Australian clerkship
As a truly global firm, Linklaters is committed to hiring and
training the best graduates throughout the world. Over the
last seven years, we have built strong networks with the
leading Australian universities. Our aim is to encourage talented
law students to apply for clerkships overseas, primarily in London,
but also potentially in Hong Kong.
The London experience
Every Christmas, we run a four-week clerkship in London for
penultimate-year Australian law students. It's an exceptional
opportunity to experience our work, our people and our culture:
there's no better way to discover whether Linklaters is right for
you. The clerkship is aimed at law students in their penultimate
year of university and whilst we host presentations for students at
Melbourne, Monash, UNSW, UTS, UQ and Sydney, we welcome
applications from other leading Australian universities. In fact in
2009 we received applications from eight different
universities across Australia.
The selection process is rigorous and we will come to Australia
to interview you but, once the experience begins, it's all about
developing and adding to your skills and giving you authentic
insights into the firm - the testing and the assessment have
already been done. During the last two weeks of your clerkship you
will be joined by a group of UK non-law students as they commence a
two-week vacation scheme with us. This provides a fantastic
opportunity for you to meet a wide variety of people who will
hopefully become your future colleagues.
Insight & understanding
You'll be treated just like a trainee. You will sit with a
principal, you will be involved in real deals, you will work hard
and you will also enjoy a very active social life – as well as the
variety of challenges on offer. The typical
features of the clerkship are similar to our UK vacation
schemes. We want you to go away with a genuine understanding of
Linklaters. You'll see what trainees do in London and the wealth of
opportunities available to you and you will develop a pretty clear
impression of whether you would like to train here. When you
complete the clerkship, we will automatically offer you an
interview for a training contract. If all goes well, you can then
return to Australia to finish your degree, with the security of a
training contract in your pocket. We will also then support you
through the College of Law/PLT in Australia before you relocate to
London.
Dual qualification
Your next stop will be our London office where you will complete
a two-year training contract, alongside all our other trainees. The
only difference is that towards the end of your training contract
you will take the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT), so that
you can be admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. This means
you will be dual-English and Australian law qualified.
To apply
For more information about our Australian Clerkship in London,
please email graduate.recruitment@linklaters.com. We have now
finished recruiting for our 2009 clerkship and applications
for our 2010 clerkship will open in March 2010.
We may also have clerkships available in Hong Kong.