining a career, employers are looking for more than a qualification. Use your time at University wisely, so that when you do apply for a position you have the right skills and qualities to obtain that position. Getting involved in mooting, SCALES and taking on leadership positions in the School will all help contribute to your skills. You will also have a lot more fun whilst you are here!

Finally, remember that working outside your comfort zone can be a good thing. Try public speaking even if you think it is not for you, say yes to opportunities even if you feel overwhelmed and lack confidence. Find out about who you are and what matters to you.

Once you know that, a whole world of new career opportunities may be open to you.

Sonia Walker Head of Law and Criminology

Don’t disregard the skills you developed prior to starting your studies with us. A student once said to me that his prior degree in Exercise Science was not particularly useful for a legal career. However, knowledge of anatomy, injury prevention and recovery are valuable in areas such as medical negligence, occupational health and safety law, insurance law and personal injury law. Think carefully about the skills and knowledge you already have.

How will this allow you to provide additional expertise and skills in the workplace?

Any paid work or volunteering you have completed,

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Guide to Becoming a Lawyer Law School is one thing. Becoming a lawyer is another. This Careers Guide is an indepth look into the possible pathways to becoming a lawyer. Where you take it from there is up to you.

Step One – Complete your Law Degree To obtain a law degree in Australia, you must pass the ‘Priestley 11’: 1. Administrative Law 2. Civil Procedure 3. Company Law 4. Contracts 5. Criminal Law and Procedure 6. Equity (including Trusts) 7. Ethics and Professional Responsibility 8. Evidence 9. Federal and State Constitutional Law 10. Property 11. Torts Once you have passed the Priestley 11 you are on the way to having candidate status for admission.

Step Two - Complete your Practical Legal Training Practical Legal Training (‘PLT’) is a structured training program that bridges the gap between being a law student and a lawyer. PLT involves both theoretical coursework and 75 days practical experience. The theoretical coursework is aimed at giving you the practical skills to complete scenarios you will encounter as a junior lawyer.

Generally, students start PLT once they have graduated university. However, if you have completed all of the Priestley 11 and only have one or more electives remaining, you can apply to commence PLT prior to the completion of your academic qualification. Many students choose to complete some of their practical experience days before they graduate.

After you complete PLT you will be awarded a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP)! vRecognised PLT providers in Western Australia include: –– College of Law WA; –– The Leo Cussen Centre for Law; –– The Piddington Society Inc; –– ANU School of Legal Practice; and –– Curtin University Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

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How does your PLT course differ from the other courses?

We believe that practical legal training should be just that – practical. Build your skills and confidence with a mentoring program you won’t find elsewhere. Small group training – to provide the finest practical training experience.

Our blended learning program is offered predominantly online, but also has 13 days onsite so that you can better build skills and confidence through a personalised mentoring program.

How is the course structured?

Our online PLT is a blend of online and onsite activities over 21 weeks, complete either 4 weeks of professional placement or 9 weeks of professional placement (if an exemption from the 5-week coursework Careers Planning and Profession Ready Module is given).

Applicants must have proficiency in email and internet applications, reasonable access to such resources and an aptitude for successful learning via online delivery modes.

Can I start your PLT before finishing my law degree?

The rules about starting your PLT have recently changed. If you have 1 or 2 law degree electives outstanding, you can now apply for approval to start your PLT while concurrently completing your electives. This means accelerating your pathway to admission.

Contact days The PLT is suitable for law graduates who have other commitments during typical business hours. The course includes 13 faceto-face intensive contact days from Murdoch University.

Attendance is a requirement.

Trainees manage and conduct simulated files. This includes attendances at hearings, settlements, interviews, signings and other activities are scheduled on intensive contact days. Students develop excellent advocacy skills through civil and criminal file work.

Online completion of Client Files Online PLT files are largely conducted via

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guided one-to-one online contact with mentors, except for attendance at hearings, settlements, interviews, signings and other activities that are scheduled on contact days.

Professional Placement Trainees will need to complete either 4 weeks of professional placement or 9 weeks of professional placement (if an exemption from the 5-week coursework Careers Planning and Profession Ready Module is given). Placement can be done shortly before or after the formal coursework, or concurrently with coursework.

Placements can be organised with private law firms, community legal centres, government agencies, public interest organisations or inhouse.

Optional Topics Can be chosen in Administrative or Family law.

When does the course start?

There are two intakes each year in Perth February and July.

How long does the course run for?

5 months How do graduates enrol in the course?

Online via www.leocussen.edu.au/apply What work experience options (if any) are students able to choose from?

Trainees have access to a designated Graduate Placement & Careers Advisor.

Do you provide full time and part time courses?

We currently provide a full-time online course from Perth in February and July. We also offer a full-time and part-time onsite and online course from Melbourne’s CBD in January and July.

More information Please visit www.leocussen.edu.au Phone: 1300 039 031 Email: pltadmin@leocussen.edu.au

The Piddington Society and the Pidington Justice Project The Piddington Society (‘Piddington’) are driven their objects to promote collegiality in the legal profession, improve access to justice, support entry into the profession for junior lawyers and provide quality legal education.

Each of these are big tasks on their own, so how do they do it?

Their flagship education program for graduates is the Piddington Justice Project (PJP). The PJP is an approved PLT course.

Seminars and tutorials are delivered by Judges, silks and other senior lawyers who are leaders in their fields. The PJP also works to remedy the challenges facing new law graduates finding employment and the need for community legal centres (CLCs) to serve their clients.

Piddington are proud that to date their PJP graduates have contributed an estimated 10,000 hours to CLCs, materially expanding the legal advice offered to the community.

They also achieved their education goals through regular CPD events. Professional development is a requirement of the legal profession. Their CPD events balance the technical aspects of law and practice with ethics and a focus on justice itself. Attendees will find themselves listening to leaders in the law speak candidly about their views, experiences and challenges. These events are combines with what they call collegiality.

When you attend Piddington events you will see that there are great conversations with junior and senior lawyers from across the profession over food and drinks. Junior practitioners can sit alongside the most senior, like silks and judges, and have a friendly conversation, discuss the law or life in general and even have a drink, a laugh and, at times, a dance.

The capstone of this is their annual Bali Conference where they take 200 lawyers, and their friends and family too, to Indonesia for the most fun CPD you can have. It’s always held on the WA Day long weekend in June, and they advise that you mark it in your diary as it always sells out.

The heart of Piddington is in their relaxed, fun approach. Piddington was formed in 2011 as a primarily social endeavour. They’re named after Albert Piddington - the shortest serving Judge of the High Court. Just like his Honour, they say that they are here for a good time, not a long time. Piddington wants to be a part of your career. They want to support your professional and personal development, and help your pathway into law be friendlier and open. So, how can you engage with Piddington?

The first step is to sign up to their newsletter and follow them on Facebook or LinkedIn and see what events you want to come to. If you can’t afford an event but are particularly interested, reach out and they will see what they can do.

The second step is meeting new people and building a relationship with the profession. You can be sure that Piddington will support you in doing that.

Your careers are just starting. Though it seems daunting, Piddington hope to help welcome you into the profession.

Nicholas van Hattem, Director of PJP • • •

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/ company/piddingtonsociety/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ piddingtonsociety/ Justice Project PLT – https://www. piddingtonsociety.org/justice-project

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Step Three – Admission Once you have completed your academic qualifications and practical legal training you have candidate status for admission as a lawyer!

In Western Australia, candidates must follow the admission process set out by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. To apply for admission, you must: 1. File a motion paper with the Supreme Court at least 2 months prior to the proposed admission date. The Supreme Court provides further information on the motion paper, admission ceremony dates and filing date on the admissions section of their website (www. supremecourt.wa.gov.au/A/admissions.aspx); and 2. File a Notice of application for admission (Form A10) along with supporting documentation to the Legal Practice Board within 2 days of filing the motion paper.

The Legal Practice Board of Western Australia will contact the applicant if there are deficiencies in the application. The Supreme Court will write directly to the applicant to confirm the arrangements for the ceremony.

On the day, an admitted lawyer will pass your admission to the Judge and you will be admitted as a lawyer!

Each State and Territory has slightly different requirements for admission to their individual practice boards. For further information, please refer to the State or Territory’s practice board’s website.

International Admission Canada You will need to have your qualifications evaluated by the National Committee on Accreditation in order to get a “certificate of qualification”. The Committee may require you sit exams on Canadian law. You may even have to complete additional courses at a Canadian law school – which are usually J.D. programs.

There are four exams, which cover subjects like constitutional, administrative and criminal law.

There are also additional requirements for each province, and you will have to undertake an articling program. You may need to do less time in this program if you have experience as a lawyer in Australia.

For more information visit: https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ italy-italie/academic_relations_academiques/ practising_law-profession_avocat. aspx?lang=eng

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China Lawyers from other countries are able to work for law firms in China but are not authorised to practice law. Chinese law heavily restricts a person’s ability to give legal advice. Australian qualified lawyers should thoroughly discuss these restrictions with any prospective Chinese Law firm.

Europe The majority of the European states require both an LLM and LLB. Obtaining a license or diploma in one state allows you to practice in another. Memberships of individual bar associations are sometimes required by states to use the title of ‘lawyer’, however you may still practice law. For more information about admission in a particular European country please refer to the relevant law society or bar association for that country.

Hong Kong Requires a person to be valid legal practitioner in their jurisdiction of admission to have been in practice in said jurisdiction for at least three years. Candidates will need to pass the Overseas Qualified Lawyers Examination.

Once you pass, you’ll need to enter a threemonth residency agreement. You’ll have a better chance if you already have 2 years’ experience as a lawyer.

Alternatively, you can register as a Foreign Lawyer with Hong Kong’s Law Society. As a registered foreign lawyer, you will not be able to practise Hong Kong law, but you will be entitled to work as a foreign legal consultant for a Hong Kong law firm.

For more information, visit: https://www.hklawsoc.org.hk/pub_e/ admission/oversea.asp India To be eligible to practice in India, you must be over 21 years of age and be an Indian national or have Indian dual citizenship. Candidates

will need either an undergraduate degree in any area of study and at least a three year long post graduate degree in law or have an LLB and completion of higher secondary education.

Candidates must then pass a Bar Council of India examination on substantive and procedural Indian law. Candidates who completed their LLB prior to 21st February 2005 do not need to complete the examination.

The Bar Council of India must recognise the foreign university. Any foreign university may apply to the Bar Council of India for recognition by detailing: –– The history of the university; –– The handbook, brochure and prospectus for the course of study; –– The university’s accreditation standing; and –– Any other prescribed information the Bar Council of India requests.

For more information, visit: http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/ legal-education/recognition-of-a-degree-inlaw-from-a-foreign-university/

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United States Requirements differ from state to state however the general requirement is either a Juris Doctor (JD) or Master of Law (LLM). These are necessary in order to sit the relevant state bar examination. Some States, such as New York, allow Australian Graduates to sit state bar exams. Most states require particular study that can only be taken in that state.

For more information, visit: http://www. americanbar.org/aba.html United Kingdom Requires a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or JD. The UK also requires graduates to have completed a Practical Legal Training Course. Lawyers that have been admitted to practice in Australia can practise in England and Wales as solicitors by transferring through Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) under the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Schemes (QLTS).

You need to meet the eligibility criteria: –– that you are a qualified lawyer in recognised jurisdiction; –– that you can satisfy relevant language requirements or have a degree undertaken in English; and –– that you are of good character.

that, you have to be a: –– qualified person; and –– permanent resident.

Being a qualified person means graduating in the top 70% of your class from one of the following ten approved Australian universities: 1. Australian National University 2. Flinders University 3. Monash University 4. Murdoch University 5. University of Melbourne 6. University of New South Wales 7. University of Queensland 8. University of Sydney 9. University of Tasmania 10. University of Western Australia If you obtained your degree from another university, you will need to apply for an exemption to this rule. You will then need to undertake 6 months of legal experience.

Once you pass the bar exam, you will need to undertake a 6-month training course in Singaporean law, and finally a 6-month training contract with a law firm. There is one notable exception to all of this: if you have over three years of experience as a lawyer, you can just take the Foreign Practitioner Exam.

For more information visit: http://www.sile.edu.sg/qualified-person

If you would like to practice as a Barrister, you will need to apply to the Bar Standards Board to have training assessed by the Qualifications Committee For more information visit the https://www. lawsociety.org.uk/ Singapore Requires an LLM or JD from an approved university. Any person seeking to be admitted must first be twenty-one years of age and older.

You’ll need to pass a bar exam – but before

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The Graduate Application Process STAGE 1 PREPARATION: CAREER EVENTS, INFORMATION EVENTS, AND RESEARCH STAGE 2 APPLICATIONS: COVER LETTERS AND CV STAGE 3 ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS: PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRES, PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING, AND SELECTION CRITERIA. STAGE 4 INFORMATION EVENTS: NETWORKING EVENTS AND COCKTAIL EVENINGS. STAGE 5 INTERVIEWS: SINGLE AND GROUP INTERVIEWS STAGE 6 ASSESSMENT CENTERS. STAGE 7 OFFERS DAY

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Key Dates Graduate offers occur in two stages – first round offers are made to those that have completed a clerkship with the firm and standard offers are made to those who have applied from the market. To receive a standard offer, you must apply to the firm during their open market application period. Once you have applied, you will proceed through the recruitment process and if successful be offered a position on offers day. However, some firms may not follow this recruitment format and recruit graduates at different times of the year.

First Round Offers

First Round Offers made First Round Offers held open to

Applications open Applications close Review and interview Offers made Offers held open till

Standard Offers

9am – Friday 26 July 2019 5pm – Friday 26 July 2019

Monday 2 July 2019 Sunday 11 August 2019 Monday 12 August 2019 to Friday 6 September 2019 9am Friday 13 September 2019 5pm Friday 13 September 2019

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LEGAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY The below firms are those recognised by Doyles as leading Western Australian firms in their particular specialities. Please use this directory as to start your research in finding clerkships or internships in legal firms in Perth. The below list by no means an exhaustive list of all the law firms, practices or sole practitioners in Perth.

3D HR Legal Allen & Overy * Allens * Allion Legal Ashurst * Bailwick Legal Bellanhouse Bennett & Co Blackwall Legal Castledine Gregory Clayton Utz * Clifford Chance * Clyde & Co Cornerstone Legal * Corrs Chambers Westgarth * CX Law Dentons DLA Piper * Elevation Legal Elliptical Legal & Patent Services Ensign Legal Gilbert + Tobin * Glen McLeod Legal Hall & Wilcox Haynes Robinson Heldsinger Legal Herbert Smith Freehills * HFW HLS Legal Hogan Lovells Hopgood Ganim * Hotchkin Hanley HWL Ebsworth * Iffla Wade Irdi Legal

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Jackson McDonald Johnson Winter & Slattery * Jones Day * K&L Gates * King & Wood Mallesons * Kott Gunning * Lantergy Legal Lavan * Lemonis & Tantiprasut LSV Borrello Lawyers Mallon & Co Maurice Blackburn McAuliffe Legal McWilliams Lawyers MDC Legal Mid West Lawyers Mills Oakley * MinterEllison * MKI Legal Moharich & More Nicholas Legal Norton Rose Fullbright * Panetta McGrath Pinsent Masons Pragma Legal * Price Sierakowski * Provan Legal Quinn Emanuel Rugby Red Legal S Billing & Associates Shine Lawyers Slater & Gordon Solomon Brothers * Sparke Helmore * Squire Patton Boggs * Steinepreis Paganin *

Teller & Associates Thomson Geer Tottle Partners * Turner Freeman Warren Siminton Raplh Wayland Legal William + Hughes * Wotton + Kearney Wrays

** The firms marked with an asterisk we have identified as those with graduate programs that follow the graduate application periods (first round offers and/or standard offers).

However, each firm may have their own graduate or PLT program and application dates. Please check their individual websites for further information.

STAGE 1: Preparation Preparation is key to successfully apply to a wide variety of firms within the short application period. The best way to start preparing is to do your research, attend information events to learn about different firms and gain specific skills for your graduate application.

MSLS Education & Career Events MSLS hosts careers events in conjunction with law firms and PLT providers to help students perform their best in their clerkship and graduate applications. The events are a great opportunity to gain information straight from the firms on what they are looking for.

Event

Date

Herbert Smith Freehills – Interview Techniques Ashurst – Personal Branding

Thursday 4 April 2019 Thursday 11 April 2019

College of Law – CV & Cover Letter Writing Allens – Professional Networking Skills Murdoch Law School Careers Fair Clayton Utz – Day in the Life of a Law Clerk

Thursday 2 May 2019 Thursday 16 May 2019 Wednesday 22 May 2019 Thursday 30 May 2019

Information Events There are various information events hosted before the graduate season that can be either career events or career information evenings hosted at their offices. Every year firms and different graduate employers attend the Perth Law Careers Fair and the Big Meet.

During the graduate application period, firms host information evenings at their firms. These evenings allow students to attend the firm, network with their current staff and learn more about what work they do. The evenings can help you decide whether to apply for a graduate position at that particular firm and their selection process. During the evening, the firm will have a short presentation on the firms most recent and exciting work. If the work sparks a particular interest for you, you can discuss the work in your cover letter as the reason why you are interested in applying.

Research Although the information events are a good place to start deciding where to apply, it is best to do further research. By researching firms and their recent work you can personalise your cover letter to stand out from the rest. Research the firm’s practice areas, values, recent work and other areas that stand out to you. Take note of how the firm refers to their clerkship program and use their terminology. All of these little details show you have taken that extra step to impress.

Another reason to research further is to find firms that may not advertise their programs.

There are a lot of graduate opportunities in Perth, the eastern states and beyond that you may not have seen at graduate events or career days. Do a bit of further research into graduate opportunities and see if there is anything there for you!

