Minter Ellison Careers Guide

Working at

Minter Ellison

Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

Contents From the President

3

Introduction to Minter Ellison

4

2013/14 Clerkship Information

7

2014 Graduate Information

9

Writing a Cover Letter and Resume

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Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

From the President Welcome to the Minter Ellison Careers Guide.

This publication was put together to give our students the information they need when applying to Minter Ellison - a long-standing sponsor of the Notre Dame Sydney Law Society.

As a top tier firm in Australia with a global presence, Minter Ellison will expose a clerk or graduate to an impressive client list and complex, high profile transactional work. The firm offers a full range of legal services and with 12 practice groups in Sydney, the opportunities to grow as a lawyer are fantastic.

What stands out at Minter Ellison is the focus on culture. Everybody knows that if the workplace environment is not something you look forward to then work is probably an unhappy experience for you. The focus on culture and people by providing opportunities to develop personally and to make real contributions to the client create the collegiate and supportive environment boasted about from employees.

Imagine being involved in the National Broadband Network rollout or acting for clients for projects such as the Melbourne Docklands and even advising on the acquisition of satellites for SingTel. Opportunities for secondment to a clients in-house legal team and other global Minter Ellison offices are the advantages of a top tier firm like Minter Ellison. As well as this, the pro bono opportunities such as the Homeless Persons’ Legal Service program give employees a real chance to give back.

This guide is a tool and will help you in making your application. I would also encourage you to look at the Minter Ellison website.

Good luck.

Eden Christopher President Notre Dame Sydney Law Society Enriching the Student Experience

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Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

Introduction Minter Ellison is one of the biggest and most successful law firms in the Asia Pacific area; the firm has offices all over the world in Australia, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Mongolia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This makes for great opportunities for our young lawyers who are given opportunities to work all over the world. Our main industry areas are Energy and Resources, Financial Services, Government, Health and Ageing, Infrastructure, Technology Media and Telecommunications.

A career with Minter Ellison is a chance to work in a firm that fosters growth in a warm and caring environment. We put programs in place to ensure that our young lawyers get the best possible experiences alongside some of the countries best lawyers.

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Photo provided by Minter Ellison.

ABOUT MINTER ELLISON Minter Ellison is a top tier law firm with a strong Asia Pacific focus. We represent major multi-national, regional and local companies as well as government organisations and state-owned entities.

Minter Ellison has been at the table of some of the Asia Pacific’s headline transactions – strategic business acquisitions by Qantas, the National Broadband Network roll out, global outsourcing projects for BHP Billiton and some of the biggest energy and resources M&A in Australia involving foreign investors.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

WORKING WITH US

LEARN AND GROW

Excellence: We want people who strive to be the best, pursue outstanding outcomes, and are passionate about a career in commercial law.

Our vacation clerkships offer you real life work experience. A comprehensive orientation program and learning on the job will help you build your legal skills and commercial acumen.

We know and understand what it takes for you to be successful as a lawyer. We also know that as a junior lawyer you will need targeted development to help you succeed in the transition from law school to law firm.

Team fit: We look for people with ideas and energy, who share our values and work well as part of a team.

You will work closely with partners and lawyers on active matters to meet deadlines and produce quality work.

You will also be allocated a supervisor for daily support who will help you manage your workload, and a ‘buddy’ for extra insight and advice.

Initiative: We value proactive, engaging and resourceful people.

We encourage critical thinking, decisiveness and ingenuity.

GLOBAL INDUSTRY SECTORS

GLOBAL PRACTICE AREAS

Energy & resources Financial services & insurance Government Health & ageing Infrastructure Telecoms, media & technology

Construction Corporate Dispute resolution Finance Human resources & industrial relations Real estate Taxation

When you start your career with us as a graduate, you receive tailored learning and development – both in technical skills and in important commercial skills such as client interaction, business development and interpersonal dynamics. These programs have everything you’ll need to build a successful, long-term legal career. We are also proud to offer graduates a dedicated LifeSkills program to assist you in maintaining your personal wellbeing.

ADELAIDE AUCKLAND BEIJING BRISBANE CANBERRA DARWIN GOLD COAST HONG KONG LONDON MELBOURNE PERTH SHANGHAI SYDNEY ULAANBAATAR WELLINGTON

Commercial awareness: Although this comes with experience and time, we’re interested in people who are commercially savvy, know how a business works and are interested in business generally.

www.minterellison.com

YOUR PASSION YOUR CAREER OUR FIRM As a prospective clerk it can be a difficult process figuring out which firm is right for you.

During the application process my approach was to speak with as many people as I could to hear their experiences. I was naturally drawn towards Minter Ellison. The picture painted by everyone I spoke to from the firm was of a vibrant, supportive workplace that creates opportunities for young lawyers. After doing the clerkship and working as a paralegal, for me that picture has been vividly true to life.

