First Nations Pathway Program
This is your opportunity to learn from and network with the best in the legal industry.
We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects our people, our clients and our community. Part of building a more inclusive workplace future for all Australians is ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have opportunities to prosper and grow their careers.
Our First Nations pathway program provides Australian First Nations university law students the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into life at Hall & Wilcox.
You will have the opportunity to work with capable and experienced people across all levels and be directly involved in interesting legal work. The work will be of benefit to you, our clients and the firm and there will be a diverse range of learning opportunities, including hands-on practical legal experience and mentoring from experienced lawyers.
Each year we run two internships – commencing in November and June.
This paid program is available from all our national offices and runs for four weeks.
Applications open
Applications for our 2024 First Nations Pathway Program are now closed.
Program eligibility
To be eligible for our First Nations Pathway Program you must:
- be of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
- be a permanent resident of Australia
- currently studying a law degree
- be motivated and eager to continually learn and develop
- have a passion and drive for a career in law.
No prior work experience is required!
First Nations Pathway Program interns are offered excellent opportunities to learn from and network with the best in the legal industry. This informative and fun program allows you to gain hands-on experience.
You will be given an extensive support network, including access to a partner, an allocated mentor and buddy for guidance and support.
Interns participate in an induction program covering the firm’s structure, the work we do, our clients, training in IT systems and office procedures.
You’ll gain tangible experience working on real-world legal matters, which will enable you to gain valuable insight into various legal career paths and sectors of interest.
Your work may include drafting correspondence and documents, observing lawyers in meetings, attending conferences, mediations and court, as well as undertaking research tasks.
In addition to developing your legal skills, you’ll gain valuable opportunities to build your networks by meeting partners and lawyers. This includes lunchtime training sessions facilitated by partners and senior lawyers who share their personal experiences, discuss their practice areas and provide technical training.
The First Nations Pathway Program allows interns to demonstrate their skills and passion for the law.
Joining this program allows you to be eligible to apply for a graduate position upon completion of your studies, which could serve as a launch pad for future success in the legal industry.
Join a firm that’s renowned throughout the industry for its excellent workplace culture and genuine flexibility.
We want you to immerse yourself in the great culture at the firm and have fun, while also learning as much as you can for your future career.
We offer:
- dress for your day
- free daily breakfasts
- social events
- free fitness classes
- volunteering opportunities
- and more!
We're renowned for our Smarter Law approach. Smarter Law means we look beyond the status quo to think differently and find better solutions for clients. That involves making real client connections, understanding their legal and business challenges, and then putting our heads together with theirs to creatively develop a solution, which may include enabling technology, challenging business models, innovative pricing or creative resourcing.
The First Nations Pathway Program provides an excellent opportunity to gain real-world legal experience while you complete your law degree.
We are interested in interns with qualities that align with our Hallmarks. Some of these include:
- a creative mind and a passion for a career in law
- an understanding of the changing legal landscape
- varied life experiences and outside interests
- be motivated and eager to continually learn and develop
- excellent communication skills, including language and interpersonal skills.
If you’re passionate about a career in the legal industry, then get in touch. We welcome applications from students who have a deep desire to progress in the industry.
Diversity is a vital component of our practice of Smarter Law.
We are committed to creating a diverse workforce and celebrating the characteristics that make each individual unique.
There’s no one ‘type’ of clerk that we look for; instead, we value people from different backgrounds, different experiences and with different perspectives.
We review applications in a way that seeks to eliminate ‘unconscious bias’. To do this, we do not look at candidate names, addresses, gender or secondary school information when we review applications.
Why? Everybody has inherent biases, and this means that, at times, people are not as open-minded to difference as we’d like.
We want to eliminate any unconscious or hidden bias in the shortlisting process. That’s why our application form might look a bit different to those used by other firms.
Cormac Mercer (pictured), our most recent First Nations Pathways Program clerk, said he loved his time here, working across different teams on many matters and being mentored by experienced lawyers. 'As a proud Indigenous man who aspires to become a practising solicitor, I’ve had great opportunities through this program and my clerkship,' he said. 'I’ve been impressed with the scope of work I have been exposed to and the high calibre of the staff I have come into contact with. It's important to me to be able to bring my identity and full self to any workplace and I have felt I can do this at Hall & Wilcox. I'm excited for future opportunities at the firm.'
Savannah Campbell and Christine Conn (pictured) joined our Brisbane office as First Nations Pathway Program interns, working on a range of matters with exposure to real work on real files.
Pictured: Brisbane partners Terry Killian, Daisy Duff, Brad Marland and Drew Castley welcome Christine and Savannah to our Brisbane office.
Aleisha Bailey (pictured) is our First Nations Pathway Program intern in our Newcastle office. Aleisha said she has loved gaining firsthand experience into the working environment and culture of a law firm. ‘As an Indigenous person, I am keen to find where I fit within the legal sector and Hall & Wilcox has provided me with this invaluable opportunity to have a taste of different areas of law that I might not have known about or thought that I’d enjoy,’.
