A PERFECT PLATFORM FOR YOUR CAREER OLIVIA ROLLESTON Olivia came to Herbert Smith Freehills as a vacation clerk in 2013-14. She is currently a paralegal in our Finance, Real Estate and Projects group and will be joining us as a graduate. A LEARNING EXPERIENCE My experience as a vacation clerk at Herbert Smith Freehills exceeded all my expectations. A clerkship is so much more than just a recruitment process. It is an incredible opportunity to learn about the world of corporate law, but also, about yourself in the workforce. As much as the application process is about a firm deciding if you are a good fit for them, you should also treat the application process as an opportunity to decide what firm is a good fit for you. It is important to know what you value in a workplace and exactly what attracts you to a particular law firm. Herbert Smith Freehills stood out to me at first because of its reputation as a leading law firm. I knew that I would have the opportunity to work on challenging and significant matters, and that I would be learning from leaders in their fields. But throughout the clerkship process, what surprised me most about Herbert Smith Freehills was the incredible amount of support that I felt and everyone's genuine interest in my development. Herbert Smith Freehills’ combination of technical excellence and more importantly, its commitment to valuing staff, has provided me with the perfect platform to begin my legal career.
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[ 54 ] Clerkship Guide 2014
MAKING A CONTRIBUTION … I rotated in the Dispute Resolution group and the Finance, Real Estate and Projects group. From the first day, I was exposed to those “challenging and significant matters”. I was asked to review and interpret contracts, draft advices, and work on pro bono matters. I was also able to attend court, client meetings and briefings to barristers. Most importantly, in all my tasks I felt I was part of the team and contributing meaningfully to the matter. I was overwhelmed with the time my supervising partners and the rest of the teams invested in me, and this access to expert partner support and feedback confirmed Herbert Smith Freehills’ unique approach to the clerkship.
… AND GREAT FRIENDSHIPS Apart from work, some of my most memorable moments are the time I spent with friends that I made throughout the clerkship. Some highlights included the weekly sporting competition, inter-firm cruise, trivia night, and scavenger hunt. Not to mention, the many Christmas parties. I am also very proud to say that my clerk group reclaimed the "Clerk vs Employment, Pensions and Incentives group" touch footy trophy. As clerks, we also got the opportunity to attend Shopfront Youth Legal Centre, organise the “Clerk vs Partner” debate and our own Dragon’s Den-style fundraising event “The Charity Pitch”.
FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE The best advice I received throughout the clerkship was:
Be yourself in interviews. Interviews are not a test but an opportunity for the firms to get to know you and for you to get a feel of the firm too. You will get out of the clerkship, what you put in. Don’t get so caught up with “getting” a clerkship, that you don’t appreciate everything you learn from the whole process. Ultimately, my clerkship at Herbert Smith Freehills was more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. It confirmed for me that it is exactly where I want to be and I feel incredibly lucky to walk into work every day. Good luck to everyone with the application process! Olivia Rolleston Paralegal, Sydney
A clerkship is an incredible opportunity to learn about the world of corporate law, but also about yourself in the workforce.
Be as prepared as you can be before the applications actually open. You should be doing your research and can be working on your CV and cover letters now. This will make the application process a lot less time-consuming and daunting.
© Herbert Smith Freehills 2014 NOF145877_Olivia_Rolleston_v2 Macquarie University Law Society 110414