Testament to that would have to be my experience in the Hong Kong office. I was chosen to spend two weeks there in January. The trip was a great opportunity for me to see first hand what it’s like to work in a foreign jurisdiction, and the benefits that flow to the firm from its strong regional presence. I also got to put my tourist hat on – I had a lot of fun exploring the city, with its unique blend of cultures and delicious food.

Above all, the trip gave me confidence that the firm is committed to investing in my career.

Thomas Ellicott – Summer Clerk

CONTACT US For more information about Minter Ellison and a career with our firm, visit www.minterellison.com/careers SYDNEY

Ben Carter, Senior Resourcing Consultant ben.carter@minterellison.com Stephanie Zanella, Resourcing Advisor stephanie.zanella@minterellison.com

Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

2013/14 Clerkship Information The quality of our people is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Minter Ellison. We have a welcoming, energetic culture which is informed by our core values: integrity and trust, enduring relationships, balance and excellence. We place a high value on diversity in the workplace because it enables us to build teams with a wide range of skills and personalities, which in turn allows us to be more creative and flexible in our approach, relate better to our clients, and be more effective in meeting their needs.

Date Recruitment Campaign Wednesday 19 June Friday 19 July

Applications for summer clerkships open Applications for summer clerkships close at 5:00pm

Monday 19 August

Interviews for summer clerkships commence

Friday 27 September

Offers for summer clerkships can be made

Tuesday 1 October

Offers for summer clerkships must be accepted or declined by 5:00pm

The 2013-14 Clerkship program will run from 25 November 2013 - 14 February 2014.

Our Practice Groups Our Sydney office has 12 practice groups: Commercial & Regulatory, Financial Services, Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity and Capital Markets (Corporate groups), Commercial Disputes and Insurance & Corporate Disputes (Litigation groups), Environment & Planning and Property (Real Estate), Tax, Finance, Construction and Human Resources & Industrial Relations.

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Rotations As a clerk you will complete three rotations, each rotation lasts three weeks. Our clerkship program includes a formal induction, presentations from each of our practice groups and a number of social activities. Additionally you may have the opportunity to attend training sessions conducted within your practice group.

Recruitment Process First round:

Second round interviewers will

- Skills session including interview tips

typically work in the practice

- Information evening

areas you are interested in. The

- Interview with an HR consultant and a partner

interviews are normally held

- An office tour and coffee with a junior lawyer.

on the practice group floors so

Second round:

- Cocktail party

- Interview with two partners.

you get a feel for our office environment. Offers are will be made directly by one of your interviewing partners.

What to expect from a Minter Ellison Clerkship At Minters we pride ourselves on providing a very balanced Clerkship program, which will allow for our Clerks to learn in a very welcoming and warm environment. In that regard our Clerks will be given both learning and social/networking experiences. Below is given a brief overview of both the learning and social experiences.

Learning:

• 12 Week program (25th November 2013 – 14th February 2014)

• Three practice group rotations (You will be given the choice to pick 4 preferences)

• A full one week induction process

• Summer skills sessions in advocacy, practice group lunches and professional branding.

Social/Networking:

• Friday night drinks, rotation dinners, trivia nights, Christmas Party and inter firm sports.

• Our ‘buddy program’ throughout the recruitment process will ensure you aren’t swamped by

what some may consider an intimidating process.

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Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

2014 Graduate Information We have two intakes each year, in early March and September. Generally, our graduates have previously completed a Clerkship with us although sometimes, we do need to top up our intake. When this is the case, we advertise a few months in advance and if you visit the careers section of our website, you can register for job alerts.

Our program commences with a comprehensive firm induction as well as commencing your PLT course before joining your practice group.

Rotations As a graduate you will complete three rotations, each lasting six months.

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Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

Writing a Cover Letter and Resume Cover Letter Your Cover Letter is supposed to persuade us to read your resume, so please put as much effort into it as possible. Your cover letter should be written specifically for the firm you are sending it to, so make some effort to research the firm you are applying for. In particular for a Cover Letter that you are sending to us at Minters answer the following questions:

• Why do you want to clerk at Minters?

• What are your key accomplishments?

• What makes you an ideal fit for Minters?

General Tips:

• Find out the name of the person to address the letter (at Minters this is Stephanie Zanella)

• Tailor the letter to the firm and position

• Be positive

• Include only important and relevant information

• Draw attention to your strengths

• Don’t exceed one page

• Proof read for spelling and grammar errors

• Follow letter writing conventions

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Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

Resume The aim behind your resume should be to build on the groundwork made in your Cover Letter and ultimately to get you into an interview. The general structure of your resume should include the following:

• Clean and clear formatting

• Personal details

• Education and any other relevant qualifications

• Achievements and skills

• Employment history

• Referees

• Interests

• Should be no longer than three pages

Photo provided by Minter Ellison.

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An NDSLS Publication for Minter Ellison