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STAGE 2: Applications Once you have done preparation and found places that you would like to apply to, the hard work begins. The task is to prepare your cover letter and curriculum vitae for each application.

Each application should be personalised to the place you are applying.

The extra effort to personalise pays off. It shows the effort and attention to detail you will bring to the position!

Cover letters A cover letter is the first impression an employer has of you and is the best way to make your application stand out. An effective cover letter links your skills, abilities and experience to the position. Use your cover letter to show your interest in the firm, the effort you put into your research, how you can contribute and if you’re the “right fit” for the firm. A cover letter is the first example of your communication and writing skills. Your cover letter is your one page to convince the employer to keep reading your application and offer you an interview!

There are many structures and styles of writing a cover letter. Below is one way of structuring your cover letter.

Tips:

–– Keep your cover letter to one page.

–– Use the same font style and style throughout your cover letter. We recommend using either Arial or Times New Roman in size 11 or 12.

–– Always proof-read your cover letter for grammatical and spelling errors.

–– When addressing the letter to a firm avoid using a generic title such as “To whom it may concern”. Instead, try to find the name of the HR representative or the appropriate person to address the letter to. The appropriate name is usually available on their website or in their clerkship promotional material. If you are unable to find the name of the relevant person address it to a general title such as “Dear Head of Graduate/Clerkship Recruitment”.

–– Be specific about your skills and interest in the firm. Qualify your reasons why you are interested in the firm with experiences with them, people you have met or research you have done. Qualify your ability or skills that are relevant to the role with details of your previous experience and achievements.

–– Remember to focus on what you can contribute to the firm – not just what you will gain from the role!

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Cover Letter Structure Header – Your Details Above your salutation, include your name and contact details at the top right-hand corner of the page. Your contact details should include your best contact number and professional email.

Next, write the name of the contact in HR, the name of the firm and their address on the lefthand side. Write your salutation to the contact person in HR. Below your salutation, include a bolded sentence for the reason for your letter. For example, “RE: Application for Advertised Graduate Position for 2020”.

Paragraph One – The Introduction Reiterate the position you are applying for and where you saw the advertisement (if applicable).

Introduce yourself to the employer by telling them what year of law school you are in or if you are a graduate, any part time work you do and any other relevant information. Your last sentence should reiterate why you are applying for the firm and/or why you are an excellent candidate for the position.

Paragraph Two – The Firm The first main paragraph should focus on why you are interested in a role in the firm. This is the opportunity to show you have researched the firm by showing an awareness of the firm. You can discuss the firm’s recent work, people you have met at events, their practice groups, and any recent achievements of the firm.

Paragraph Three – All About You This paragraph is to show why you meet their criteria. Firms can detail their criteria on their graduate position advertisement or their recruitment information website. Outline your skills and qualifications that directly address what the firm is looking for in a candidate. Provide evidence of your suitability through your work experience, extra-curricular activities and volunteer positions.

Paragraph Four – Why You? The third paragraph is to show why you are the “right fit” for the firm. Outline how the firm’s values and the values they are looking for in a candidate align with your own. Similar to paragraph 3, support your statements with your experiences. However, be careful to not come across as false if you do not align with their values. Focus on where you shine as a candidate.

Paragraph Five – Signing Off The final paragraph should reiterate your interest in the position and that you would be pleased to attend an interview. If the position is not in Perth, remember to include your willingness to interview via video conference or phone call. Finish the letter by thanking them for considering your application and that you hope to hear from them soon. Remember to keep your sign off professional by using “yours sincerely” or “kind regards” followed by your full name.

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Example Cover Letter 15 July 2019 ATT: TOBY FLENDERSON Human Resources Manager Dunder Mifflin Legal Services

Level 25, 123 St Georges Terrace PERTH WA 6000

Elle Woods 12 Justice Street PERTH WA 6000 +61 432 546 888

ellewoods@gmail.com

Dear Toby, RE: Graduate Position 2020 Please accept this cover letter and accompanying curriculum vitae as my application for a graduate position with Dunder Mifflin Legal Services. I am a penultimate year law student with a double major in human resource management at Murdoch University with the view of completing my Honors year in 2020.

I have been interested in Dunder Mifflin Legal Services since speaking to a representative at the Murdoch Law School Careers Fair. We discussed her work environment and the different practice groups at Dunder Mifflin Legal Services. My interest grew upon research of the firm and its approach to innovation. I admire that Dunder Mifflin Legal Services look beyond only using smart technology by having regular innovation workshops, participating in global legal hackathons team and having a training internally. By utilising smart technology and dedicating time to training internally, Dunder Mifflin Legal Services can adapt and innovate to use technology to their client’s advantage. I am especially interested in the firm’s use of technology in the litigation practice because of my interest in litigation. The technology has the potential to reduce the time required to resolve complex disputes significantly. Despite my interest in litigation, I am excited to be involved in any part of Dunder Mifflin Legal Services ‘s diverse and exciting work.

I am a strong applicant for a vacation graduate position because my experience demonstrates that I possess the characteristics that Dunder Mifflin Legal Services look for in its applicants. I endeavour to engage in university life and the wider community to keep an open mind and gain commercial awareness. By volunteering and working in the legal sector, I have gained insight into how the commercial and public sectors intersect and conflict. My perspective has expanded by my involvement in the International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot Competition in 2019. The competition required our team to understand how the dispute operated at a global level and to create innovative solutions for both parties. My commitment and drive allow me to effectively manage my responsibilities and consistently produce a high standard of work.

I pride myself on having a strong work ethic and being constantly curious to understand how law interacts in the wider world. However, I know that the world does not function only through the lens of the law. Through my non-legal volunteering roles, I have attained skills ranging from project management to first aid. These roles have pushed me out of my comfort zone by requiring me to complete tasks I was unfamiliar with or found confronting. However, they have been the most rewarding roles. The experience has encouraged me to embrace new challenges and push myself out of my comfort zone.

Thank you for your considering my application and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely, Elle Woods

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Curriculum Vitae A Currciulum Vite (‘CV’) is a summary of your experience and skills that is tailored to the position you are applying for. It emphasizes your relevant education, experience, extracurricular activities, and interests.

The aim of a CV is to secure an interview with a prospective employer by demonstrating you have the relevant skills and experience. An interviewer will use your CV to ask relevant questions so ensure you remember what you included.

CV Structure Personal Details The top of your CV is the place to ensure your potential employer will remember your name.

For this section include your: full name (and a preferred name if applicable), professional email address, best contact number, and postal address.

Work Experience In this section, include all your relevant work experience in reverse chronological order. For each position include: your title, start/end dates of employment, place of employment, location and any specific accomplishments or promotions you received. Underneath the details of each position, list your duties and responsibilities using action works. Remember to highlight your contributions and accomplishments.

Extra-curricular Activities Extra-curricular activities demonstrate that you are able to manage your time at university alongside work. List your extra-curricular activities similarly to your work experience omitting information where necessary (e.g. place of employment). Examples of extracurricular activities include: volunteering, clubs, societies, competitions, mooting, and sporting teams.

Education and Academic Achievements For this section, include each place you have studied in reverse chronological order with the details of the course, place and period of study. If you are an undergraduate student, you can include your secondary education and entry mark. Highlight your academic achievements such as honours, awards or scholarships. You can include your WAM and/or GPA for each course.

Referees You can include two to three referees at the end of your CV. Referees will be asked questions on your work and skills in a professional environment – so ensure you include referees who can provide such information. Previous and/or current employers, volunteering supervisors, coaches and academic supervisors are all examples of referees that can be included in your CV. Always ask referees for permission before including their details on your CV. If you are applying for several positions, let your referees know what kind of positions you are applying for and the skills required. Your references should include your referees’: name, place of employment, title or position, and best contact number. If you are not able to contact your referees in time – note under the heading ‘Referees available on request’.

Other headings Remember that this is just a guide and you have the choice to include different categories. Other categories could include: interests, awards, personal achievements, professional memberships, completed courses, and positions of responsibility.

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Example CV

Elle Woods

T: 0433 345 654 | E: ellewoods@gmail.com | L: linked.com/ellewoods Relevant Work Experience BakerHill Lawyers – Paralegal – 15 hours weekly • Conduct legal research into various aspects of commercial law.

• Produce legal memorandums for solicitors and counsel.

• Draft initial versions of court documents for submission.

07/2018 – Present

Legal Aid WA – Criminal Appeals Intern – 7 hours weekly • Conducted legal research into various aspects of criminal law.

• Presented research to supervisors in meetings.

• Collaborated with supervisor to produce a trial plan.

• Attended and scribed counsels’ appearances at hearings.

03/2019 – 06/2019

Mental Health Law Centre – Paralegal – 7 hours weekly 01/2018 – 09/2018 • Attended calls and gave information on the Telephone Advice Line.

• Supervised and trained volunteer paralegals.

• Research and produced advice for clients’ legal issues.

Sara & Lily – Sales Consultant – 15 hours weekly • Performed customer service and sales tasks.

• Closed all of the point of sales and balanced tills.

• Supervised training of new and junior employees.

12/2016 – 07/2018

Volunteer Experience Murdoch Law Student Society – Educations Officer – 8 hours weekly 02/2018 – Present • Organize and communicate with contributors for publications.

• Collate content for publications for further editing.

• Successfully completed series of legal guides in 2018.

Eddie Rice Camps – Mentor – Seasonal 12/2017 – Present • Mentored underprivileged campers through the camp and beyond.

• Facilitated workshops for campers and volunteers.

• Involved in planning of camps and recruitment of volunteers.

Murdoch High School Achievers – Mentor – 4 hours weekly 12/2016 – 12/2017 • Assisted year 8-10 students with their homework and assignments.

• Organised and prepared breakfast for workshop attendees.

Extracurriculars NodeGirls – Participant & Facilitator 02/2019 – Present • Attend coding workshops to build my coding languages.

• Facilitate NodeGirls’ professional and junior hackathons.

• Achievement: invited to facilitate a national hackathon in Sydney.

Murdoch Spearheads Soccer Team – Team Captain 12/2015 – Present • Supervise and train team members during training.

• Assist with fulfilling strategy during matches.

• Achievement: unanimously nominated Team Captain in 2018/19.

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Murdoch University Administrative Law Moot – Semi-finalist 01/2018 – 04/2018 • Researched and produced submissions on a problem scenario.

• Presented arguments orally in a simulated court room.

• Achievements: o Successfully progressed to the semi-finals nationally; and o Awarded ‘Best Speaker Overall’.

Education Bachelor of Law with a major in Human Resource Management 03/2017 – Present Murdoch University – Full-time GPA: 2.82 WAM 70.5 Achievements: Criminal Law Prize for best performance in Criminal Law. Western Australian Certificate of Education Murdoch High School ATAR: 82 Achievements: • Dux of Politics and Law 3A/B; and • Head Girl for 2016.

03/2011 – 11/2016

References Paul Betterman Partner at BakerHill Lawyers BComm (UWA), LLB (UWA)

T: 0478 002 776 E: p.betterman@bakerhill.com.au

Professor Julia Stromwell Professor of Criminal Law at Murdoch University BA (Hons)(Harvard), JD (Harvard)

T: 0443 212 000 E: j.stromwell@murdoch.edu.au

CV Tips:

–– Keep your CV to two pages. If you have a lot of relevant experience, keep your CV to a maximum of three pages.

–– Use a consistent font style and size. We recommend using either Arial or Times New Roman in size 11 or 12.

–– Use headings to structure your CV and divide your experiences logically.

–– Change your headings to have your substantive experience towards the top of your CV. For example, if your academic achievements are substantive in comparison to your work experience – put your academic experience as your first heading. However, remember to have your personal details as your first heading and referees as your final heading.

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Selection Criteria & Scenario Based Questions During the application process, you may be asked to address selection criteria or additional questions on the firm. Do not underestimate the importance of this part of your application. Save the questions into a word document, do your research and prepare your answers in advance before sending in your application.

Section criteria are specific job requirements that selectors have identified as skills, qualifications, experience or attributes that are required for the position. Some firms will not use a selection criterion form and instead ask scenario-based questions. Selection criteria and scenario-based questions can be addressed with the same method.

The best method to answer selection criteria or scenario-based questions is the STAR method.

Situation – where, when and the context of your example Task – the task, problem or situation you were dealing with Action – what action you took to solve the problem, complete the task or handle the situation Result – the outcome of your action/s Example: Q. Tell us about a time you have had to adapt to sudden change?

A. During law school, I was a part of a moot team competing in Melbourne. They afternoon before we were set to moot against an opposing team, we received their submissions. In the opposition’s submissions they had an argument we had not addressed before or researched.

Our team came together to make a plan, delegate research tasks and write our oral submissions to address this new point. Our team was able to research, write and practice our new oral argument that night ready for the morning. We were able to address their new argument and we were able to win the oral round against that team.

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Firm Questions Besides selection criteria and scenario-based questions, firms do ask questions about your interest in the firm or your values. A firm asks these questions to see whether your interest goes beyond a quick skim of their website. These questions generally fit into three categories, questions aimed at finding more about a candidate’s: achievements and background, motivation for applying for a particular firm, and level of commercial awareness.

When answering questions based on yourself use the STAR method to logically explain your answer. For questions on your motivation for applying, think about something the firm does or practices in that genuinely interests you – honesty will shine more than a quick response based off their website front page. Commercial awareness questions require research into current events in the legal world and commercial sector. Substantiate your answer by referencing the firms’ response to the commercial climate.

Example of questions aimed at finding more about you: –– Please tell us something outside of the law you are passionate about?

–– What are your personal achievements?

–– Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge.

–– Are you involved in any activity outside of your studies?

Examples of questions aimed at finding out your motivation for applying: –– Why are you interested in our firm?

–– What are you looking for in a legal career?

–– How do you think our firm is different from other firms?

–– Why do you want a career in [the firm’s practice area] law?

–– What is your motivation for seeking a career in commercial law?

Examples of questions aimed at finding more about your commercial awareness: –– Which business news story has interested you in the last 12 months and why?

–– What demonstrates your commercial awareness or interest in business?

–– What commercial issue will be an area law firms will have to face in the future?

–– What skills does a lawyer need in this current legal climate?

Academic Transcript The academic transcript is often overlooked during the application process – however, a bit of extra effort can make your application look polished. Previously, you may have given your academic transcript in the form of a ‘screenshot’ of your results page. For formal applications, you should always provide a copy of your official academic transcript and bring the official transcript to any interview. The official academic transcript will provide all the details of your units, grade point averages, and any awards you have received. You can order your academic transcript online to be posted to your home or get a copy at the Student Centre.

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STAGE 3: Additional Assessments Once you have submitted your applications, you may be surprised to find an email in your inbox asking you to complete additional assessments. The assessments are another form of data that firms can use for the assessment process. However, they are just that – data. So, do not stress if maths is not your strongest subject! What counts is the merit of your application overall.

Personality Questionnaires Personality questionnaires are used by the firm to look at how you work best in a professional setting. Your answers are an indication of your individual preference amongst different personality traits. Your results will give insights to 3 domains of your personality – relating, thinking and feeling. Relating looks at how you relate with others with influence, empathy and/ or leadership. Thinking looks at your creativity, how you deal with change and structure. Feeling looks at your emotional responses, energy and drive. Honesty is the best policy with personality questionnaires as your consistency in answering is recorded and your answers are used to structure your interview questions. However, there are no wrong answers with personality questionnaires – firms are not looking for a single ‘type’.

Free online tests are available through the Psychometric Institute, SHL Direct & Job Test Prep and Red Bull’s personality test.

Psychometric Testing Psychometric tests are designed to test a candidate’s logical thinking through various exercises including: pattern recognition, abstract thinking, numeracy and reading comprehension. Firms are looking for an ability to think logically and rationally under pressure. It is not about having an above average mathematical skill.

Firms use different providers for their testing – so it can be hard to practice before hand.

Psychometric testing software will provide practice tests before you complete the actual test.

However, they are all testing similar ways of thinking. Regular practice of similar tests online can prepare your brain to assess problems faster and accurately. Try even playing logic or pattern games to train your brain. You can complete online example psychometric tests through the Psychometric Institute, SHL.

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STAGE 4: Preliminary Events Once the application period ends you may receive an email or call asking if you want to attend an interview. Along with an invite to an interview, the firm may ask you to attend a preliminary networking event at their offices or another location.

Firms may host a networking event in the form of speed networking, cocktail evening, or morning tea. Despite what firm may call the event – always wear corporate attire. For the firm, it is a chance to see you network and interact professionally in a relaxed environment outside of an interview setting. Alcohol and light food are served at these events so make sure that you do eat beforehand and limit your drinks. How you behave at the networking event gives the firm insight to how you will behave at firm and client functions.

It is a fantastic opportunity for you to get to know people at the firm and understand the firm culture. It can feel awkward at first but try to be pro-active and mingle with lawyers from different groups. Remember to be polite to other interviewees and not dominate the conversation.

If possible, buddy up with a friend so you can enter conversations together. If you have two on the same night or other commitments that will make you late, remember to email the HR representative in advance to let them know.

For networking tips and tricks - check out the Useful Skills section of this guide which gives you a run down on all things networking!

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STAGE 5: Interviews If you have been offered an interview – congratulations! It means that your application was of such a high standard that the firm thinks you have what it takes to work at the firm. All that you need to do now is show them why they want you to work for them!

Before the interview The best way to impress at an interview is to do your research and be prepared. If you are well researched and prepared you can demonstrate your knowledge of the firm and your own experiences. For your research, remember to research all different areas that a firm may ask you questions on.

You can look at the firm’s website including their latest work and practice areas. However, when researching the firm remember to focus in on the work done by the office you are interviewing at. If you know who is interviewing you, have a look at their profile, their recent work, practice areas and recent publications.

If you know anyone currently working at the firm, and feel comfortable asking, talk to them about life at the firm and any tips they have for the interview.

