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EARLY CAREERS in Australia

Seasonal clerkship programme

Hero

Kickstart your legal career

Our in-person paid clerkship will show you what we do, how we work and the impact we make in Australia and around the world. Explore the intersection of law and business, take on real responsibilities from day one, and develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours you need for a global legal career. Attend court hearings, work with clients, and grow your professional network while seeing how a purpose-led organisation makes a real difference through pro bono work and sustainability commitments. Give your career the best platform and discover if law is the right path for you.

Once you've completed your clerkship, you could be offered a place on the graduate programme. Please note: you’ll be considered for a position on the graduate programme in the office where you do your clerkship.

Download more information

 

Kickstart your legal career

What you will do

  • Experience the complexities of our work and discover how you can make a real impact around the world
  • Join a forward-looking, friendly team while collaborating with colleagues around the world
  • Get structured learning and mentorship, while building your network
  • Explore further interests like legal, tech, sustainability and pro bono work
  • Thrive in a supportive environment that prioritises your wellbeing
What you will do

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for people from a diverse range of backgrounds who have the potential to thrive at our firm.

Self-motivated and highly driven

Self-motivated and highly driven

You are proactive and strive for excellence. You pursue goals with purpose and determination, whether working independently or as part of a team.

Excitement for international law and business

Excitement for international law and business

You are curious about global legal developments, regulatory shifts and geopolitical trends.

Strong collaborator with social awareness

Strong collaborator with social awareness

You are an excellent communicator, active listener and team player who contributes to an inclusive, supportive work environment.

Entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to challenge the norm

Entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to challenge the norm

You think creatively, embrace new ideas and challenge conventional approaches. You thrive in challenging environments and aim to excel.

Ability to think critically, adapt and take ownership

Ability to think critically, adapt and take ownership

You have an ability to assess situations from multiple perspectives, adapt quickly to change and take responsibility for delivering exceptional results.

Growth mindset, seeing setbacks as opportunities

Growth mindset, seeing setbacks as opportunities

You are resilient, reflective, and always eager to learn, leveraging setbacks as an opportunity to sharpen your thinking.  

Key dates

  • Summer: Nov – Dec 2024
  • Winter: Jun – Jul 2025
  • Applications open: 15 Jul 2024
  • Applications close: 9 Aug 2024
  • Summer: Nov – Dec 2024
  • Winter: Jun – Jul 2025
  • Applications open: 1 Jul 2024
  • Applications close: 11 Aug 2024
  • Summer 1: Nov – Dec 2024
  • Summer 2: Jan – Feb 2025
  • Applications open: 24 Jun 2024
  • Applications close: 28 Jul 2024
  • Summer 1: Nov – Dec 2024
  • Summer 2: Jan – Feb 2025
  • Applications open: 10 Jun 2024
  • Applications close: 7 Jul 2024

Are you eligible?

  • You need to be a current law student in your penultimate or final year of undergraduate study at an Australian university.

  • You need to have the right to work in Australia for the duration of the programme (37.5 hours per week, as per the Legal Services Award). We are unable to sponsor visas for the clerkship, and only accept applications from Australian or New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.

  • Only one application can be made per year.

  • You don’t need any legal experience for this programme.

Are you eligible?

Accessibility

At DLA Piper, we are committed to making reasonable adjustments and removing disability-related barriers. This is so everyone, irrespective of a visible or non-visible disability, neurodivergence, a long-term health condition or injury, has an equitable opportunity to succeed in our recruitment process.

If you think you may need adjustments or additional support to enable you to participate in our recruitment process, please get in touch with our Early Careers team and we will be happy to support you.

We understand that sharing your needs with us may feel daunting. We will have an open discussion with you about what will work best for you in the recruitment process, and you only need to share what you feel comfortable with. Our team will ensure that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. The information will only be shared with others involved in the process, on your approval, and where necessary.

We will use the information you share to put adjustments in place for you at any stage, or at multiple stages, of the recruitment process. This is to enable you to perform to the best of your ability, and to have an equitable opportunity to perform and thrive.

Accessibility
    Recruitment roadmap

    What to expect

    • Application form

      Complete our application form to give us some key information about you. We’ll also ask you about why you’re applying to DLA Piper. And we’ll ask you to submit a CV and your academic transcripts. Submitting a cover letter is optional.

