Each year, in Melbourne and Perth, we run two seasonal clerkships – winter and summer. Our seasonal clerkship program gives students the opportunity to experience life at Hall & Wilcox. We currently don’t run a formal seasonal clerkship program in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Brisbane or Darwin.
Our clerkship program includes:
Seasonal clerks participate in an induction program covering the firm’s structure, the work we do, our clients, training in IT systems and office procedures.
Melbourne
We offer seasonal clerks a four-week placement in two of our practice areas (allocations consider each clerk’s preferences).
Perth
We offer seasonal clerks a three-week placement in one of our practice areas (allocations consider each clerk’s preferences).
Seasonal clerks are given an extensive support network, including a partner, an allocated mentor and buddy for guidance and support.
This may include drafting correspondence and documents, observing lawyers in meetings, attending conferences, mediations and court, and undertaking research tasks.
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.
These include lunchtime training sessions facilitated by partners and senior lawyers who share their personal experiences, discuss their practice areas and provide technical training.
Seasonal clerks have the opportunity to build their networks by meeting partners and lawyers.
After completing their clerkship with the firm, seasonal clerks have the opportunity to express interest in being considered for a graduate role within the firm.
Last – but by no means least – seasonal clerks are encouraged to immerse themselves in our great culture and have fun! We also have a dress for your day policy, which makes things a bit more comfortable.
Wondering what it's like to be a clerk at Hall & Wilcox? Our clerks share their insights.
Key dates
Melbourne
Applications for our Seasonal Clerkship Program have now closed.
Perth
Applications for our Seasonal Clerkship Program have now closed.
What are we looking for in clerks?
Diversity is a vital component of our practice of Smarter Law and our ambition to be a leading independent Australian law firm. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce and celebrating the characteristics that make each individual unique. There’s no one ‘type’ of clerks that we look for; instead, we value people from different backgrounds, different experiences and with different perspectives.
We are interested in candidates with qualities that align with our Hallmarks. Some of these include:
- a creative mind and a passion for technology and innovation;
- an understanding of the changing legal landscape;
- varied life experiences, including previous work experience (legal and/or non-legal) and outside interests;
- strong and consistent academics and an involvement in extra-curricular activities; and
- excellent communication skills, including language and interpersonal skills.
Application process
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 graduate and seasonal clerkship 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.