You can brush up your commercial knowledge by reading articles relating to large commercial transactions and trends. If possible, see if the firm has been mentioned in any articles that interest you. Media organisations that are good to look through include: the Australian Financial Review’s legal section, Lawyer’s Weekly and the Australasian Lawyer.

One area of research that is often forgotten by candidates is researching themselves.

In the interview you will be asked questions specifically targeting information on your resume. Re-read your resume and remember the information you included. So, when a question arises, you can confidently answer with substantive information about any aspect of your resume. If there are gaps on

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your resume between study and work, be ready to discuss why that is. For example, if you worked full-time before study or took a break due to personal reasons – state your reason to the interviewer. The interviewer is not trying to catch you out – just looking to find why there is a gap.

On the day The day of the interview is likely to cause some anxiety and stress for you. The best way to tackle the anxiety is to have everything prepared the night before. Pick out a professional outfit, have your documents printed (CV, cover letter and academic transcript) and in a protective cover, and plan your route to their offices. Plan to be there early to appear punctual and organized. If you are nervous before the interview, remember you have been invited for an interview for a reason.

When you arrive at the office ensure you are courteous and polite to the reception when stating you are there for an interview.

A graduate may be there to meet you and other interviewees. Be friendly to the other interviewees and the graduate. Small talk can be awkward but if you are putting in an effort to have a conversation it can show you are confident even if you do not feel it. A HR representative will come and collect you for the interview, introduce yourself by shaking their hand and smiling.

During the interview When entering the interview, introduce yourself the interviewers by smiling and shaking their hand. They may offer you a drink of water, tea or coffee – feel free to say yes to any of these. Having a drink gives you the opportunity to have something to do when you feel awkward or are thinking of an answer.

Once in the interview you may be feeling nervous in such a formal setting. It is important to give an impression that you are comfortable in a professional environment through your body language. Maintain good posture and eye contact with your interviewer/s. If you have more than one interviewer, remember to make eye contact with each person when answering questions in a natural way. Even though maintaining eye contact may seem daunting, eye contact shows confidence and honesty in your answer.

Interviews are held differently depending on your interviewer’s style. Go along with their style – this may be formal question and answer, or, a casual discussion of mutual interests. One question you should always be prepared for is to tell them about yourself. It is best to have a few key facts about yourself that are interesting or different about you.

There are generally a few standard areas that interviewers will ask you about – experience, areas of interest, and your values. In answering these questions, it also demonstrates your communication and people skills. This is where your preparation comes in handy – use your examples to answer questions.

When answering a question use the STAR method. First explain your situation (place and position), the task you were given, what action you took and the result. You can ensure your answers are easy to follow and make logical sense by using this method. It also prevents you from going in aimless circles with your answers!

Before you finish the interview – you will be

asked whether you have any questions. It is best to have a few open questions prepared that you are interested in knowing the answer.

Thank the interviewers for taking the time to answer your questions and interviewing you. End the interview positively by smiling, shaking their hand and say you hope to hear from them soon.

Post-interview coffee Once you have finished the interview, the HR representative may introduce you to your buddy who is a current graduate. Your buddy will be responsible for the less formal part of the interview – taking you out for a coffee.

Your buddy will take you to a café nearby and pay for a drink to have with you. This part of the interview is to test your ‘fit’ with the firm. In short, they want to see if you can hold a conversation and if the graduate would want to work with you. During this part, try to not be too formal or barrage the graduate with lots of questions – it is not formal like a networking event. Treat this part of the interview as a conversation with a friend – be friendly and professional, ask questions about them, discuss mutual areas of interest and any questions you have about life as a graduate.

Tips

–– P lan to arrive 15 minutes early so if something goes wrong you will not be late.

–– Remember to sit up straight, use eye contact and smile when appropriate.

–– Before the interview, take time to check your appearance and mentally prepare yourself for the interview.

–– When asked about your weaknesses, think of an area of weakness that you have worked on. An honest answer will show your interview that you are aware of your weaknesses and have worked hard to overcome them.

–– Do not rehearse answers to questions as it comes off as disingenuous and at

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times false. Instead, brainstorm different experiences you can draw on to answer a multitude of questions. If you have experiences you can talk about on the spot, you will come off as confident and well spoken.

Example interview questions Questions about the firm –– What interests you in working with us?

–– What practice areas interest you?

–– What do you know about the firm? What interests you about a boutique/medium/ large firm?

–– Why do you want to become a corporate lawyer?

–– Which practice area appeals to you?

–– Which of our offices (location wise) would you like to work in and why?

–– What is the legal climate and how do you think it affects us?

–– What are three important factors when choosing the right firm for you?

–– How do your own goals and interests fit into the firm structure?

–– Who are their key clients? Are they businesses, or “ordinary people”?

–– What’s going on in the market sector?

Are there legal or regulatory changes on the way, or does the economic situation have a larger-than-usual impact?

–– How would a domestic, international or global firm leverage a new client?

Questions about you –– Tell us about yourself?

–– Can you name three of your strengths?

–– Name three of your weaknesses?

–– Why did you choose to study law?

–– What are your career goals?

–– How do you set aside time for relaxation?

–– Do you enjoy working in a team?

–– How do you manage work and extracurricular activities?

–– What units have you enjoyed and why?

–– What units have you not enjoyed and why?

–– What motivates you?

–– What values are most important to you?

–– What attributes do you have that would

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make you suitable for the position?

–– W hy did you choose to study law?

–– What factors are important to you in choosing a potential employer?

–– Name a way you have given back to the community?

–– How would you deal with a person in a vulnerable/emotional situation?

–– If we called your referees what would they say about you?

Questions about past experience –– Can you give an example of a time when you have displayed leadership?

–– Have you worked in a team situation?

–– How did you deal with a team member who did not pull their weight?

–– How did you deal with group arguments?

–– How did you manage the workload between the group members?

–– Did you take on a leadership role within the team?

–– Give an example of a time you have displayed initiative?

–– Give an example of a time you have overcome a significant setback?

–– Can you give an example of a time you have overcome failure?

Questions about past employment –– Where do you currently work?

–– What skills have you developed from working in that environment?

–– How have you ever dealt with a difficult client/customer?

Interview questions you can ask –– W hat do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?

–– What is the typical career path for someone in this role?

–– What are the professional development opportunities for a graduate/clerk?

–– Does [firm name] do any work in the area of [your area of interest]?

STAGE 6: Assessment Centres Law and consulting firms are more frequently using assessment centers as part of their recruitment. Assessment centers comprise of several exercises to assess your suitability for the position. The exercises may include: a group exercise, an in-tray exercise, and aptitude tests.

Group exercise The group exercise will consist of you being placed in a group of 5-6 people to discuss a problem scenario for a short period. The problem scenario is usually on a generic area that does not require technical knowledge. The scenario is not designed to test your technical and academic capabilities but is to test how you interact in a team environment. Silent assessors will watch how the group interacts and take notes during the exercise.

Your aim in completing this exercise is to demonstrate you can work effectively in a team environment and come to a solution under time pressure. Your assessors will be looking at three areas – your ability to: lead and guide, create and generate ideas, and encourage and co-operate with others. During this exercise, ensure to remember it is not only your ability to lead that is being assessed but your ability to create ideas and co-operate with others.

various documents and responsibilities and describe how you would respond and/or schedule your priorities. The exercise shows potential employers if you are able to manage the competing priorities that come with being employed.

Aptitude test Aptitude tests are psychometric tests you may have completed for your application. They test your logical and rational thinking by asking you to answer puzzles, numerical and reading comprehension problems.

Some firms may ask you to complete a psychometric test again when attending an assessment center even though you have completed one online. This is done to ensure that you did not ask for someone’s help when completing the test and your results are the

In-tray exercise In-tray exercises are designed to simulate how you will organize your time and manage tasks in a professional environment. For this exercise you work in exam like conditions for about an hour period.

The exercise involves being given an “in-tray” of tasks and different items with competing schedules. Your task is to sort through the

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STAGE 7: Offers Day Offers day can be one of the most anxiety inducing days of the graduate process. There are a few ways to reduce the stress of the day but the wait can be excruciating!

Preparation If you have interviewed or clerked at quite a few places, consider making a preference list. This can help when firms call to offer you a place. Make a list of the places you have interviewed or clerked at as well as the places which you applied for but do not interview (i.e. SSO or DPP). When you are ranking the options you can consider how you like the firm from your experience and whether you would want to work there.

When making your preference list you can consider: –– the culture of the firm; –– feedback from other applicants and graduates; –– the clerkship experience (social events, the work, or the team you worked with); –– the practice areas of the firm; –– how many rotations are available during the graduate period; –– secondment opportunities; –– the support available for graduates if you experience difficulties during the graduate program; –– the firm’s focus on junior lawyer development; –– the clients that the firm works with; or –– the certainty of a position once you have finished the graduate program.

On the day For the day itself, ensure that you are able to take calls. Firms generally call from 9am – however, if a firm is keen to have you on board they may call earlier or the day before!

Generally, you have between 2 to 4 hours to accept an offer. If you are not sure about an

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offer, ask the caller how long you have to accept.

Then, write down the graduate program dates of each firm have been offered. If you are not sure who you want to accept, thank the caller for their offer and ask for time to consider your options. The person making the call will expect that you will take time to think about it.

It is a big decision! If you are unable to accept an offer, remember to politely decline and thank them for the opportunity.

Offers If you are successful in getting an offer it can be extremely relieving. However, if you do not receive an offer you may feel disappointed and worried about future career opportunities.

It is important to remember that priority offers are sourced from clerkships which are extremely competitive and have a high volume of candidates. In this job climate, every law student has an overabundance of skills and experiences. It is not an indication that commercial law or being a lawyer is not for you. Clerkships are just one part of a commercial law firm recruitment process and are not the only way to become a lawyer. There are opportunities in further study, volunteering, paralegal positions, associateships, and careers as a lawyer where clerkships are not part of recruitment (e.g. government department, management consulting or smaller firms). A large number of firms go through market offers and do not follow the clerkship to graduate offer format.

Further, some firms do make market offers for graduates throughout the year. Be kind to yourself and others during clerkship season and graduate application time – university friends can be friends for life and help you in your path post-law school.

USEFUL SKILLS For the graduate process

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Networking Networking is the process of cultivating longterm relationships with other professionals to gain exposure and learn about job opportunities. Networking is an important tool for students during the application process, during a clerkship as well as other events such as seminars and careers fairs.

If you have not had much exposure to the legal practice, you may not know what area of law you would like to pursue or whether becoming a lawyer is your calling. Speaking to lawyers and other professionals with a legal background will help you narrow down your options and assist with deciding which firms you would like to intern or clerk at.

However, speaking to representatives requires some skill and practice. Listed below are some tips to get you through networking events.

Do your research Before attending a networking event it is best to do some research on the firm. Research the firm’s practice areas, how old it is, and if there any recent mergers. The size of the firm, graduate programs, clerkship programs are all things you should note. The more you know about the firm, the more insightful your questions will be. It is not a good look to ask questions that could easily be answered by a quick google search. Your aim is to show a genuine interest. Thus, do your research and ask specific questions.

Dress well First impressions are key with networking. HR representatives and lawyers will judge you base on your appearance. This does not mean you need to buy the latest, most fashionable gear. Just ensure your appearance is clean and tidy. If you are attending a non-formal, on-campus event, wear smart casual attire.

If you are attending an evening event, or a

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function off campus, you can wear corporate attire. Whatever you choose, ensure you are comfortable. You may be standing for most of the evening so wear comfortable shoes. It is best to stick to neutral colours and minimal jewellery.

Starting a conversation Start or enter a conversation by introducing yourself, making eye contact and shaking hands. (Pro tip- keep your drink in your left hand). In group conversations, ask politely if you can join in the conversation.

You can exit a conversation by waiting for a dip in the conversation and excuse yourself.

Try “it was lovely meeting you, (Name). I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening”. As you leave for the night, it is always a good idea to thank the HR representative for the evening.

Be considerate of other students wanting to speak to representatives. Your chances of a successful application does not increase with the amount of time you spend talking to the representatives. Wrap things up in the appropriate amount of time

Show a genuine interest Have a genuine conversation with law firm representatives. Do not strike a conversation just for the sake of having a conversation.

Ensure you ask questions about the firm, work culture, the representatives themselves and student opportunities. Let them do most of the talking.

At pre-clerkship and pre-graduate events, many firm representatives make a note of the candidates to look out for during the application process. While wanting to know of your experience, they are also looking to see if your personality fits well with their firm culture. So, use networking time effectively – save the talk of your academic grades for the cover letter.

Email Etiquette Emailing etiquette is an essential skill that will be used as a primary mean of communication in your professional career.

Email etiquette can help curate your reputation as a strong communicator and a professional with an eye for detail.

However, think before choosing to email other professionals – will the content of the email be length, personal or hard to communicate in a written form?

Maintain your expectations Do not approach a networking event with the expectation of getting an offer as a paralegal or graduate. Getting a role or making an impression should not be your immediate goal. Instead, approach networking with the intention of meeting representatives that can offer you advice, answer any of your questions and provide with you with contacts of people who can further assist with your queries.

Don’t worry about the competition Do not feel threatened by other law students at networking events. Yes, you are all competing for the same opportunities, but the situation presents an opportunity. If other students join the conversation, include them in the discussion. Representatives tend to be impressed with students who demonstrate they are able to get along with others.

Follow up If you met someone that helped you and made an impression, send an email and thank them for their time. If you do not have the contact details of that person, email the HR representative of that firm to either provide those details or pass your message.

Be sure to keep your note brief and friendly.

In these cases, it may be better to call rather email.

Tips

–– Have a professional email separate to your personal email. Choose an email that identifies you by using your first and last name. For example, Fred.Example@ outlook.com or JoeBloggs@gmail.com.

–– You can create a signature block that creates a sign off for all your official emails. A signature block includes you name, email and phone number.

You may want to include the specifics of your degree or current position if appropriate.

–– Change the structure and style of your emails to appear professional. Use blank lines between paragraphs to improve readability and bullet points where appropriate. Avoid using abbreviations, acronyms or emoticons.

–– If you are asking someone to do something, remember to ask politely and show your appreciation when they respond.

–– Ensure all of your attachments are named for ease of use the receiver.

Convert your attachments to PDF form to preserve your formatting and to ensure no one can edit it.

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Personal Branding You may be thinking why is personal branding a useful skill? Why should I worry about personal branding this early in my career? The answer is personal branding is the best way to market yourself towards the future employers and colleagues. Personal branding the official term for how you establish and curate an image or impression in the minds of others.

If you are still unsure about whether you need to think about a personal brand, think of a professional you have met that has left an impression on you. Now think, if you had to recommend them for a job, would you? If the answer is yes based off the impression gave you, then their personal branding has worked! The impression you give someone can be the reason why they invite you to events, recommend you for a job or trust you with their business.

Your personal brand is curated in many ways.

It can be in the traditional sense of how you present yourself, speak to others, and your involvement in the professional community.

However, as the world becomes more technologically savvy employers are looking at an online presence more. Employers are looking at candidates LinkedIn profiles as well as other social media accounts.

Although it is important to have an up to date LinkedIn profile, it is important not to forget your other social media accounts linked to your name and email. If you do not want to see a potential employer to see what you are up to on the weekend or that embarrassing tagged profile – remember to check your privacy settings and put on timeline review!

Tips

–– Use a professional email that you have on a personal account. Do not use a university email if you intend to retain your account after university.

–– Use a clear and professional photo for your profile photo.

–– Every sentence in your profile is an

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opportunity for the Search Engine Optimisation to bring your account up in searches. Increase your search appearances by using common keywords, legal industry terms and active language.

–– Build your network through the quality of your connections not the quantity.

Request to connect with other students, colleagues and professionals you have met. As you meet more professionals, add to your network by attending events, competitions and professional events.

–– Be active on LinkedIn by liking and sharing posts of interest and posting significant milestones you have achieved.

Commercial Awareness Commercial awareness can be summed up as an interest in business and an understanding of the wider environment in which an organisation operates.

Generally, it includes awareness of the need for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, customer care and a knowledge of the market place in which the company operates. Commercial awareness requires industry knowledge and analytical skills to identify a problem that a business might encounter and the best or worst-case scenarios to a commercial issue.

Commercial awareness is an important factor in selecting candidates especially in commercial firms that deal with small businesses to large corporations.

Potential employers can assess your commercial awareness through your understanding of their clients, the issues facing their client’s industry, your professional qualifications and experience. Further, you can gain commercial awareness by taking the iniative to research your area of interest and the commercial factors that operate on it.

Being commercially aware can benefits you during the recruitment process because it gives you more topics to discuss in an interview, improves your knowledge of the industry you’re passionate about and may allow you to spot career opportunities that you may have not previously considered.

You can become more commercially aware by: –– Checking the organisation’s website in sections such as; ‘careers’, ‘our clients’ or ‘our potential clients’ –– Finding out who the organisation’s competitors are, the size of their workforce, the turnover and profits of the company and their key activities.

–– Finding out latest industry trends within the legal world, economics, banking and finance and technology.

–– Reading publications, such as the: • Australian Financial Review; • Australasian Lawyer; • The Economist; • Lawyers Weekly; or • law journals specialising in your area of interest.

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OPPORTUNITIES AT MURDOCH UNIVERSITY

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Internal Internships Southern Communities Advocacy Legal Education Service Inc. (SCALES) The Southern Communities Advocacy Legal and Education Service Inc. (SCALES) is a community legal centre that runs the Clinical Legal Education unit. During the Clinical Legal Education units, you will have a ‘hands on’ experience and be responsible for your own clients. At the Rockingham clinic you can apply for either the general or family law clinic. In a general clinic, you deal with clients predominantly in criminal law, public housing and tenancy, Centrelink, criminal injuries compensation, equal opportunity claims, consumer, contract, debt and civil law. In the family law clinic, you work with clients in family law and have the opportunity to assist clients in the Specialist Domestic Violence Unit.