    • Rare Recruitment Contextual Recruitment System (optional)

      We use Rare Recruitment’s Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) and ask all candidates to complete a contextualised information survey, which is not mandatory. The CRS allows us to understand each candidate’s achievements in the context that they have been gained. We understand that not all candidate’s achievements look the same on paper – and we want to recruit the best people, regardless of their background.

    • Online assessment

      ‘Discover DLA Piper’ is a strengths-based assessment designed to test your cognitive and behavioural strengths that align to a graduate role at DLA Piper. You’ll complete real life examples as if you were a clerk or graduate. There are two video interview questions at the end of the assessment. The online assessment is untimed, and you can complete it at your own pace, although we do recommend completing it in one sitting. It takes ~50 minutes in total to complete. Once completed, you’ll be sent an individual feedback report outlining your key strengths and development areas.

    • Interview

      If you’re successful in the online assessment, you’ll be invited to our office to complete two, 30-minute interviews. These strengths-based interviews will assess your motivations for and alignment to the role you’ve applied for. They’re focused on the behaviours that are important for success at DLA Piper. The interviews are your chance to demonstrate your strengths and help us get to know you better. In each interview, you’ll meet with a Partner, Senior Associate or HR Manager. Before the interviews, you’ll also meet informally with our graduates and solicitors to learn about DLA Piper and ask any questions you have. These informal conversations are not assessed.  

    • Firm insight event

      Following the interviews, you’ll be invited to an informal breakfast networking event in our office. All candidates attending the interview stage are invited to this event to meet our people and learn more about our firm. You won’t be assessed during this event.

    What to expect
    Riley Arthur, Solicitor, Brisbane

    My experience is that DLA Piper is full of wonderful people, and I have worked under great mentors throughout the graduate programme who value my career development just as much as I do.

    Riley Arthur
    Tom Borland, Solicitor, Melbourne

    Through its agile approach called WorkSmart, DLA Piper prioritises flexible working and understands the benefits that flow from providing its people with the tools needed to easily work in new and different ways every day.

    Tom Borland
    Alexis Brenssell, Solicitor, Perth

    A highlight of my experience at DLA Piper is the relationships I have built with my class of graduates. There aren’t many days that we don’t eat lunch together, get morning coffees from the barista bar or play a game of table tennis!

    Alexis Brenssell
    Paul Bonjour, Solicitor, Sydney

    The best thing about DLA Piper is the people and there is a real sense of community amongst the global firm irrespective of which office you sit in.

    Paul Bonjour
      FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

      Your questions,
      answered

      As a global firm, we offer a range of international opportunities supporting you to deveop a global mindset, share knowledge and work collaboratively across borders. This includes the types of matters and clients that our clerks and graduates work on, as well as the international experiences our people participate in, such as international conferences, secondment opportunities andlearning and development opportunities.

      We are committed to providing our colleagues with the opportunity to experience working internationally. Secondments benefit our clients, our business and our people. We offer both short and long term secondment opportunities and launched the New Deal in 2022 which has 4 global secondment programmes that colleagues can participate in.

      We prioritise opportunities for our lawyers at the 1 – 3 year level to have an international experience as we understand that living and working in a new location and experiencing a new culture provides fantastic personal and career opportunities. 

      We offer approximately 50 clerkship positions across Australia each year. 

      You should apply for the clerkship two years before you are eligible to start the graduate programme. This means applying in your penultimate year (year 2 of a three-year degree, or year 3 of a four-year degree). 

      If you complete our clerkship, you’ll be considered for a graduate position. We fill all of our graduate positions through priority offers made to candidates completing our clerkship in the year prior. 

      No, you can only apply to one position in one office each year. 

      You should apply for a clerkship in the office where you would like to complete your graduate programme. 

      No, we have no minimum academic entry criteria. 

      Unfortunately not. Eligibility for our early careers programmes in Australia is limited to people studying Australian law degrees.

      Unfortunately, no. Current eligibility for our early careers programmes in Australia is limited to Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.

      You’ll need to provide evidence of your academic achievements (e.g. exam certificates/transcripts) when submitting your online application.

      Yes. There are practice assessments online, which we encourage you to complete before sitting the assessment. 

      Yes, we encourage you to detail any mitigating circumstances on your application. You may be asked to produce documentary evidence. 

      We run a ‘Discover DLA Piper’ event in each office between May and July. You can find further details in the Events section of our website.

      Please contact our Early Careers team who’ll be happy to help.

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