|
      
Recruitment process
Applications for clerkships in the Adelaide office open in early July 2010. Information is available at the universities' careers fairs held in March, and only online applications are accepted.
Applications are reviewed against key competencies and successful applicants are invited to an informal interview with our HR consultants and other members of staff. Offers are made to the successful applicants in early September.
Separately, we also offer a number of PLT placements in March, June and September to help students meet their practical legal experience requirements.
We do not generally recruit graduate positions separately. Instead we source most of our graduates from participants in the vacation clerkship program.
Vacation clerkships
Your clerkship will commence with a comprehensive induction to the firm. This includes all the things you need to know to help you find your way around the office. You will also have the opportunity to attend all training sessions conducted within your practice team, as well as all internal Continuous Legal Education and Professional Development sessions held during your placement.
To demonstrate our commitment to our junior lawyers, the firm has established a mentoring program with a senior lawyer taking on the role as firm-wide coach and mentor to all clerks and junior lawyers in the Adelaide office. We also endeavour to provide you with two supervisors (partners or senior associates) to supervise and mentor you during your clerkship. You will also be allocated a buddy (generally a young lawyer in your practice team) whose role is to provide an informal support network, show you how things work in the firm and answer any questions you may not feel comfortable raising with your supervisor.
The vacation clerkship program offers you the opportunity to experience the firm's people and culture, work in different practice teams and with a variety of clients, take part in community work with the Housing Legal Clinic, participate in learning and development programs, and enjoy the many social activities the firm offers.
Graduate program
When you begin your graduate program the focus will be on support and excellence. Your graduate experience will be informed by a strong learning culture. Your induction will enable you to form relationships with your fellow graduates, familiarise yourself with office procedures and IT systems and learn about the resources available to you.
During your Graduate Development Program, you will also have full access to the firm's Learning and Development calendar which boasts a range of courses, workshops and seminars designed to enhance your professional development in areas such as time management, negotiation and presentation skills.
Graduates are exposed to a variety of challenging work under the supervision of a partner or senior associate. Our graduates take advantage of our firm wide Learning and Development program to improve their capabilities in areas such as time management, negotiation and presentation skills. We also offer specific sessions for junior practitioners which help them gain essential skills and knowledge across all areas of legal practice within the firm.
See Career development for more information.
Rotations
Adelaide has a number of practice groups: Commercial Litigation, Industrial and Media, Insurance and Corporate Risk, Workers Compensation, Property and Development, Environment and Planning, Financial Services, Corporate and Resources, Commercial and Energy, Mergers & Acquisitions, Competition Law, Intellectual Property and Technology, and Tax, Superannuation & Estates.
A vacation clerkship runs for eight weeks from the end of November to the end of January, during which you will have the opportunity to receive work from all practice areas. To add focus to your clerkship we ask you to nominate two to three practice areas that you are most interested in, from which a larger proportion of your work will be sourced. While we cannot guarantee placements, we do our best to ensure your program is tailored to incorporate your choices and interests.
In nominating preferences it is important to gain an understanding of what the various practice teams do and keep an open mind about where interesting experiences can be gained. For example, you can gain exposure to litigation not only in the commercial litigation team, but also in environment & planning, financial services (insolvency), and industrial relations and media. We also encourage you to consider which teams complement each other – for example, many people who are interested in a career as a finance lawyer choose areas such as property and/or tax to gain a greater understanding of how these areas impact on finance transactions. Or, dedicated commercial litigators often benefit from spending time in mergers & acquisitions where they gain an understanding of how transactions are structured at the front end of a deal. Finally, take the opportunity to speak with partners and other lawyers within the firm about their areas of interest.
What work will I do?
The nature of the work you complete during your clerkship or graduate year will vary depending on which practice group you join. However, broadly speaking the types of tasks you can expect to receive include:
preparing an initial draft of an advice
attending client meetings and/or teleconferences
attending court
attending the Housing Legal Clinic
assisting with document management/due diligence
preparing case chronologies
researching points of law.
Getting admitted
To become admitted in South Australia you must complete a recognised law degree and an approved program of practical legal training. Most of our graduates complete PLT through the Law Society, Flinders University or the College of Law. Students who are in their final year of study and have commenced PLT may choose to complete their mandatory practical legal experience placement in conjunction with their vacation clerkship.
If you continue on from your clerkship as a graduate with Minter Ellison in Adelaide, we will assist you with the completion of all relevant documents and make sure the admissions process runs smoothly. Upon completion you are eligible to be admitted as a legal practitioner in South Australia.
How to apply
To check your eligibility for clerkships please go to Choosing the right program. Apply for a vacation clerkship or graduate position using our online application form. We cannot accept paper applications.
|
Vacation clerkship applications |
Dates |
|
applications open |
Monday 5 July 2010 |
|
applications close |
Tuesday 27 July 2010 |
|
interviews commence |
Tuesday 10 August 2010 |
|
offers made |
From 9.00am Tuesday 7 September 2010 |
|
acceptances due |
9.00am Wednesday 8 September |
|
commencement |
Monday 29 November 2010 |
For more information please read our FAQs and testimonials.
If you are interested in applying for a graduate position please contact vanda.mutton@minterellison.com.
|