At the Murdoch clinic you can apply for either the human rights or Indigenous legal issues clinic. Students in the human rights clinic will deal with clients predominantly in immigration and refugee law. Students at the Murdoch clinic also have the opportunity to participate in non-litigious legal work such as community education, law reform, professional responsibility, and practice-related writing opportunities.

Legal Internship Unit At Murdoch University, we are privileged to have the opportunity to apply for a range of internships through the legal internship unit LLB301.

The legal internship unit is designed to encourage students to participate in workintegrated learning by gaining practical experience with a legal service provider.

Internship opportunities vary depending on the need from legal service providers.

The internship positions can range from international commercial law firms, family law practices to community legal centers.

The law school will advertise positions at the beginning of each semester and these advertisements will be circulated on the MSLS Educations and Careers Facebook page.

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Practical Experience The Aurora Project The Aurora Project was to strengthen the professional development of lawyers at Native Title Representative Bodies. The Aurora Project has now been expanded to run projects and internship programs for university students and graduates.

The Aurora Project internship program places Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and nonIndigenous students and graduates in full-time, unpaid 4 to 6 week internships at Indigenous focused organisations working in the area of: –– Native title; –– Land rights; –– Policy development; –– Advocacy; –– Justice; –– Health and Social welfare; –– Human rights; –– Community development; and –– Environmental policy.

Legal interns can be placed in the native title or non-native title sector to support the legal staff of the Host organisation. Legal interns can undertake a range of work including: –– Legal research; –– Preparation of briefs to counsel; –– Preparation of submissions to Government; –– Preparation of affidavits; –– Drafting of consent determinations, court documents; –– Attending and taking minutes at claimant group and other meetings; –– Attending court with legal staff; –– Administrative tasks - filing, photocopying, catering for meetings, driving claimants; –– Preparing information for the organisation’s website or speeches; and/or –– Preparing and attending events at your host organisation or other related events.

Applications open in March and August each year for the Winter and Summer streams. For more information please refer to: http://auroraproject.com.au/internship-program

Finding more internship opportunities Over the year, many internship opportunities become available to apply for. The best way to stay up-to-date on the latest internship opportunities is by liking the ‘MSLS Education & Careers Notices’ Facebook page and subscribing to Murdoch University’s ‘Law Community’ online community available through the ‘MyUnits’ page.

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Exchange Programs Murdoch University’s School of Law has four international programs designed for law students which vary from a three-week program over the university break to an entire semester working in an international office. These exchange programs are a fantastic opportunity to not only study exciting units but explore a different country and culture alongside your fellow students.

As of 2019, the Law School has four programs including the: –– International human rights program in Geneva, Switzerland; –– India immersion program supported by the New Colombo Plan; –– European Summer law program in Macerata, Italy; and –– Foreign Trade and Customs law program in Germany.

Murdoch University has a fantastic exchange program available to all students that partners with universities around the globe. Murdoch University students are also eligible to apply for New Colombo Plan’s scholarships to study and work in the Indo-Pacific region.

For more information, please see: –– School of Law: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Law/International-Programs/ –– Exchange Program: http://our.murdoch.edu.au/Student-life/Join-in/Overseas-studyopportunities/Exchange-Program/ –– New Colombo Plan: https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/new-colombo-plan/Pages/newcolombo-plan.aspx

Further Study Honours Program The Honours Program is designed for students with high academic achievement to undertake a course which furthers the knowledge you’ve gained over Law School. The Honors Program involves producing a supervised 15,000 plus word thesis alongside relevant coursework.

The knowledge gained during the Honors Program is viewed favourably by employers and demonstrates specialization. The Honors Program is also the beginning of the path towards post-graduate courses such as a Masters or PhD. The Law School offers an Honors Program in Law, Criminology, and Business Law. The entry requirements for each program varies and applicants should contact the appropriate Academic Chair. However, a distinction average across relevant units will meet the minimum requirements for entry into the Honors program. Students can enter the Honors Program after the completion of the undergraduate degree. However, Law students have the option of “embedding” their honours into their final year of study (equating to 15 credit points).

For more information, please see: –– Law: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/course-details/Law-Honours(LLB(Hons)) –– Criminology: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/course-details/CriminologyHonours-(BCrim(Hons)) –– Business Law: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/course-details/BusinessLaw-Honours-(BBus(Hons)) MSLS CAREERS GUIDE 2019

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Post Graduate Courses Graduate Diplomas and Certificates

For further information please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Graduate-Certificate-in-LegalPractice-(GradCertLP)#

Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice (GradDipAusMigLaw)

Graduate Certificate in Policy and Development (GradCertPDev)

The Australian Migration Law and Practice qualification is the entry level training course accredited by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (“MARA�). This course is offered locally at Murdoch University as a Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice. If you would like to make a difference to the challenges that migrants face in Australia, this course will help you to learn the practical, problem-solving and interpersonal skills you need to succeed.

Please note that migration agents must be Australian citizens or permanent residents according to the MARA.

The Graduate Certificate in Policy and Development run by Murdoch University introduces students to the strategic, analytical and professional knowledge and skills necessary for policy careers in the government, non-profit and private sectors. Students will learn what it means to analyse, design and implement policy in current institutional and regulatory environments. This course is provided by the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy & International Affairs.

For further information on migration agent registration, please see: www.mara.gov.au.

For further information on the course, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/ courses/course-details/graduate-diplomain-australian-migration-law-and-practice(graddipausmiglaw)# Graduate Certificate (GradCertLP)

in

Legal

Practice

This course is offered by Murdoch University and allows you to gain the practice experience necessary for admission to the legal profession.

It will place you within the Clinical Legal Practice run in collaboration with SCALES Community Legal Centre. You can gain experience in any or all of our practice areas such as human rights, family or generalist law. It gives you the opportunity to undertake varied legal work under the supervision of our solicitors, including interviewing clients, legal research, formulating and giving advice as well as law reform and policy work. It is only available to students who have undertaken Clinical Legal Education units throughout their degree.

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For further information please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Graduate-Certificate-in-Policyand-Development-(GradCertPDev)#coursedescription-and-structure Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (GradCertPAdmin) The Graduate Certificate in Public Administration is the only course of its kind in Western Australia. The Court will give students skills and understanding of public policy, management and administration.

Students will learn trends and developments in public administration, public sector management, policy research and evaluation, financial budgeting and management in both developed and developing countries. The course will benefit those wanting to enter the government sector, current government employees and those wishing to pursue Masters.

For further information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Graduate-Certificate-in-PublicAdministration-(GradCertPAdmin)#

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Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (GradCertBAdmin) The Graduate Certificate in Business Administration gives students the opportunity to study four core units in the Master of Business Administration Course. Students will learn about the management of organisations and other key business disciplines. The course will benefit those wanting apply for other postgraduate qualifications or to gain a competitive edge in the business marketplace.

For further information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/ courses/course-details/GraduateCertificate-in-Business-Administration(GradCertBusAdmin)# Graduate Certificate in Health Administration, Policy and Leadership (GCHAPL) The Graduate Certificate in Health Administration, Policy and Leadership is designed for graduates and professionals seeking a career in the health sector. It can also be the first step towards a Master of Health Administration, Policy and Leadership.

The course supports the demand for professionals in the health service nationally and internationally from national and medical associations, consultancy firms, insurance companies, medical technology firms and agencies, hospitals, advisory boards, government departments, and nongovernment organisations. Students can choose to specialise in health administration and leadership, evaluation and policy, or health informatics and analytics. This course is provided by the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy & International Affairs.

For more information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/ courses/course-details/Graduate-Certificatein-Health-Administration-Policy-andLeadership-(GCHAPL)#course-descriptionand-structure

Masters

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Master of Laws by Research (LLM (Res)) In this course, you’ll have the opportunity to conduct research at an advanced level to build on your existing qualifications. You’ll have the chance to achieve an in-depth understanding of major legal and policy issues of legal study beyond what is available at an undergraduate level. You’ll develop your critical analysis skills, improve your writing and oral presentation skills, and learn new research practices. This course allows you to work closely with your teachers and fellow students to gain a broader understanding of legal studies, while enhancing your career opportunities and professional development.

You must have a Bachelor degree in Law to be eligible for this master or after completing additional components in other disciplines.

For further information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Master-of-Laws-by-Research(LLM(Res))# Master of Business Administration (MBA) Across eight units, the MBA will provide you with expert skills in creating and managing global businesses, leadership, strategy, accounting and finance as well as specialisation in management, marketing or policy. The School of Business and Governance at Murdoch merges business, governance and sustainability, to provide a broad, multidisciplinary learning approach, and the skills required to advance your career. You’ll get a range of practical insights and networking opportunities through a range of industry guest speakers and up-to-date project work in collaboration with external companies. Entry requirements for this course include; having completed a Bachelors degree and have at least two years’ relevant work experience.

For further information, please see: https:// www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/coursedetails/master-of-business-administration(mba)#

Master of Business Administration (Global) (MBA (Global)) The Master of Business Administration gives students the opportunity to study a Master of Business Administration with limited or no work experience. Students will gain national and international business administration knowledge and skills, with the opportunity to acquire industry experience through professional placements and applied research projects. Students can also choose to specialise in people management, sustainability, nonprofit or health management.

For further information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/ courses/course-details/Master-of-BusinessAdministration-(Global)-(MBA(Global))# Master of International Affairs and Security (MIAS) The Master of International Affairs and Security is a genuinely multi-disciplinary professional degree that explores the political, economic, strategic, cultural and legal forces that shape our region and world. Students will examine contemporary issues in political economy, global trade, resource management, the role of international institutions, international security and arms control, international law, human rights, conflict management, and regional architecture. The course is suitable for students working in or seeking a career in international affairs. This course is provided by the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy & International Affairs.

For further information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Master-of-InternationalAffairs-and-Security-(MIAS)#coursedescription-and-structure Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) The Master of Public Policy and Management enables students to seek a career in the government, non-profit and private sectors both in Australia and internationally. Students

will learn about public policy perspectives, public sector management, policy research and evaluation, and introductory economics.

The course is suitable for students seeking work in the public sector, the not-forprofit sector. The course is also suitable for professionals who work in both government and business. This course is provided by the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy & International Affairs.

For more information, please see: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/courses/ course-details/Master-of-Public-Policy-andManagement-(MPPM)#course-descriptionand-structure Master of Health Administration, Policy and Leadership (MHAPL) The Master of Health Administration, Policy and Leadership is an internationally focussed multidisciplinary program that is the only one of its kind in Australia. Students will develop skills and understanding of health policy, leadership, management, economics, law, epidemiology, and informatics. The course allows students to choose whether to specialise in either health administration and leadership, evaluation and policy, or health informatics and analytics, or not specialise.

The course is suitable for students looking to enter the local, national or international health industry including the pharmaceutical industry, medical fields, non-government organisations, health insurers, regulatory agencies, hospitals and integrated care organisations, health ministries, departments, and other governmental agencies, as well as universities and commercial research bodies. This course is provided by the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy & International Affairs.

For more information, please see: h t t p s : // w w w . m u r d o c h . e d u . a u / s t u d y / courses/course-details/Master-of-HealthAdminis tration - Polic y - and - Leader ship (MHAPL)

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GRADUATE PATHWAYS

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About Allens

Graduate Program

What areas of law does your firm practice in?

How many graduate jobs do you offer?

Allens is a major corporate firm with practice areas across almost all sectors. Here in Perth, however, our focus is primarily:

Approximately 10

Banking & Finance

Opportunities for Allens Graduates

Corporate Disputes & Investigations Projects & Development

What is unique about the firm?

This is a time of unprecedented change. At Allens, we’re ready. With a legacy that spans 200 years, we’ve pioneered significant change.

It’s a part of who we are. Our people go further to support our clients, using sharp commercial insight and creativity to enrich longstanding relationships and build new ones. And we go further for each other and our community, too. We’re people you want to work with, generous with our time and ready to help. No matter what the future holds, we’re in it together. With us, you’ll be one step ahead.

Great change is here. Are you ready?

Contact details Rachael Bloom, Graduate Resourcing Consultant T: 08 9488 3883 E: Student.Careers@allens.com.au allens.com.au/yourcareer

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)

Does your firm make graduate offers to the open market, or just through clerkships?

We typically recruit our graduates through our clerkship program; however, from time to time we will recruit graduates from the open market.

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Ready for great change? Find out how to apply via allens.com.au/yourcareer

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Allens is an independent partnership operating in alliance with Linklaters LLP.

make the difference

to your career, clients and community

Aim beyond pure legal knowledge. Beyond commercial advice.

Be known for something more: a clarity of thought and an instinct for problem solving that can influence governments and leading businesses the world over. Join us and we’ll help you enrich and expand your worldview, grow your skills and influence new ways of thinking. In other words, we’ll help you make the difference.

Begin now at ashurst.com/careers

Connect with us on

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Legal Practice Areas A law degree provides you with a spring board to work in a variety of practice areas at a firm.

Each practice area is unique – and has its own demands relating to knowledge, working hours and working practices.

This section aims to broaden your understanding of a selection of practice area.

The information here provides you with the basic understanding of the work done in each practice group. This will come handy when meeting a partner from a certain practice area to also choosing the type of firm that serves you interests and career ambitions. However, this list is not exhaustive! To find out what a particular firm’s practice areas check their website to find tailored information to that firm.

A special thank you to Clayton Utz for offering to and assisting MSLS update the below practice areas.

Banking & Finance Banking and finance law is an area of law that is not specifically covered at law school.

The reason for this is that it is made up of a number of different areas of law, with the key areas being contract, trusts, property and corporate law. Banking and finance does not require any background in commerce and it is quite a theoretical area of practice. A banking and finance lawyer’s role is to create legal structures that protect a financier to enable it to recoup money it has provided to a borrower in circumstances where a borrower is in financial difficulty and may not be able to repay the debt. This usually involves the taking of security and other contractual restrictions imposed on a borrower.

It is a great area to work in if you enjoy frontend transactional work that is dynamic, varied and fast-paced. A typical banking matter will involve a finance transaction between any number of parties that will take place

in a varying commercial environment. For example, the security and security structure will vary, the borrowing, guaranteeing or lending parties may be Australian entities or foreign and may be companies (private or listed on a stock exchange), individuals, funds or trusts and the commercial terms and objectives will differ with each transaction.

Typical banking and finance transactions can be project finance (for example, the creation of assets such as mine sites, LNG facilities, airports, hospitals, football stadiums etc), leveraged finance (a structure used when a company acquires another company, whether via a takeover or through other means), corporate finance (the provision of funding to a company for working capital or acquisition finance purposes), property finance (the development of apartments and office buildings) and other areas such as asset and trade finance. These structures are applied internationally and are not just common to Australia. The area of banking and finance also applies in distressed debt and restructuring.

Banking and finance is a practice area with a lot of opportunities for junior lawyers to rapidly gain first-hand experience and develop their skill-set with drafting finance and security documents, sending emails and considering and responding to client’s concerns and participating in calls and emails with clients and other parties involved with the transaction. It is also an area of the law where cross-border transactions are frequent, such that junior lawyers will gain experience working on transactions with overseas counsel, clients or counterparts.

Banking and finance lawyers are very much in demand internationally and it is one of the most transferable areas of law to both UK and US firms in overseas financial hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, New York, San Francisco and other offshore jurisdictions.

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Competition & Regulation

Major Projects & Construction

The basic aim of competition law, and of the Australian regulatory authority (the ACCC), is to ensure that markets function effectively on the basis of fair and open competition. The main piece of legislation is the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), which addresses anti-competitive agreements (such as pricefixing chattels) and the behaviour of individual companies - particularly those who dominate their market.

Construction lawyers are generally involved at the start or the end of a construction project.

At the start, they draft contracts for developers and construction companies to begin projects (“front end” work). At the end of projects, they assist in contractual disputes (“back end” work).

Clients include principals, subcontractors, engineers, architects and surveyors.

Type of work Non-litigious competition work commonly takes the form of merger control advice and clearance for Mergers and Acquisition deals or advice on structuring commercial agreements.

Litigious work refers to disputes, which have a competition element, while work defending companies against regulatory investigations (such as cartel investigations, abuse of market dominance cases, or industry investigations) falls somewhere in between.

Competition lawyers traditionally specialise in either litigious or non-litigious work. However, these days, they have to be expert in both in order to be fully effective. Competition law requires the lawyer to gain a thorough understanding of how industries and their markets operate. The ACCC has broad powers under the CCA to root out anticompetitive behaviour. Work includes web research, ‘market’ research, talking to clients about their business and economists about economic theory, honing drafting skills and developing gut instinct are plenty to be getting on with.

The work involves the exercise of advocacy skills, both written and oral. If you enjoy constructing an argument for an essay and then expressing it clearly, backing up your points with the necessary evidence, you’re already on the right road.

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Major projects are located worldwide and projects lawyers hail from every major jurisdiction.

Type of work Front end construction work involves developing the contractual arrangements prior to the commencement of the project.

This might involve a single construction contract, or multiple layers of contracts involving contractors and their various subcontractors. Further contracts can be merely for construction, for design work and construction, or some other functions.

Back end construction works involves resolving disputes between parties to construction contracts. Most construction contracts include dispute resolution clauses that dictate the procedure to be followed in the case of a dispute between the parties (for example as to payment, the quality of work, or the length of the project). Most construction disputes are heard in arbitrations rather than court proceedings.

Many seminal legal decisions have arisen out of construction disputes - they deal with complex relationships between parties, which define the boundaries of contract and tort.

Construction projects vary from oil pipelines to Private Finance Initiative prisons in WA. The exact nature of the legal work depends on the type, size and location of the project and the needs of the firm’s clients. Often, a firm will act for the project entity - usually a special purpose vehicle established to build, own and operate a power station, for example.

