Recruitment process

To obtain a vacation clerkship you must progress through an assessment day. The day includes a number of activities and events including:

• welcome from the Office Staff Partner
• interview with a partner and a lawyer/senior associate
• group exercise
• written exercise
• Q&A panel and lunch
• office tour

Vacation clerkship assessment days will be held in August this year and are designed to be fun and informative ensuring that the recruitment of our vacation clerks is a two-way process.  We get the opportunity to get to know you better and you can determine whether Minter Ellison is the right fit for you.

Graduate positions are only offered to those who have completed a vacation clerkship and will be based on performance at the original assessment day and during the clerkship program.

Vacation clerkships

Your clerkship will start with a comprehensive induction, covering our history, policies, an overview of our practice areas, helpful tips and hints for clerks and IT and Know-How training.  You will also attend a series of briefings conducted by partners and junior lawyers, which are designed to provide you with a realistic insight into the firm's practice areas.

The emphasis of the clerkship is on ensuring you are integrated into the team and receive a variety of legal work. You will be working closely with partners and lawyers on live matters, taking part in several practical legal and skills training programs, meeting deadlines and producing quality work. You will be allocated a supervisor for daily support who help you manage your workload, and a 'buddy' (who is a graduate or young lawyer in your practice group), for extra insight and advice.

In addition to your practice group work you will participate in a group project to develop your skills and experience in teamwork, creativity and problem solving.

The clerkship program also incorporates an active social calendar so you have some fun and get to know the firm's graduates, lawyers and partners in a more informal environment. One of the highlights of the 2008-09 clerkship program was the partner spelling bee which took place at a vacation clerk trivia night run by our current graduates.

Clerks may also be able to complete a pro bono secondment in addition to the vacation clerkship. Expressions of interest are reviewed once vacation clerk recruitment has been finalised each year.

Graduate program

Because we recruit graduates approximately one year in advance, we keep you in the loop via our Buddy Program.  You will be assigned a Buddy, who is a current graduate, who will keep you up-to-date with developments at the firm and generally act as an informal contact. You can catch up with your Buddy three times during the year at our regular Friday night drinks, and at the firm's annual mid-year ball. Twice annually, you will be sent the Buddy News Update, a newsletter written by our current graduates for incoming graduates. 

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. Upon joining you will attend a comprehensive one week induction. The 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.

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.

As part of your Graduate Development Program you will complete a 34 week Practical Legal Training program. This program is delivered in-house and combines face to face sessions with on-line learning. As part of program you will attend various workshops to gain the practical skills necessary for working as a lawyer such as interviewing skills; legal writing and drafting; negotiation and advocacy skills.

You will also be assigned a partner who will be your mentor. You will meet your mentor at least once per rotation to talk about your experiences, seek guidance on any concerns or issues, or discuss decisions you need to make. Your mentor will provide objective advice, and support.

See Career development for more information.

Rotations

Melbourne office has 10 practice areas: Commercial Disputes, Commercial & Regulatory, Construction, Engineering & Infrastructure, Finance, Human Resources & Industrial Relations, Insurance & Corporate Risk/ Media, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity & Capital Markets, Real Estate and Tax.

During your vacation clerkship and your graduate development program you will be asked to nominate a practice group preference for each of your rotations. Although we cannot guarantee it, we will make every effort to build your preferences into your program to help you design your career.

Each vacation clerkship involves three weeks in one of the firm's practice areas. Graduates will complete three six-month rotations in three different practice areas.

In making rotation preferences it is important to gain an understanding of what the various practice groups 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 Dispute Resolution division, but also in HR&IR, Construction and Intellectual Property. We also encourage you to consider which groups complement each other – for example, many people who are interested in a career as a Finance lawyer do rotations in Property and/or Tax to gain a greater understanding of how these areas impact on Finance transactions. Or dedicated litigators often benefit from spending time in M&A or Real Estate 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 courtassisting with document management/due diligence
• preparing case chronologies
• researching points of law.

Getting admitted

To be admitted in Victoria you must complete a recognised law degree and an approved program of practical legal training. Prior to 1 July 2008 the term 'Articles of Clerkship' was used to describe the method by which you could train and be admitted as a lawyer in Victoria. On 1 July 2008 the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2008 came into effect and abolished Articles. A link to the new Rules can be found on the Supreme Court website.

As part of the Graduate Development Program, all our Graduates undertake our in-house Practical Legal Training (PLT) course. This program is run in collaboration with the College of Law and prepares our graduates for admission as a legal practitioner. The program satisfies the requirements for direct admission in Victoria.

Minter Ellison covers the cost of the PLT course and makes all necessary arrangements for your enrolment and application to the Supreme Court of Victoria. Study leave is also granted during this period.

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.

Applications for our 2009/2010 Vacation Clerkship Program have now closed and all vacancies have been filled. Priority offers for graduate positions commencing in 2011 will be made on Wednesday, 17 February 2010 in accordance with LIV guidelines.

The following information relates to our 2010/2011 Clerkship Program:

Vacation clerkship applications	Dates
applications	16 June - 16 July 2010
interviews	11, 17, 19, 27 and 31 August 2010
offers made	13 September 2010
acceptances due	14 September 2010
clerkship dates (please note there is no January intake)	Summer 29 November - 17 December 2010 Winter: 27 June - 15 July 2011

Subject to availability, you will be able to participate in the vacation clerkship intake of your choice. Minter Ellison is a signatory to the Law Institute of Victoria Guidelines on Vacation Clerkships

Graduates are recruited only through the vacation clerkship program. 

For more information please read our FAQs and testimonials.