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What information should I include in my covering letter?
Your covering letter is an important part of your application and is often the first part of your application to be reviewed. Your covering letter should be accurate, clear and concise and reflect your passion for why you want to work at Minter Ellison. It should highlight your key achievements and relevant skills that you could bring to a law firm. A well drafted covering letter is one way of demonstrating your skills and distinguishing yourself from other candidates. Finally, ensure that you address it to the correct person, visit Graduate and Clerks careers team.
How should I prepare for an interview?
First, be proud of the fact that you have been successful in securing an interview. Secondly, try as best as you can to relax. Our interview format is relatively informal, we really just want to have a discussion to get to know you better. The best applicants have always done their homework, both on themselves and the firm. For example, think about the skills you have, how you have applied them at work or university, your achievements that make you proud, why you want to join Minter Ellison, your careers plans, what you enjoy about law etc.
The most critical part of preparing for an interview is to reflect on your own skills and achievements, and to learn as much as you can about our firm. You should also think about questions to ask at the end of the interview – well structured and interesting questions helps distinguish you from others.
We recommend that you arrive at the interview location at least 5 minutes early to allow yourself an opportunity to collect your thoughts and relax. You should also bring a spare copy of your resume, your academic transcript and any other appropriate documentation with you that may assist with your application.
Do I get to choose my rotations?
We will ask you to nominate three to four groups that you would like to experience. While there are no guarantees regarding placements, we do our best to ensure your program is tailored to incorporate your choices and interests.
What are the social activities available during a vacation clerkship program?
Depending on the office and the time of year, there are a number of great activities and functions available for you to attend. Some will be specific vacation clerk activity days, Friday Night Drinks, mid-year ball or Christmas party, client functions, charity morning teas and, if you are interested, you can also take part in our sporting events.
Will I be paid as a vacation clerk?
Yes, each office will pay you a competitive market rate as a vacation clerk. Salaries are reviewed closer to each vacation clerkship intake.
If I get a vacation clerkship, will I get a graduate/articled clerk offer?
The vacation clerk program is a great opportunity for you to get to know us as a potential employer as well as giving the firm time to consider your long term fit. While a placement with a vacation clerkship program is not a guarantee of a graduate/articled clerk offer, the vacation clerkship program is one of the most important recruitment programs the firm participates in, and we often source a large number of our graduates and articled clerks from this pool of talented people.
Will I be able to get paralegal/research clerk work after my vacation clerkship?
We do give preference to our high performing future graduates, articled clerks and vacation clerks when offering paralegal or research clerk work, however it depends on how much work is available.
Does the firm do any pro bono work?
Minter Ellison has a strong Community Investment Program, which covers not only pro bono work but other initiatives which seek to utilise the talents and resources of the firm for the better good of the community.
For example, the firm commits to providing lawyers to PILCH (Public Interest Law Clearing House) on a regular basis and now has a formal secondment arrangement in place to accommodate this interest. Lawyers can also perform pro bono work within their practice groups and this is usually done on an interest basis.
In Melbourne and Sydney the opportunity also exists for you to complete a pro bono secondment during or in addition to your vacation clerkship. Expressions of interest for this opportunity are reviewed once the vacation clerk recruitment drive has been finalised each year. In Brisbane our vacation clerks have the opportunity to participate with our lawyers at the Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic. In Perth we have a Volunteer Day, which allows employees to take one day's paid leave to have the opportunity to contribute to the community by undertaking voluntary work for not-for-profit organisations.
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