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As an elite international law firm headquartered in Asia, we are reshaping the legal market by challenging our people and our clients to think differently about what a law firm can be today, tomorrow and beyond.

We thrive on exceeding the expectations of our clients, and as such the world’s leading organisations turn to us to unlock their biggest opportunities and deliver solutions to their most vexing challenges.

With ambitious thinking and innovation in our DNA, we partner with our clients to bring to life pioneering solutions which will help them to adapt, reinvent and grow. We believe innovation comes from giving our people room to grow, and as such actively encourage input and ideas from all levels of the firm.

Our people are encouraged to think differently and shape their own career path, supported at every step of the way, with world-class training, coaching and hands-on experience. There is no ‘one size fits all’ career model, and we offer multiple opportunities for our lawyers to gain experience and thrive.

At King & Wood Mallesons we provide you with the opportunities to reimagine a career in law to become what you want to be. Are you ready?

KEY STATISTICS: • Most Popular Overall Law Employer in the 2018 AFR Top 100 Graduate Employers Rankings • One of the Top 100 Graduate Employers in GradAustralia’s 2018 Student Survey • Top 15 global brand* • 27 international offices; • One of the largest international legal networks in the Asia region with 500+ partners and more than 2000 lawyers; • Our clients range from a mix of global financial and corporate powerhouses through to new industry-makers and all levels of government • With an unmatched ability to practise Chinese, Hong Kong, Australian, English, US and a significant range of European laws under one integrated legal brand, we are connecting Asia to the world, and the world to Asia. *Source: 2018 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index MSLS CAREERS GUIDE 2019

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REGIONAL PRESENCE

Graduate Program

The King & Wood Mallesons network extends across the following regions:

We offer a unique training experience with multiple rotations and a bespoke comprehensive learning and development program for our graduates. We invest heavily in development to support graduates in fulfilling their potential.

• Asia Pacific (Australia, Mainland China including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore) • Europe • Middle East • North America

OUR PROGRAMS Seasonal Clerkship Program Applications open: 15 July 2019 Applications close: 4 August 2019 How to apply: Via our online application system kwm.com/careers Our clerkships give you a clear picture of what it’s like to be a lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons. You’ll get to know our people, the way we like to work, our culture, practice areas, clients and more.

During your clerkship, you’ll learn: • The day-to-day skills to get you started – taking instructions, meeting with clients, drafting memos/documents, managing your practice and professional relationships.

• Our core practice teams – who they are, what they do, how they’re structured, the clients they work for, and of course, your role within them.

• Our culture – you’ll be exposed to (and encouraged) to get actively involved in the many activities and events that define KWM. • Our people – you’ll find that people from every part of the business will help you by sharing their knowledge and ensuring you have everything you need to succeed.

What you’ll learn The program provides a practical business foundation for junior lawyers. You’ll receive: • Meaningful work covering a wide range of practice areas • Client contact and an in-depth understanding of how they operate in a commercial and regulatory environment • The opportunity to work as part of a team with a range of partners, senior associates and solicitors in different practice groups • A practical understanding of areas of our legal practice • A comprehensive knowledge of the firm, our technology, our resources, our processes and, of course, the people you’ll work with.

As part of the Graduate Program, we also offer a Practical Legal Training (PLT) course with the College of Law to our Australian Law graduates, ensuring that you meet the requirements for admission to legal practice.

The program also promotes and supports the mobility of our staff across our offices by giving you the opportunity to apply to go on exchange in one of our interstate or overseas offices.

Through this, you are able to access a greater choice and variety of destinations and on-thejob experience.

Your role Clerks are allocated a practice group and may also have the opportunity to work across other teams of interest.

You’ll be allocated a supervisor in your practice group and you’ll work closely with the partners, senior associates and solicitors in that team. It’s a hands-on role, so you won’t just be watching from the sidelines.

Our people are encouraged to get involved in the many social and sporting activities that go on in the firm as well as the broader community.

SHENAE DJULBIC People & Development Advisor, Perth T +61 8 9269 7643 shenae.djulbic@au.kwm.com

Often the project entity is a joint venture between a numbers of sponsors who contribute equity to part-fund the project.

Project sponsors, for example, could include the manufacturers of the gas turbines installed in a power station, the construction company that will erect the plant, and the power company that will buy the electricity.

The project entity could also be partly owned by a government body or banks. Other times, it could be a trust that wants a new hospital or a foreign government that wants a privately financed motorway.

Lawyers working on any of these contracts must understand the big picture and appreciate how changing one contractual term may have a knock on effect throughout the entire project.

If you enjoy the challenge of working on the delivery of a large-scale project and figuring out all its possibilities and pitfalls, this may be the right area for you. The ability to work with a team of people, whether they are your own colleagues and clients or other lawyers and professionals, funders or subcontractors, is crucial. As projects can go on for years, you need to build and manage relationships with those involved. As major projects are often internationally owned or financed, this will require establishing and maintaining relationships with clients, funders or other stakeholders from different jurisdictions.

Workplace Relations, Employment & Safety Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety (‘WRES’) law incorporates all aspects of workplace law, including both contentious and non-contentious matters. It is an appealing area to practice in if you enjoy matters with a human element, as the instructions frequently involve the day to day issues of individuals working in their jobs, rather than issues purely at a corporate level.

One of the main areas that clients often approach WRES teams for is assistance with the management of employees, including in redundancy and restructuring situations and in the management of poor performance, misconduct and ill and injured employees.

In addition to this, WRES lawyers represent clients in dismissal matters both in relation to claims of unfair dismissal and adverse action made pursuant to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and with respect to common law contractual disputes in the District and Supreme Courts.

WRES is a practice area that is in high demand, particularly in advising clients on policies and procedures as well as assisting manage any safety incidents that occur. Practicing in such an area of law involves representing clients in safety prosecutions brought by mining and safety regulators.

In attending to WRES matters, you may advise on industrial relations matters, including enterprise agreement making, navigating industrial disputes and driving workplace change. It is common to appear in the Fair Work Commission in industrial matters and to have the opportunity to work with industrial relations barristers in matters in the Federal and Supreme Courts around Australia.

WRES advice and assistance is required by all employer clients, which can provide opportunities for junior lawyers to gain experience with clients of all sizes across all industries.

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Criminal Law

Corporate

Criminal lawyers, also known as criminal defence lawyers and public defenders, defend individuals, organizations and entities that have been charged with a crime. Criminal lawyers handle a diverse spectrum of criminal cases, ranging from domestic violence crimes, sex crimes, violent crimes and drug crimes to driving 75 under the influence (DUI), theft, embezzlement and fraud.

Corporate teams are important in commercial law firms, as they often develop relationships with their clients that ultimately lead to additional work flowing to other teams in the firm (such as employment or litigation).

As a defence lawyer you will provide advice to clients, based on careful analysis of the evidence relied upon by the prosecution and the client‘s instructions, and then to represent them in court. Contrary to popular belief, most cases resolve with pleas of guilty. A defence lawyers roles is to then negotiate with the prosecution about which charges are to proceed and drawing to the court‘s attention to the sentencing principles applicable to the client. Defence lawyers prepare and appear at bail applications, mention and plea hearings.

The day-to-day work of a solicitor at the Department of Public Prosecutions varies enormously, and often changes at very short notice. Each solicitor is allocated cases to work on, encompassing a range of offences and varying levels of complexity. The sheer number of cases which are prosecuted by the office mean that the work is fast- paced, with time management and multi-tasking skills quickly honed.

A key task for every prosecutor is to consider, with respect to each charge, whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution and whether it is in the public interest to proceed. This requires an assessment of the material gathered during the police investigation and is a responsibility which remains with the solicitor throughout the entire court process of the case. Given the multitude of court hearings prior to a criminal trial, the strength of the evidence can change markedly. A solicitor of the Department of Public Prosecutions must be attentive to the effect of those changes, and act accordingly.

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Type of work Corporate teams engage in three broad areas of work: –– mergers and acquisitions (‘M&A’); –– equity capital markets (‘ECM’); and –– corporate advisory.

M&A M&A work involves assisting clients as they acquire and sell businesses and companies.

Lawyers are heavily involved in these kinds of transactions, and the work often involves: –– providing advice on the transaction structure; –– conducting ‘due diligence’; and –– negotiating and drafting transaction documents.

M&A work can provide junior corporate lawyers with a large degree of responsibility, as junior lawyers are often responsible at first instance for co-ordinating the work of various other practice groups. For instance, a due diligence can involve lawyers from intellectual property, employment, property, environment and tax (to name a few) working together to prepare a report identifying the risks associated with a company.

ECM Corporate lawyers play an important role when companies wish to raise money by issuing shares as it is a heavily regulated activity. Lawyers are normally engaged by the company seeking to raise money, sometimes by the firm engaged by the company to manage the capital raising, and more rarely by incoming investors. ECM work involves: –– providing advice on the transaction

I learn from market leading partners, and have exposure to industry leading clients. My professional skills are continually growing because of the ongoing training, mentoring and resources MinterEllison provides.�

Alex Doust Graduate

The world is full of relentless disruption.

Now is the time to reimagine the future as we know it.

The next generation of graduates will mark a change in closing the gap between who we are today and where we are headed to better meet market demands. More than ever, we need creative thinkers, innovators and agents of change.

The game has changed.

Be part of it.

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About Us

Squire Patton Boggs is a global business law firm. We offer legal insights at the point where law, business and government intersect and advice grounded in commercial realivty. With 47 offices across 20 countries we provide a seamless service that operates on any scale – locally or globally. Our founding clients included the entrepreneurs of the day, such as the legendary JD Rockefeller. They invented, created, discovered and built. That spirit is reflected in our culture, which emphasises agility, creativity and pragmatism. Our culture emphasises and rewards collaboration, accountability and responsibility; we work to support our clients, our people and the wider community. Our core values are intrinsically linked to our culture; these values are not just words on a page but provide the foundation of the decisions that we all make daily.

While our global network provides an extensive pool of resources, connections and international expertise, our Australian offices are boutique in size and nature providing you with access to hands on, client facing legal work from day one. Our people, including paralegals and graduates, are working directly with partners and clients, providing you with the chance to contribute in a meaningful way from the very beginning.

Opportunities From the outset you will be provided with the tools, practical experience and opportunities you need to set your own challenges and define your career path. You’ll have the opportunity to connect to a global network of colleagues and clients, working on high quality commercial work from day one. Our firm is committed to a culture of collaboration and excellence; ensuring you receive the support you need to grow and progress in your legal career. Give yourself a head start by working as a paralegal At Squire Patton Boggs, we have a number of casual paralegal opportunities available in our teams which provide an alternative pathway into graduate recruitment. Working as a paralegal in our offices gives you a unique insight into the real life environment of our

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firm. If successfully hired as a paralegal, you will be working on an ongoing basis with a variety of teams, gaining long-term exposure to the day-to-day operations of a commercial law firm.

Our paralegal opportunities are advertised on a needs basis directly through our website, Seek and your university. Keep an eye out for communications from your university representative and ensure you are subscribed to receive notifications on our Careers page.

Alix Poole, Murdoch Alumni provides an inside look at her experience working as a paralegal in her final year at university: “I really noticed a difference between being an intern and a paralegal. At times, the full-time study load and working hours were intense but the support of each member of the team, the flexibility offered and my enjoyment of working at Squire Patton Boggs ensured that I met my commitments to both work and study. I was thrilled to be offered a law graduate position which I commenced in February 2019”. Alix Poole, Law Graduate, Squire Patton Boggs.

Graduate Program We pride ourselves on being entrepreneurial and commercial in the way we approach business and this is the same approach we take to our recruitment. Hiring our graduates in an out-of-cycle process allows us flexibility with our needs which are ever changing in today’s commercial environment. It also offers students an alternative pathway into securing a challenging and sought after graduate position with a global law firm.

Although we do not participate in the formal graduate recruitment programs available, we do offer an attractive graduate program to our successful applicants. At Squire Patton Boggs, we understand that everyone is different and our programs reflect this. As a graduate, you will be exposed to complex, high profile client work from day one. There is no structure to your learning and it is up to you to define the career path you want. What we offer you is the support, guidance and opportunities required to develop and accelerate your career.

structure and relevant laws; –– conducting ‘due diligence’ or otherwise overseeing a due diligence process to minimise potential liability; and –– reviewing (and sometimes drafting) offering documents.

Corporate advisory Corporate lawyers also assist their clients with various other corporate tasks, such as preparing and reviewing ASX announcements, liaising with regulators and preparing, reviewing and interpreting contracts relevant to their the business of their clients.

Types of clients Typically, larger firms act for ASX-listed companies and offer the opportunity to undertake more specialised tasks, while smaller firms act for private companies and some smaller to mid-sized ASX-listed companies.

Skillset required

and their representatives. A real estate team in a larger firm often works closely with other practice groups as part of the same deal, including banking and finance, environment, planning, corporate, and construction.

A property lawyer must not only be able to advise on government and statutory requirements for each transaction - they must also advise on competing land interests, encumbrances, risks, and issues affecting the land that their client is looking to sell or purchase.

Depending on the lay of the land, property lawyers may also need to deal with advice and requirements with respect to native title and mining tenure which overlay the property tenure. In that regard, property lawyers require good attention to detail and need to keep themselves abreast of current and relevant developments the legal, tax and commercial sphere. That, coupled with a good understanding of the client’s business, will allow them to provide tailored commercial advice for the client.

Corporate lawyers have to be a jack-of-alltrades and have a diverse skillset to provide legally and commercially minded advice. The deadlines are sometimes tight, but corporate lawyers get to enjoy the satisfaction of helping their clients grow and develop their businesses.

Property & Real Estate The scope of work in Real Estate is varied and can range from straightforward settlements of residential properties to complex transactions involving significant developments, multiple parties and financing arrangements.

Likewise, a property lawyer’s clients may include the average homebuyer, national and international corporations, investment funds and financial institutions.Working in real estate demands contact with third parties from day one - a typical day would usually include liaising with statutory authorities, agents, financiers, clients, the counterparty

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STAY TRUE.

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Staying true to your direction is what defines Clayton Utz. We’ve built a culture that’s unlike any other law firm, but don’t just take our word for it. A good lawyer needs compelling evidence so meet our people and judge for yourself. claytonutz.com/graduates

Academic brilliance certainly counts, but graduates who thrive here have something extra – a natural passion for connecting with people and a strong sense of self. That’s what staying true is all about. If you have these qualities, Clayton Utz is for you.

https://graduates.claytonutz.com/ Clayton Utz is a leading Australian law firm, known for the strength of its independent culture and its confident and engaging approach.

Staying true to your direction is what defines Clayton Utz. At Clayton Utz, we’ve built a team of down-toearth, collaborative lawyers who know that at the heart of exceptional client service is knowing what your client needs. We offer the sharpest legal minds. The clearest advice that cuts through the complexity, so our clients can concentrate on the things that really matter. And an unshakeable sense of what’s possible With 177 partners and over 1,200 employees across six offices, we continue to build on our reputation for confident, innovative and incisive legal advice. We have 15 different practice areas: Banking & Financial Services, Commercial Litigation, Competition, Corporate/M&A/Capital Markets, Environment and Planning, Insurance, IP and Technology, Major Projects and Construction, Public Sector / Government Services, Real Estate, Restructuring and Insolvency, Tax, Workplace Relations Employment and Safety and Pro Bono.

Clerkship Program If you’re a law student in your penultimate year, our Clerkship Programs will expose you to the fast pace of a full-service commercial law firm and show you the law in action. You’ll be working under the guidance of some of the sharpest legal minds in Australia, on challenging, complex and high-profile transactions and matters. You’ll be mentored by partners and lawyers who are leaders in their fields, in a firm where individuality is embraced and innovation actively encouraged. Our Clerkship Programs are our future pipeline for the Graduate Program. They are designed to give you a feel for what it’s like to be a Graduate and they are a great place to start your career. There is no set routine and allocated work will largely depend on the practice group and its specific needs at the time. However, some common responsibilities include: research, writing clients memos/letters, attending client meetings and court with lawyers, pro bono work, liaising with internal colleagues and assisting with the preparation of matters for hearings.

We hire most of our Graduates from our Clerkship Programs. Occasionally, additional opportunities may arise. These opportunities will be listed on our website.

Key Dates Clerkship Applications Open: Monday, 15 July 2019 Clerkship Applications Close: Sunday, 4 August 2019 Offers Made: Friday, 20 September 2019 Clerkship Dates Summer 1: 18 November 2019 - 13 December 2019 Summer 2: 28 January 2020 - 21 February 2020 Winter: 22 June 2020 - 17 July 2020 Primary HR contact Alicia Pasquini National Graduate Resourcing Consultant careers@claytonutz.com

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Intellectual Property Intellectual property (IP) law is an allencompassing term for creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary or artistic works, designs, symbols names and images used in commerce. IP law is based around the laws of copyright, patents, trademarks, designs, passing off, domain names and the law of breach of confidence. IP law enables individuals to claim exclusive rights and financial gain from what they invent or create, which is a benefit to both creators and the public.

Type of Work IP is a burgeoning field of the law, which can at times deal with challenges of the intersection between law and technology - such as the control of online piracy and the enforcement of international patents. IP lawyers and attorneys may be required to apply existing laws in novel ways to resolve complicated and novel disputes.

This makes IP law a stimulating specialisation, which involves a range of clients, some of whom may be household names including large national and international manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech, engineering, pharmaceutical and agrochemical products, leading brand owners, universities, scientific institutions and media clients. Clients also include start-up businesses and individual artists who require assistance to protect their IP to ensure they can make an impact in the marketplace.

IP work can be litigious or non-litigious.

