EARLY CAREERS
Seasonal clerkship programme
About this programme
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.
Programme details
Explore the intersection between law and business. Develop the foundation of skills you need for a global legal career. You’ll do all this, and more, on our clerkship in one of our Australia offices.
This isn’t just a chance to shadow our lawyers. You’ll play a real role in our teams and take on responsibility from day one. Whether attending court hearings, working with clients or developing your professional network, you’ll experience the cutting edge of the legal sector. You'll discover how law can unlock potential around the world and in your own career. That includes seeing how a purpose-led organisation makes a difference through pro bono work and sustainability commitments.
The clerkship is your chance to see if law is a career you can thrive in. Working across our practice groups and sectors, you’ll be giving your career the best platform by developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours that will support your professional growth.
We’ll ask you to choose your preferred practice groups when you apply and will try to assign you to one of these for the programme.
During the clerkship, you will:
- experience the complexities of our work and discover how you can make a real impact around the world. You’ll see how we think across borders to find creative solutions for our clients;
- join a forward-looking, friendly team while collaborating with colleagues around the world;
- develop your knowledge and skills through structured learning and development opportunities;
- be supported by a strong network of supervisors, buddies, and development coaches to develop your confidence and identify your own personal and professional goals;
- be part of an international early careers community full of talented colleagues who’ll become part of your global network;
- have opportunities to explore interests beyond your role, including legal tech, sustainability and pro bono work, to give you an authentic insight into life at DLA Piper; and
- enjoy a supportive working environment where your wellbeing is always a priority and your workload is managed so you can always deliver your best.
You’ll have the freedom to discover your own path and make an extraordinary impact beyond the borders of traditional law. Tomorrow’s legal industry can’t hire yesterday’s skills. Unlock your potential and start building a different kind of legal career.
Show us your strengths in action. 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.
What do we look for?
We’re looking for people from a diverse range of backgrounds who have the potential to thrive at our firm.
To succeed on our early careers programmes, you will need to be studying a law degree at an Australian university and you will, in addition to the eligibility criteria:
- have an interest in international law and business;
- have a forward-thinking and entrepreneurial mindset and will be excited about doing things differently in the legal industry;
- be self-motivated by a strong desire to achieve your personal and professional goals;
- enjoy collaborating with others and will be instinctively socially aware;
- have a growth mindset so you see setbacks as learning opportunities, and you’ll proactively look for ways to grow and develop;
- enjoy working in an ever-changing environment; and
- enjoy taking ownership of tasks and thinking critically.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Life at DLA Piper
Our culture empowers everyone to be themselves and reach their full potential. With the resources to seize opportunities, discover your path, and realise our potential together, see how we support you.
Innovation
Law& combines law and innovation to create value, delivering efficient legal services and unlocks transformative change. Join our creative, growing team to help leaders harness innovation and efficiency to achieve their goals together.
Job Search
Explore career opportunities across our international locations, find your perfect role, and join a team where innovation, diversity, and growth are at the heart of everything we do.