Disputes usually revolve around arguments of infringement or the existence and ownership of an invention, a literary or artistic work, a trademark or a product. Patent litigation, in particular, can be very complex, with cases running for years, usually with a lot at stake.

Non-litigious work tends to focus on the development or commercialisation of IP. The development of IP can involve determining the ownership of the IP and the particular circumstances in which that IP may be used.

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Commercialisation of IP may be achieved by numerous means, such as the sale or licensing of the IP. IP licensing provides the purchasing party (the licensee) specific rights to use the IP, typically for a limited time or specified use, and does not confer ownership rights. The licensor usually benefits from the payment by the licensee of a royalty or licence fee.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Unlike what is portrayed in the media, working in commercial litigation rarely involves silvertongued lawyers cross-examining thin-lipped corporate sharks and shouting “objection!”.

Many disputes never reach a trial, and clients are generally interested in resolving disputes and reaching beneficial outcomes, rather than having their ‘day in court’.

In litigation, the best approach is often to reach a commercial settlement as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. In fact, court proceedings are often a last resort in attempts to resolve a dispute. Parties will usually exchange correspondence to attempt to settle the matter, which may be followed by formal or informal alternative dispute resolution, such as informal conferences, or mediation before an appointed mediator. Disputes that involve highly technical areas such as mining and construction may also go to arbitration as an alternative to court proceedings, as technical experts in the given field can be appointed as arbitrators.

Even once court proceedings have commenced, parties often make attempts to settle proceedings throughout the course of the action. In fact, mediation is a standard step in Supreme Court of Western Australia case management, and very few matters can progress without having been mediated.

Type of work General commercial litigators handle a variety of disputes, but the majority of cases encountered when practising in a large commercial firm are contractual,

encompassing anything from a dispute over the sale of a multi- million dollar business to an argument over the meaning of a term in a tenancy agreement, insurance policy or private contract. Some litigators also deal with regulatory issues such as companies’ contentious dealings with ASIC or the ACCC, disciplinary proceedings or investigations against individuals by professional bodies for example in the field of medical negligence, administrative review proceedings, insolvency related court proceedings, and appeals.

Commercial litigators also generally possess a broad skillset that can handle a wide variety of other dispute-related matters such as enforcement of judgments and general strategic advice.

Litigation also involves involve advice work: advising companies about their obligations under contracts, emerging disputes, obligations under regulatory regimes and minimising risk. Litigators also often draft correspondence to other parties, such as business partners or regulators, on behalf of their clients.

Some litigators specialise in certain industry sectors, such as construction, insurance, intellectual property or media. Each of these can generate its own subset of work. For instance construction disputes can involve international arbitration, while intellectual property litigation is a highly technical and specialised area.

When court proceedings are commenced, there are standard procedural steps that are common to nearly all actions: pleadings, disclosure of documents, lay and / or expert evidence, various procedural applications and ultimately trial preparation. In the major cases, this process can take several years. In complex litigation the litigator’s role can be as much about project management as it is substantive legal work. This looks set to increase with the increasing use of technology in legal work.

Family Law Family law practitioners protect the rights of people who are related to each other by counselling and representing them in situations such as divorce, adoption, and spousal and child support matters. Divorce lawyers are the most numerous of family lawyers. Family lawyers must meet various educational and skills requirements to enter and succeed in this field.

Type of work Family lawyers advise their clients about their legal rights and suggest the most judicious course of action in a given situation. These lawyers might help people in handling matters of custody, visitation, neglect, domestic violence, paternity, surrogate parenting and prenuptial agreements.

Family lawyers must have strong people skills, be committed to helping clients obtain just solutions to legal disputes, and be able to handle stressful situations. Employers also look for family lawyers who have multiple years of current civil, divorce and family litigation experience, are detail-oriented and possess strong oral and written communication skills.

Family lawyers should be skilled negotiators, have solid observation skills, and have a solid knowledge of both the legal system and state laws. They also should have a strong understanding of family financial matters because a lot of their work involves the settlement of property disputes.

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THERE’S MORE

Not all corporate law firms are the same.

A clerkship with Gilbert + Tobin is your chance to see if you’ll thrive here. To test yourself with meaningful work from day one. To learn skills and concepts beyond the legal scope. To be integral to an organisation that’s challenging the very way legal services are delivered.

If you want to be part of something different then G+T is the place for you.

TOP 100

GRADUATE EMPLOYERS 2019

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THERE’S MORE

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.

Our Perth office employs some of Australia’s leading practitioners in:

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.

+ Banking + Infrastructure

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.

+ Corporate Advisory + Disputes + Investigations + Energy + Resources.

We also practice in the following areas nationally: + Competition + Regulation + Intellectual Property + Pro Bono + Real Estate + Projects + Tax + Technology + Digital.

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.”

DANNY GILBERT, Managing Partner

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 our more at

gtlaw.com.au/theresmore

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Taxation A tax lawyer’s primary role on transactions is to advise on the tax implications of transactions, ensuring that the structure is both efficient and involves minimal risk to the client. Tax work is highly client focused - a good deal of the work is for repeat clients who invariably want quick and commercial answers to complex questions.

Tax lawyers also advise on disputes with revenue authorities. In recent times, these authorities have demonstrated a willingness to take on taxpayer positions on contentious areas of law which are open to interpretation.

Type of work The voluminous and ever evolving nature of tax law requires constant attention to black letter law and revenue authority rulings and administrative practice. There is a wide variety of tax work on offer - transactional, litigious and general advisory - not to mention an increasingly international aspect to the transactional work in particular, where the relevant laws of a number of jurisdictions need to be considered. Tax lawyers will frequently work with their counterparts in other jurisdictions.

Tax is a crucial component of every major deal undertaken by commercial firms. Whether the matter is corporate, finance or propertyrelated, you can be sure that tax lawyers will be among the key advisors. There is a huge quantity of law relevant to the area and, then giving advice, practitioners need to take into account not only tax legislation and cases, but also other areas of law that might be relevant.

This requires significant collaboration between tax lawyers and colleagues in other legal departments (e.g. finance lawyers, corporate lawyers and commercial litigators).

Tax law evolves at a far greater rate than the majority of other practice areas, so you’ll need to be constantly on the lookout for change. Tax law is not always as boring and monotonous

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as it is stereotyped to be. A typical day involves researching law, advising on deals, and advising on how to structure business activities and will typically involve interacting with a wide range of external clients but also colleagues in other practice areas.

IT’S TIME. Thinking outside the box – how to make yourself stand out as stellar candidate We’re open-minded and are interested in people who share that quality. We mean it when we say your university is not relevant to our selection – we do not have a shortlist of preferred universities. Throughout each stage of our application we’ll assess you against the characteristics that make up our competency framework. These are the personal attributes that we believe make people successful at Allen & Overy.

What we can offer you

How to shine at interviews

During your three week placement at Allen & Overy; you will participate in real transactions as well as specifically designed exercises that provide a valuable insight into the role of an Allen & Overy lawyer. Bespoke training is provided by some of our leading lawyers in Australia, in addition to access to international training sessions. As your career progresses with Allen & Overy, you will be given a range of choices to develop your expertise, such as taking up the opportunity to spend time working in another office, whether that’s a rotation as a junior lawyer, a longer term secondment or a permanent transfer.

– The interview is an opportunity to substantiate what you have said about yourself in your application.

What our selection process looks like 1. Applications to include: cover letter, CV, academic transcript/s and completed online questionnaire.

– Revisit your application before the interview. Interview questions are likely to include details on school and university, interests and achievements, work experience and why you have chosen this career.

– University careers services may offer mock interviews – book one if you can. Getting feedback on this process can be really helpful before the event.

– Expect to be asked about topical, commercial or business issues.

Be prepared to discuss your opinions. We want to find out what you think and why you think that way.

2. After the closing date, we will review applications and contact successful students for an interview.

– Dress appropriately, smile, maintain eye contact and offer a confident handshake. If you have been invited to an interview, we already think you have potential, so remember this.

3. Interviews will be held with one of our partners and our human resources manager. We will discuss your application, skills and knowledge, reasons for applying and commercial awareness.

– An interview is a two-way process so this is also your opportunity to see whether the firm is right for you. Prepare questions to ask at the end of the interview covering genuine interests.

4. Prior to interviewing, one of our lawyers or current graduates will take you out for a coffee. Here, you can have an informal chat with one of our team as to why they joined Allen & Overy and they will be able to answer any further questions you may have about the program, firm or their own path in law.

– If you are unsuccessful at interview, ask for feedback so you know where to improve.

Key dates for our Summer Clerkship 2019/2020 program To apply for our Summer Clerkship 2019/20 program, please visit: allenovery.com/careers/gradsaustralia Reception: +61 8 6315 5900 Human Resources: australian.recruitment@allenovery.com

Monday 15 July 2019 Applications for summer clerkships open Sunday 4 August 2019 Applications for summer clerkships close at 5pm Monday 5 August to Friday 13 September 2019 Applications reviewed and interviews conducted

*Offers for summer clerkship must be accepted or declined by 1pm.

Friday 20 September 2019 (9am)* Offers for summer clerkships will be made

A career in Law Visit allenovery.com/careers/gradsaustralia Allen & Overy means Allen & Overy LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings © Allen & Overy LLP 2019 | CS1904_CDD-54800_ADD-81983

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CORPORATE ADVISORY Deloitte

EY

Deloitte is a network of more than 244,400 professionals at member firms delivering professional services in more than 150 countries and territories. Deloitte prides themselves on leading with purpose and innovation, challenging the status quo, and solving complex issues for their clients and Australian communities. Their legal sector advisors assists multinational organisations with day-to-day activities as well as corporatev life events across many jurisdictions. Deloitte member firms provide holistic guidance around strategic business decisions, offering cost-effective support for routine legal activities. Deloitte’s work culture is based on ‘inclusion, collaboration, high performance and opportunity.’ Deloitte has a broad service areas including: audit and assurance; consulting; financial advisory; risk; and tax services.

EY is a global professional service firm with service lines in Tax, Transaction Advisory, Core Business Services, and Advisory. They use their global reach and scale to convene conversations about the challenges facing economies and capital markets. EY prides itself on having high performing teams that are the core of their success in business. They acknowledge this by preventing employees from sacrificing their personal aspirations or career goals and instead foster diversity, communities and support services. EY encourages their employees to strive for better in everything they do – placing value on the human ability to offer insight and empathy alongside technology to make a strong positive impact.

Graduate Program Every year, Delotte Australia recruits a large number of graduates to bring in new ideas and energy. Deloitte graduates take part in a graduate development program called D|Academy. D|Academy has their induction during the first week of the program, specifically training graduates in soft skill and technical training to get graduates prepared for life in professional services. The highlight event of the year is ‘Breakthough’, an event not to be missed as all graduates are bought together in two central locations across Australia to celebrate hitting the halfway mark. It allows graduates to meet with fellow graduates around the country and network with Partners from all business units.

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Graduate Program As a graduate with EY you’ll be able to add value to your clients and shape your career as a professional. Graduates build their technical, leadership and communication skills, and are responsible for parts of projects right away – working in the business area of their choice.

EY prides itself on giving their graduates early responsibility alongside the support and training required need to pursue their goals.

The EY graduate program begins with an induction where graduates are paired with a buddy and counselor who assist graduates to learn their way around the firm, set goals and plan their development. Graduates even have the opportunity to work interstate and overseas. Applications open for EY’s graduate program around February/March each year for students in their final year or within 18 months of graduating.

EY Law

“

Since I joined EY Law, I have been exposed to various areas of law, this has meant that no two days are the same and each day provides new challenges and opportunities for me to continue to grow and develop. I have been very fortunate to have worked on complex legal matters early on in my career which has been an experience that I have found invaluable.

Helen Le Solicitor

EY Law is a legal practice within a global organisation. In essence, this means that being a part of this team gives me opportunities to collaborate with other teams to deliver approaches to complex issues. I have been able to work with a range of different professionals on different matters which has developed my knowledge in all areas of law as well as developed my knowledge in different sectors and industries.

© 2019 Ernst & Young, Australia. All Rights Reserved. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. ED none. APAC no. AUNZ00001046. IN1010880.

Being a part of EY Law means that you are in a position to be exposed to a variety of challenging work whilst learning from leaders of the field and being supported by your peers. I have been very fortunate to be part of a team that encourages learning and that provides me with a wide range of opportunities.

EY Law in Perth has been recognised for the third year running as a Top Tier Tax Firm in Western Australia, and is part of the expanding global network which comprises of over 2,500 lawyers across more than 80 countries.

The Perth team specialises in tax advice and tax disputes, trust law, business succession and estate planning, superannuation, not for profit and related corporate and commercial work.

Your exceptional EY experience begins now Our Clerkship Program is a great way to experience the working world during your summer (or winter) holidays.

Show us what you’re capable of and you may be invited to join us after graduation in a full-time position.

Our Graduate Program will put your knowledge to the test. Build your technical skills. Join us fulltime as a graduate and you’ll get early responsibility, support and training.

We also offer our Game Changers Club and Career Compass Program to students who are due to graduate in 2021/2022. Please see our website for more details.

Get connected ey.com/au/careers

bit.ly/EYLinkedIn_Careers

facebook.com/eycareers

instagram.com/eyaucareers

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KPMG

PwC

KPMG combines their multi-disciplinary approach with deep, practical industry knowledge to help clients meet challenges and respond to opportunities. KPMG operates in 152 countries and has more than 189,000 people working in member firms around the world. KPMG are a global network of professional firms providing services across a wide range of industries, Government and Not-for-Profit sectors. They are renowned for their expertise and professionalism in solving complex problems, creating change, and disrupting sectors. KPMG prides themselves on collaborating and innovating to provide genuine and sustainable value for their clients. KMPG’s service areas include: Audit; Assurance and Risk Consulting; Deal, Tax and Legal; Management and Consulting; and, Innovation and Digital Solutions.

PwC is a professional services firms, bringing the power of their global network of firms to help Australian businesses, not-for-profit organisations and governments assess their performance and improve the way they work.

PwC is not only one of the top 50 brands worldwide but is also ranked as the number one place where Australian’s want to work by LinkedIn’s Top Companies list. PwC supports employees professional and personal development, learning, individuality and choices. They have a range of teams including: Risk Assurance; Assurance; Consulting; Private Clients; Technology; Deals, Tax, and Legal; and IUR. PwC recruits from a diverse range of academic backgrounds, including arts, business, accounting, tax, economics, engineering, finance, health and law.

Graduate Program KPMG’s Graduate Program is unique like their graduates and allows for exploration of their strengths, abilities and more. The Graduate Program supports their graduates with ongoing training, structured development programs and a dedicated mentor. Their global network offers opportunities for overseas secondments and a career pathway that allows graduate development as fast as their ability allows. They’ll be part of an outstanding team working across a diverse client list and dealing with complex issues that broaden their thinking. Students in their final year or who have completed their degree are encouraged to apply.

Graduate Program Graduates of PwC are presented with the opportunity and support to develop their business and technical skills through a range of programs and professional qualifications.

From the first day, PwC graduates are challenged with work, provided an innovative and supportive team environment, and are given the opportunity to contribute to a ‘bigger picture’. Students are encouraged to apply in their final year or after they have completed their degree.

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In House Counsel An in-house counsel is a lawyer employed by a corporation or an organisation. Unlike lawyers in commercial firms, who work for a variety of clients, in-house counsel are responsible only for the legal requirements of, and can only provide legal advice to, their direct employer.

In-house legal departments can be found within a range of organisations, from mining companies, banks and hotel chains through to global ASX listed companies. Typically, very few opportunities exist for new graduates to start their careers as an in-house counsel – these positions are generally filled through lateral hires from law firms or government agencies. However, some corporations will hire students as law clerks to work throughout the university year or over the summer.

The value of prior experience cannot be overstated – employers look very favourably on graduates who have sought out internships or other forms of practical exposure to the business world. The ability to demonstrate an understanding of generic business concepts and challenges will prove beneficial.

Working as an in-house counsel, you will have to supplement your understanding of the law with a deep knowledge of the organisation that employs you, including its business goals, liabilities, obligations (be they to regulators or shareholders), and assets. In-house counsel often assist with handlings transactions, acquiring new assets (especially property), dealing with regulators, and reducing their employer’s legal exposure when launching new products or services. One of the satisfactions of working in-house is that you will be able to witness the implementation of any solutions you propose while developing a strong understanding of one client instead of several.

The skillset required by in-house counsel is very different to that required by their counterparts in private practice. Where

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private practice lawyers are expected to advise and represent multiple clients, inhouse counsel are only responsible for one. They therefore need to take on a more rounded role as a member of the business.

This can mean taking responsibility for tasks such as project management, branding, and business development.

The requisite skills for an in-house counsel include: –– specialised knowledge about the industry; –– knowledge of regulatory practices, the organisations’ goals and competitors; –– commercial awareness; –– a personable nature as you will be working extensively with both nonlawyers and lawyers; –– ability to communicate complex legal matters in plain English; and –– strategic thinking as you need to be able to critically think on the ways to execute an organisation’s objectives within a

Justice System Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (‘AFP’) are responsible for the maintenance of Commonwealth policing efforts. The Graduate Program currently involves a 12-month comprehensive training and development program in three varied work rotations, with a dedicated mentor to provide assistance and support.

Non-policing roles ranging from intelligence analysts and forensic investigators through to jobs in information technology, legal, training, marketing and communications and administrative support are developed in this graduate program.

As part of the program you will complete a Certificate IV in Government / Project Management.

For more information please see, https:// www.afp.gov.au/careers/graduate-program.

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (‘ODPP’) is the independent prosecuting authority for the State of Western Australia, responsible for the prosecution of all serious offences committed against State criminal law.

To deliver these prosecution services, the ODPP operates a number of legal practice teams each headed by a Practice Manager and comprising of: Legal Officers (State Prosecutors and Confiscations Lawyers); Managing Paralegals, Paralegals and Law Clerks; and Legal Assistants. The ODPP is not currently advertising for graduate positions.

To keep up to date with ODPP opportunities please see: https://www.dpp.wa.gov.au/E/ employment.aspx?uid=5431-1930-5807-6635.

Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (‘CDPP’) works to deliver Australia’s independent federal prosecution service to maintain the rule of law and contribute the safety of the Australian community. The CDPP employs approximately 400 employees in 10 offices around Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Townsville. The majority of employees are lawyers, but they also employ people to provide a range of services including litigation support, accountancy, IT services, library services, people service, finance and administrative support.

The ODPP is not currently advertising for graduate positions. Keep up to date with ODPP opportunities please see: https://www. cdpp.gov.au/careers.

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Norton Rose Fulbright balances freedom for personal development with regular and consistent guidance.

Perth Summer clerkship Our summer clerkship offers you a real taste of life as a Graduate. The clerkship involves doing many of the things our Graduates do, including attending clients meetings and visits to court. You will also enjoy exposure to our deals, culture and practice areas.

There will also be lots of additional activities for you to take advantage of including: • key skills training • talks about practice areas and deals • networking and social events

What are we looking for?

• • • • • •

Commercial awareness Global outlook Open mindedness Curiosity Strength beyond academia Long term motivation

Relevant dates 15 July 2019 - Applications open 4 August 2019 - Applications close 19 August 2019 - Interviews commence 20 September 2019 - Offers made To see how you could define your own path within our global legal practice, visit: nortonrosefulbrightgraduates.com/australia

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TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRM What are your firm’s practice areas?

Litigation, Insurance, Employment & Labour, Construction, Banking & Finance, Financial Restructuring & Insolvency, Real Estate and Corporate What are your firm’s core values?

Quality, Unity and Integrity.

How would you describe firm culture?

Our values of Quality, Unity and Integrity are the foundation of our culture.

Our focus is on providing consistently high quality legal services to clients across the business as industry experts. We operate in a team culture, collaborating and sharing information and knowledge across disciplines and markets to achieve the best results for our clients.

We value our people – they are our most important asset and we promote a culture of respect for the individual. We build long term relationships with our clients and colleagues by being trustworthy, open and fair. We value our culture and work hard to preserve it.

How does your firm distinguish itself from other law firms?

By being industry experts, prioritising diversity & inclusion and ongoing learning and development.

Knowing how our clients business works and understanding what drives their industries is fundamental to us. Our lawyers share industry knowledge and sector expertise across borders, enabling us to support our client’s anywhere in the world.

We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. We aim to be an employer of choice worldwide by valuing difference, promoting a culture of respect for each individual, and encouraging workforce diversity in all aspects and at all levels.

We offer education assistance support to all staff and design and deliver development programmes addressing our employees specific needs. Our award winning International Academies are delivered to Associates, Senior Associates and Special Counsel at the relevant stages of their career.

GRADUATE JOB INFORMATION What does your firm look for in a grad?

Strong academic results are important, but not the only criteria - Norton Rose Fulbright seeks well-rounded candidates who have strength beyond academia including work experience and extracurricular interests. We also look to candidates with strong commercial awareness, a global outlook, open mindedness and long term motivation for a career in the law.

What can students do to increase their likelihood of securing a graduate job with your firm?

By being themselves throughout the selection process, and demonstrating a genuine interest and knowledge in our firm and the opportunities it has to offer.

Does your firm offer graduates or junior lawyers international opportunities?

Our Graduate Program provides you with the opportunity to do a six month secondment in one of our international offices within your first two years with the firm. So far, our Graduates have done secondments in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, South America and the United States of America.

FURTHER INFORMATION Human Resources Contact brooke.wheeler@nortonrosefulbright.com Website: https://www.nortonrosefulbrightgraduates. com/au/

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Associateships An Associateship is a person who works alongside and assists a Judge, Magistrate, Registrar or Tribunal member. An Associate acts a combination of the Judge’s personal assistant, research assistant and/or Court Assistant. However, the specific work that an Associate may undertake is largely at the discretion of the Judge. Associates are exposed to a wide range of court internal workings, procedures and documents. While working inside a court, Associates will be able to observe leading barristers, practitioners and Judges in their jurisdictions. Associates are highly regarded by future employers and often find that the skills, knowledge, networking and confidence gained from working as an Associate assisted their transition into private practice, upon being called to the bar, or pursuing an academic career.

In Western Australia, there a range of Associate positions whose roles differ – associates, research associates and research orderly. Research Associates primarily perform research tasks alongside with their court duties for their Judge. Research Orderly perform research tasks and have a primary role in their organisation and set-up of the court. Associates role will depend on the discretion of the judge but will generally be a combination of research, court organisation and document management.

Associate positions are available in nearly every court and tribunal within Western Australia. However, associate positions are available in every State and the High Court.

Throughout the year, check in with different court or tribunal websites for when their associateship applications open.

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Community Sector There are a wide range of legal positions in the community sector that range from community legal centres (‘CLCs’), not-for-profit organisations, native title body corporates to charitable organisations. The organisations all have charitable purposes for the advancement of health, education, social welfare, religion and, of course, justice. Due to the lack of resources in the community sector, you may not see as many at law career fairs or through fervent advertising. As a law student it may seem difficult and a somewhat daunting path to working in the community sector. There is no one set way to enter as a law student into the life of a lawyer in the community sector. The best way to find out how to become a lawyer in your area of interest – is to ask! Each organisation is different, with many offering 1 day a week paralegal roles for current students, practical legal training opportunities and other forms of internships to get you started.

For more information about legal work in the community sector, please see: –– https://www.probonocentre.org.au/provide-pro-bono/ –– http://naclc.org.au/ –– https://www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/about-us/careers –– https://www.als.org.au/employment/ –– https://www.nativetitle.org.au

Community Sector Directory Perth CLCs –– Aboriginal Family Law Services –– Citizens Advice Bureau –– Consumer Credit Legal Service of WA –– Employment Law Centre of WA –– Environmental Defender’s Office (WA) –– Mental Health Law Centre –– Street Law Centre (WA) –– Sussex Street CLC –– Tenancy WA –– The Humanitarian Group –– Welfare Rights & Advocacy Service –– Women’s Law Centre of WA (includes Djinda Services) –– Youth Legal Services Area specific –– Fremantle CLC –– Gosnells CLC –– Midland Information, Debt and Legal Advocacy Service –– Northern Suburbs CLC –– Peel Community Legal Service –– SCALES CLC

Regional CLCs –– Albany Family Violence Prevention Legal Service –– Goldfields CLC (Kalgoorlie) –– Kimberley CLC (Broome) –– Pilbara CLC (Karratha, Newman, Roebourne, & South Hedland) –– Regional Alliance West (Geraldton) –– South West CLC (Bunbury) –– Wheatbelt CLC (Northam) Not-for-Profit Legal Services –– Aboriginal Legal Service WA –– Law Access WA –– Legal Aid WA –– Red Cross –– Relationships Australia WA –– RSPCA WA Native Title Bodies (with offices in Perth) –– Central Desert Native Title Services Ltd –– Cross Country Native Title Services –– Goldfields Land and Sea Council –– South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council –– Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation –– Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation –– Yorgum Aboriginal Corporation MSLS CAREERS GUIDE 2019

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WHERE BRIGHT MINDS MEET

SEEKING LAWYERS FOR A CHANGING WORLD Clients expect more from their lawyers than ever before. They look to us as business partners on their journey to achieve their objectives.

It’s not just about precedents and compliance, but finding new ways to build relationships and deliver the results that matter.

Think global

Collaborate

Embrace new challenges

#1

Local excellence global standards

It takes immense drive and motivation to stay ahead in a world that’s changing as fast as ours. If you’re excited and inspired by that, Clifford Chance could be the right firm for you.

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Dive on in at www.cliffordchance.com/careers

GET TO KNOW US What areas of law do we practice?

How many graduate jobs do we offer?

Across Australia, our core areas of focus are Corporate, Banking & Finance, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Antitrust & Competition.

Sydney: 4 – 6

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

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

Perth

Applications open: March 11, 2019

Applications open: July 15, 2019

Applications close: May 19, 2019

Applications close: August 4, 2019

Grads.Sydney@cliffordchance.com Grads.Perth@cliffordchance.com

Clerkships

What kind of work can a clerk expect to do?

Students must be at least penultimate year and eligible to participate in the 2021 Graduate Program

Our clerkship program is designed to provide you with a real insight to life at Clifford Chance in Australia.

When are our clerkships held?

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

Our Clerkship program in Sydney runs in Winter; in 2019 it will run from 1 July – 19 July.

Our Clerkship program in Perth runs in Summer; in 2019 it will run from 2 December to 20 December.

How many clerks do we take?

Sydney: 4 – 6 Perth: 4 – 6

You will have two seat rotations, allowing you to experience two of our three practice areas.

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.

Applications should be submitted online at www.cliffordchance.com/careers

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Unions Unions exist to help support workers, and advocate for their interests. Likely roles for law graduates are as an Industrial Officer or an Organiser. Although a law degree is not essential, a sound understanding of the laws and skills developed during legal studies is are beneficial in a union environment.

Industrial Officers in Unions take up individual cases (such as unfair dismissals and prosecutions) and aim to draw up or negotiate agreements between the parties in dispute, and the kinds of negotiations and agreements that take place depend a lot on the various types of Unions.

The role of Organisers vary greatly according to different Unions. In most Unions, Organisers generally recruit new members, train and assist Union delegates, facilitate industrial and political campaigns and aim to encourage members in taking a stand in their workplaces, industries and communities.

The requisite skills for a role with the Unions include: –– sound knowledge of employment law; –– a personable nature with good communication skills as you will be working with both lawyers and lay people; –– ability to communicate complex legal matters in plain English; and –– excellent negotiation and collective bargaining skills Law graduates who are interested in more information about Unions and job opportunities, can check the following websites: –– The Australian Council of Trade Unions: www.actu.org.au; and –– Unions WA: www.tlcwa.org.au.

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Criminology A Bachelor of Criminology gives students skills and knowledge that can be used across multiple disciplines locally and globally.

Students are required to study and learn theoretical empirical and practical concepts in law, psychology, sociology, social work and history. Students studying a Bachelor of Criminology have a wide range of skills and knowledge that in turn opens the door to a diverse range of careers and opportunities – local and global.

Possible Criminology graduates have the opportunity to apply their skills in a career of public policy and program, intelligence and investigation, courts and tribunals, law reform, corrections and rehabilitation, international security, teaching or research.

A variety of sectors recruit criminology students including government, NGOs, international humanitarian organisations, Australian Institute of Criminology, the State and Federal Police, Department of Justice and Corrections, youth services, victim services, and Australian Crime Commission. These roles could be sourced through graduate programs, internships, volunteering or hiring from the market.

Government Various government departments at both the State and Commonwealth levels have graduate opportunities which lead directly into full-time Australian Public Service employment. These opportunities offer clear, challenging and dynamic career paths in a wide variety of government bodies and statutory authorities. Careers in the practice of law are not the only thing on offer here; policy graduates analyse, develop and implement government policy and strategy in everything from international security to aged care.

Below is a sample of some of the opportunities available, for a comprehensive list of government departments please see australia.gov.au.

State Solicitors Office The State Solicitor’s Office (‘SSO’) represents the West Australian Government in the majority of its legal proceedings. The SSO offers graduates a 12 month program, qualification for Practical Legal Training, mentoring opportunities, a competitive salary and an opportunity to be employed by the SSO as a solicitor at the conclusion of the graduate program. The program operates placements in three areas of the SSO. Civil Litigation The Civil Litigation placement relates to interlocutory procedures such as pleadings, discovery and interrogatories. It features frequent visits to chambers as the SSO represents the State in all civil matters.

Recoveries The Recoveries placement sees graduates examining judgement debtors and conducting means enquiries on behalf of the state. It primary works in commercial and corporate law.

Commercial The Commercial placement sees graduates assist in the preparation of a variety of commercial and conveyancing documents of behalf of the state.

Applications open in May each year, with process concluded in July.

More information is available at: https:// department.justice.wa.gov.au

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (‘ACCC’) promotes competition and fair trade in markets to benefit consumers, businesses, and the community. They also regulate national infrastructure services.

Our primary responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with Australian competition, fair trading, and consumer protection laws - in particular the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.

Graduate Programs ACCC graduates enjoy applying and expanding their existing skills and knowledge to their work with us. They form an important part of a small, high-performing agency that is committed to promoting competition and consumer protection and fair trading in the Australian marketplace

Australian Securities and Investments Commission The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (‘ASIC’) is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australia’s corporate regulator. ASIC’s role is to enforce and regulate company and financial services laws to protect Australian consumers, investors and creditors.

ASIC seeks a range of graduates that have trust and confidence in our financial system,

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Discover extraordinary opportunities

We are HopgoodGanim.

A leading legal and advisory firm that helps achieve exceptional outcomes.

From Perth and Brisbane with clients in all corners.

We solve the big problems for large corporates, private business, government and private clients.

/ To apply and find out more hopgoodganim.com.au/careers Search HopgoodGanim Lawyers on 80Instagram MSLS CAREERS GUIDE 2019 LinkedIn, or Facebook

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have an enquiring mind, enjoy working with others, and complex problem solving. The ASIC graduate program focuses on developing technical and professional skills through on the job training, structured development programs and rotations.

From the first day, graduates are involved in meaningful work which may include surveillances, investigations, analysing intelligence, data analytics, consumer research or even supporting new technologies. The ASIC program allows for four rotations in their streams including: surveillance, enforcement, strategy, assessment and intelligence activities, legal, financial advisor regulation, corporate finance transactions regulation and many more.

Australian Treasury The Australian Treasury manages Australian government expenditure to promote economic growth and manage the Australian economy. They recruit law graduates as part of a generalist graduate recruitment over two years in Canberra.

For more information please see: http:// graduates.treasury.gov.au/.

Australian Taxation Office The Australian Taxation Office is responsible for Australian Government revenue and taxation. They over an intensive graduate program over 12 months with Law Graduates welcome to apply to the Taxation stream. The Taxation Stream sees graduates work with the Client Engagement Group and in, Corporate & Enabling Services, Law Design & Practice, Service Delivery and with the Tax Practitioners Board. The program does not cover Practical Legal Training.

For more information please see, . https:// w w w . a t o . g o v. a u /A b o u t- AT O / C a r e e r s / Entr y-level-programs/ The-ATO-Graduateprogram/.

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Department of the Attorney-General The Attorney-General’s Department (‘AGD’) delivers programs and policies to maintain and improve Australia’s law and justice framework.

The Australian Government Solicitor (‘AGS’), one of four groups within AGD, provides legal services to the Commonwealth (legal advice and representation).

Graduates in the AGD 2020 Graduate Program experience a range of challenging and exciting opportunities to help develop their career in one two streams – Policy or Legal Practice (AGS). Graduates will contribute to a just and secure society for today and future Australians.

Applications open in March each year for commencement the following year in Canberra. For more information please see: https://www.ag.gov.au/About/Careers/Pages/ default.aspx.

Policy Graduates Policy Graduates work in rotation in areas of Commonwealth significance including, but not limited to: civil justice, family law, criminal justice, law enforcement, national security, human rights law, native title law, and; constitutional law. The program requires graduates to contribute to the development of legislation, policies and programs; and undertake written research and analysis.

The program includes a presentation to senior AGD leadership. Applicants require a distinction average or above.

Legal Practice Working with the AGD as part of the Australian Government Solicitor graduates work in a Commonwealth owned, self-funded law firm that competes in the market. The position includes rotation over 12 months through the commercial, dispute resolution and general counsel streams. The general counsel stream provides legal advice and representation to the Commonwealth. To be eligible to apply applicants must have completed an LLB or JD in the past four years with a distinction average.

Department of Defence The Department of Defence seeks to secure Australian interests at home and abroad.

There are three graduate pathways available to Law Graduates.

For more information please see http://www. defence.gov.au/graduates/.

Defence Capability Pathway The capability pathway leads to employment with the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. It is responsible for the acquisition and sustainment of all equipment used by the Australian Defence Force (‘ADF’) at land, sea and in the air, at home, and internationally. Law Graduates work in procurement and contracting which oversees the commercial activities of the ADF, including the provision of new submarines and aircraft as well as developing new contracts the ADF requires for its suppliers. The program lasts 18 months and sees graduates placed in three Australian cities, one of which is Canberra, over three rotations.

Defence Corporate Pathway The corporate pathway is open to all graduates and employs in roles relating to human resources, ICT, infrastructure, finance and generalist positions. There are three rotations over 18 months in three Australian cities including Canberra. The rotations include, media coordination, operational policy, analysis of military capability, intelligence, project management and budgeting.

Defence Policy Pathway The defence policy pathway is open to all graduates. It takes place over 12 months in Canberra. The pathway is concerned with Australian security policy, counter-terrorism policy, and cyber security policy.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (‘DFAT’) is responsible for Australia’s diplomatic and economic interests overseas. It manages all Australian embassies, consulates, foreign aid, foreign investment and diplomatic relations. It has two graduate programs which take place over two years in Canberra at the Diplomatic Academy. Successful completion of either program grants an APS 4 position in Canberra and qualifies graduates for international diplomatic postings. Applicants are required to have a credit average as well as a strong extracurricular record, language skills are desirable but not essential.

For more information please see https://dfat. gov.au/careers/dfat-aps-careers/graduateprogram/Pages/graduate-program.aspx.

Policy Graduate Program The Policy Graduate Program introduces graduates to the Government’s foreign, trade and aid policy priorities. Four work placements are completed over two years taking graduates through political relations, international trade negotiation, economic analysis, humanitarian assistance, international aid, international security, public diplomacy, international and administrative law, and passport services.

Corporate Management Program The Corporate Management Program introduces graduates to the Government’s foreign, trade and aid policy priorities.

Four work placements are completed over two years taking graduates through financial asset management, contract management, media relations, overseas asset management, procurement, human resources and passport services.

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Department of Home Affairs The Department of Home Affairs overseas Australia’s immigration, border security, security agencies and potato farming. They offer a range of opportunities in Policy, Corporate, Implementation and Intelligence.

For more information please see https:// www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/careers/ graduate-program.

Policy The Policy vocation covers a complex agenda of policy initiatives including immigration and citizenship policy; traveller, customs and industry policy; national security and law enforcement; international engagement and capacity building, while influencing whole-of– government strategic policy development and remaining cognisant of cross-agency program management and operational environments.

Corporate The Corporate vocation is a key enabler that supports teams across the Department with technical expertise and advice in the areas of finance, law, human resources, risk and security management, communication, parliamentary and executive services.

Program Implementation The Program Implementation vocation manages and delivers government programs in relation to visas, citizenship, emergency management, national security, customs and trade. The Department’s significant program of initiatives focuses on supporting a safe and secure Australia that maintains strong economic growth and is globally competitive, liveable, sustainable and welcoming.

Intelligence This vocation provides intelligence services and formulates products to support strategic and operational decision making to counter border threats and support the Department’s mission. Intelligence is critical to the safety and security of Australia, and the Department of Home Affairs is at the forefront of the

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government’s intelligence effort. It operates in a complex, rapidly evolving environment, with real threats and real-world implications that matter to the lives of Australians.

Department of Human Services The Department of Human Services manages the governments public insurance and welfare systems including Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support payments.

The Professional Pathway for the National Graduate Program, Legal Discipline, prepares graduates for work in providing advice on legal issues relating to payments, contracts, employments, privacy, compensation and the management of reviews before the AAT. Applicants are required to have a WAM of 60 or higher.

For more information please see, https://www. humanservices.gov.au/organisations/aboutus/careers/national-graduate-program/

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is a generalist department reporting directly to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

They work on a broad range of issues including indigenous affairs, social policy, international policy, intelligence, and national security, The Corporate and Government Stream assists with legal policy, parliamentary and cabinet support, international dignitaries, communications and financial management.

For more information please see: https:// w w w.pmc.gov.au/pmc /careers/graduatecareers

Department of Social Services The DSS manages the government’s social policy objectives including aged care, social housing, refugee resettlement and disability policy. They offer a specialist graduate pathway for law.

The program takes place over two 5-month placements and applicants must be willing to relocate to Canberra.

For more information please see, https:// w w w.dss.gov.au/careers/depar tment-ofsocial-services-2020-graduate-developmentprogram .

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GRADUATE TESTIMONIALS

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Allens I am at the beginning of my first year as an Allens law graduate, and have started my first rotation in the Projects team. Allens is an international, commercial law firm with offices across Australia and Asia. Allens has a strategic alliance with Linklaters, an international law firm, thereby generating a vast global presence and exposing employees to a multitude of international opportunities. Allens’ graduate program allows graduates to complete two, 1-year rotations. Having these two longer rotations enables graduates to gain a deeper understanding of their practice groups, while at the same time still exposing them to a wide range of work across multiple areas thanks to the firm’s flexible structure.

My first experience with Allens was in 2017, just before commencing my summer vacation clerkship, when I joined as a library research assistant. I enjoyed working at Allens such that when it came time to apply for a graduate position, I knew exactly where I wanted to end up. I was drawn to Allens because of the fantastic work opportunities and, most importantly, the friendly people, who genuinely had an interest in establishing a warm and supportive work culture. As a graduate, I am fortunate to be able to participate in this work culture through the interesting and varied work given to me, and through social events and activities.

The graduate program at Allens delivers a first-rate process that transforms law graduates into top-tier lawyers. The graduate orientation programs are based in Melbourne and Sydney and expose graduates to the experience of working with their interstate colleagues. All graduates are guided through their transition into the firm by being paired with both a buddy (junior lawyer) and a development supervisor (Partner or Senior Lawyer), who provide guidance, career advice and performance feedback.

If you enjoy complex legal issues, problem solving and are looking for experience in a commercial law firm that provides vast career opportunities in a collaborative and supportive environment, I highly recommend applying for a clerkship with Allens.

Nalin Behere Law Graduate at Allens Murdoch University 2018

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Gilbert + Tobin Since writing for the MSLS Careers’ Guide last year, I have completed two rotations of my graduate programme and am currently over halfway through my third and final rotation in the Disputes + Investigations team. I have worked for six months in each of Corporate Advisory and Energy + Resources. For this edition of the Careers’ Guide, my key takeaway for students who aspire to go into the private sector is to keep an open mind.

Although we get asked by many family and friends whether we will choose something to “specialise in”, be it through our choices of units at university or in fulltime work, narrowly focussing your mind at this stage of your career can impact your professional development. Alternatively, opening yourself up to various practice areas (some of which may not be your first choice) will allow you to grow as a lawyer and become a wellrounded practitioner.

In my case, I have always been a litigation-minded person, having taken part in several moots throughout my time at university and I continue to coach and judge the Law Society Mock Trials Competition. So, when I was faced with two “front end” (ie advisory) rotations, I was somewhat hesitant. However, both rotations have been truly invaluable to my development as a lawyer and I feel well-rounded and knowledgeable in the transactional side of Gilbert + Tobin. My rotation in Energy + Resources in particular has allowed me to develop connections and work on matters with significant mining and energy clients, clientsthat make up an industry that is very significant to Gilbert + Tobin, as it is for many other Perth law firms. The knowledge that I have picked up in these two practice areas has contributed to my confidence going into Disputes + Investigations, as I feel I am more savvy with respect to the key commercial drivers of our client base.

The long and the short of my advice is to ensure that, throughout university and your junior years of practice, you engage with the law in as many different ways as you can so that you can be the most competent and well-rounded lawyer that you can be. I hope that this gives you some guidance as you make your way through the rest of 2019 and I wish you all the best with your future careers.

Ashley Roberts (LLB (Dist.), BA (History)) Lawyer at Gilbert + Tobin Murdoch University 2017

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Clifford Chance My name is Clinton Bonomelli and I graduated from Murdoch in 2016. I am an Associate at Clifford Chance in Corporate M&A in Sydney having completed a 2-year graduate program. The program involves completing four 6-month seats. Depending on which office you apply for, three of these seats will be Perth based and one will be overseas.

Clifford Chance is a fully integrated international law firm with 33 offices broadly focusing on Corporate, Banking, Finance and Dispute Resolution. On a day-to-day basis you will be working cross-border with colleagues, high-profile corporates and financial institutions, have travel opportunities, be exposed to a diverse range of industries and receive top level training in SG, HK and London. The experience is unique and exciting.

Few Australian firms offer this level of global exposure.

My first seat was in Dispute Resolution (Federal/Supreme Court disputes, international commercial arbitration and investor-state dispute resolution). I was later in Banking which primarily involved general finance, renewable energy and projects. My third seat was in Real Estate where I was seconded to the United Arab Emirates. Most of my work involved large property transactions acting for developers, buyers and sellers. These transactions involved acting for Gulf-State government entities and sovereign wealth funds in the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. We assist these entities with either buying, selling or developing tourist projects, ports, hotels, artificial islands, apartments and recreational facilities (bars, restaurants, sports and shopping facilities etc). Separately, I gained exposure to aviation finance, mainly acting for European/Middle Eastern asset managers and financiers of commercial aircraft. My time in Dubai gave me travel opportunities and second to none commercial exposure.

I am currently working in Sydney in Corporate M&A dealing with infrastructure matters involving Asian and SE African elements. If you had any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I am more than happy to talk you through any aspects of the clerkship and graduate process (clinton.bonomelli@cliffordchance.com).

Clinton Bonomelli Associate at Clifford Chance Murdoch University 2016

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DLA Piper I have been with DLA Piper for about two years. First as a graduate, then as a firstyear solicitor, and I am now in my second year post qualification. Parts of the graduate program at DLA Piper are standard: three rotations; interesting work; your struggle to balance work and college of law; and your truncated social life. But some parts, specifically a week trip to the United Kingdom for an international graduate induction, are extraordinary.

I rotated through Litigation & Regulatory and Real Estate. In L&R, I predominately worked on a very high value commercial arbitration with some of the most senior litigators and barristers in the profession. In RE, I predominately worked on sales and leases of commercial property and I often had primary responsibility on these matters.

The culture at DLA Piper is an attitude of ‘take work seriously but ourselves not seriously’.

Everyone is approachable and open for a chat. I know people across all practice groups and often collaborate with solicitors in different areas.

Two tips for anyone applying to DLA Piper (which I believe are apposite for all firms).

First, do your homework. Know something fresh about the firm and be interested in it. Second, and it is cliché, but be genuine. DLA Piper does not hire a ‘type’. The firm hires people that we think are going to be good lawyers and, as I see it, the best lawyers are people who can be genuine, who can speak their opinion and do not always act and think like they are adhering to a certain mould of what a lawyer must be.

Good luck.

Daniel McCarthy Solicitor at DLA Piper Australia Murdoch University 2016

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Herbert Smith Freehills HOW I GOT HERE After graduating from Murdoch University in 2017, I joined Herbert Smith Freehills as a Graduate in March 2018. In my penultimate year I completed a vacation clerkship spending three weeks in the firm’s Corporate (Energy and Resources) team.

For me, the decision to start my career there was an easy one when I considered what each firm offered me. Herbert Smith Freehills provides the opportunity to work with incredibly smart, dedicated people who constantly encourage you to become the best lawyer you can be. The firm emphasises professional development at its core and will have you working alongside market-leading lawyers on exciting and high-profile matters from your first day as a Graduate.

LIFE AS A GRADUATE As a Graduate lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills you complete three six-month rotations.

During my time as a Graduate I rotated through Construction Disputes, Corporate (Energy and Resources) and Banking and Finance.

During my time at Herbert Smith Freehills, I’ve always felt like a valued part of the teams I worked with. A big highlight of the experience so far is the opportunities I have had to work on pro-bono matters. As a Graduate, pro-bono matters allow not only the opportunity to work for some incredibly worthy clients, but also an opportunity to take a prominent role in running a matter.

A key difference between law school and working at a global law firm is that you are advising real people that are facing real problems – often involving millions of dollars and complex commercial pressures – with no clear answer. This can be scary, but it is also what motivates you to consistently do your best and learn from those around you.

Graduates are allocated a Supervising Partner, Senior Associate and Solicitor (‘buddy’) who are individually responsible for providing coaching and mentorship. The informal and frequent discussions create an immediate and organic feedback loop, which allows Graduates to constantly grow and learn. I can think of very few firms that invest so heavily in early career development of their Graduates and Solicitors.

For further information about the Clerkship and Graduate recruitment process at Herbert Smith Freehills, please contact Carissa.Milligan@hsf.com.

Edward Love Solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills Murdoch University 2017

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King & Wood Mallesons The Graduate Program I started as a graduate with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) at the beginning of 2018, having clerked with KWM in December 2016. The graduate program at KWM spans three 6-month rotations across different teams), I first rotated through Construction Disputes where I worked on an international arbitration and I travelled interstate to help take evidence from witnesses. My second rotation in Projects saw me work on a range of international mining projects and major transactions across the globe, including a highprofile company merger, a renewable energy deal. A range of pro bono opportunities are available to graduates, including a secondment to Street Law and an online legal advice initiative with Youth Law Australia.

Why I chose KWM It is a given that you will work on high-calibre and interesting matters at KWM. One of the main reasons I chose KWM was the culture. The people at KWM are hard-working, but down-to-earth and generous with their time. You will learn a lot through hands-on experiences and will be asked to take responsibility for your work from the start.

My tips It is essential that you be yourself. You need to find a place where you can bring your whole self to work – this is hard to do if you’re pretending to be someone you’re not!

You’ll be surprised by the variety of backgrounds and experiences of the people you will encounter at KWM, so don’t be afraid to let your personality show.

Keep an open mind. You might have your heart set on a particular practice area, but later find you really enjoy another practice you had not considered before. The same principle applies to the work you are given as a clerk – all tasks are worthy of your times, so approach everything you do with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

Emily Bell Solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons Murdoch University 2017

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Solomon Brothers I am a graduate at Solomon Brothers a commercial and commercial litigation firm. I commenced at Solomon Brothers in October of 2018 after successfully applying for a graduate position through an open market offer.

As a graduate I have been exposed to a variety of exciting and challenging matters. As a graduate you are not restricted to a certain practice area which gives you the opportunity to work on both front and back end work. I have had the opportunity to work on matters relating to corporate, mining, property, trust and contractual law. A normal day as a graduate at Solomon Brothers could be attending Court, meeting with clients, conferring with the opposing side or drafting commercial agreements.

Solomon Brothers is an excellent place to begin as a graduate because of the level of the interaction you have with partners and the responsibility you can take on. As a graduate I have been given my own matters to work on directly with a partner. I have had the invaluable experience to manage my own matter alongside a founding partner Doug Solomon.

The learning curve between being a law student and a graduate at a law firm can be difficult to adjust to. One of the great aspects of Solomon Brothers is the supportive working environment and work culture. When I have a difficult task, I know I can approach anyone in the office to discuss the problem and obtain advice. At the end of the week, there is always a fun social event for everyone in the office to participate in.

I would recommend being a graduate at Solomon Brothers if you have an interest in both front and back end commercial work.

Kai Huan Tee Solicitor at Solomon Brothers Murdoch University 2018

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Supreme Court of Western Australia Associateship In 2018, I completed an associateship at the Supreme Court of Western Australia with the Hon Justice Kenneth Martin and the Hon Justice Corboy. This was a fantastic experience which has exponentially improved my knowledge of matter management, court procedure and evidence.

At the Supreme Court, there are generally two types of associates: “Associates” who are responsible for the general administration of their judges’ chambers, and “Research Associates” or “Research Associates/Orderlies” who are responsible for researching, proofing judgments and setting up courts. Most judges have one of each type of associate in their Chambers. However, the division of work varies between each judges’ Chambers and the associates in that particular year.

The exposure you will gain during an associateship depends on whether you are working in the general or appellate division, and whether your judge primarily works in the civil or criminal jurisdiction. Whichever division and jurisdiction you work in, you experience work in and out of court. For example, in court I called matters, kept bench books, swore in witnesses and generated my judges’ Orders. Out of court, I corresponded with lawyers, researched, proofed judgments and managed files.

One of the greatest benefits of an associateship is that you have first-hand access to some of the greatest legal resources – judges! They all have a wealth of knowledge and are extremely generous with their time. I strongly encourage anybody with an interest to apply.

Adriana Costanzo Graduate at King & Wood Mallesons Murdoch University 2017

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Federal Court Associateship While in the final year of my law degree at Murdoch I applied to be the Associate to the Hon. Justice Michael Barker in the Federal Court of Australia and was lucky enough to be the successful candidate. I started in the job soon after I completed my degree and have now just finished my associateship which went for just over a year.

My experience was a remarkable one, the likes of which I highly recommend to a soon to be law graduate. The insight I gained into the workings of the Federal Court, and even more so, the way in which the judiciary functions, was invaluable. This knowledge is something I am sure will assist me well into my career.

The associateship role tends to include the following tasks: proof-reading judgments for legal accuracy, clarity and grammar; legal research and drafting; preparing for and sitting in hearings; and acting as the contact point between the Judge and parties. I also travelled over East for Full Court hearings on numerous occasions and had the privilege of attending a number of on-country native title determinations and case management hearings throughout the year. The unique part of the role, however, is that the exact nature of the position is largely specific to the judge for whom you work.

During my time in Justice Barker’s chambers I was given the opportunity to work both independently and closely with the Judge, which was daunting yet incredibly satisfying. I encourage those who are eager to learn from the brightest in the profession to apply for an associateship.

Tessa Maybery 2018 Associate to the Hon. Justice Michael Barker Murdoch University 2017

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Criminology My experience as a graduate has been unusual but exciting. I’m currently living in Sri Lanka working at the Ministry of Defence as a Research Assistant and studying Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Some people think it’s crazy that I graduated from a five-year degree to begin studying again, but for me it was a natural choice when in 2017, I was offered a New Colombo Plan Scholarship and Fellowship from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Typically, when the Government offers you a fully funded scholarship to live, travel and intern in Asia, you don’t turn it down. So, I figured out a way to keep studying in my field (by picking up the new Bachelor of Criminology in Legal Studies & Criminal Behaviour) and packed my bags to Asia.

Before I made it to Sri Lanka, I was interning in Vietnam with an NGO who works with victims of human trafficking and street children. I had an incredible time, however, it took a lot of hard work and dedication throughout my time at Murdoch to get there. I would say the reason why I am here today is searching for and taking every opportunity that came my way.

Since first year I’ve had my sights on everything Murdoch offers, from Study Abroad (Criminal Justice & Sociology at San Diego State University in 2016), to work integrated learning (internships at the WA Police, Parliament House and with an NGO in India), to leadership (Criminology Representative, Ordinary Guild Councillor, Student Mentor, Student Ambassador and Kulbardi Tutor), to finding the time for my studies and volunteering in between. These things are truly achievable for all types of students, you just have to try (a lot of scholarships and experiences offered by Murdoch go unused for lack of applicants!).

When I look back at the things I achieved at university, I know I was able to balance it all because I decided university was the time for me to give 100%, before the responsibilities of ‘adult’ life really kicked in. And while I understand not everyone has this same opportunity, my advice would be to slow down and enjoy the process. Too many people are concerned with getting through a degree as fast as they can so they can find a good job when they are young. I decided to turn a 3-year degree into 5, but filled it with incredible memories and experiences that I believe have set me up for the rest of my life.

Lucy Stronarch BA (Criminology and Security, Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism) Murdoch University Graduate 2018

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