Melbourne Clerkship Program (Nov 2024)

About ABL:

ABL is the premium Australian commercial law firm clients turn to for advice and support on their most complex legal matters, high stakes transactions, litigation and commercial decisions. With a reputation built on a long history of success, our lawyers are often at the centre of law reform and regularly advise on landmark matters.

Our firm advises entrepreneurial family-owned businesses, ASX listed companies, private clients and international corporations. We enjoy long-standing relationships with a select group of other professional advisors − including accountants, hedge funds, insolvency practitioners, private bankers and equity firms as well as overseas-based specialist law firms.

We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver innovative strategic guidance and solutions to complex problems related to our clients' commercial interests, legal position and reputation.

We organise our practice groups to allow our lawyers to be broad generalists and our groups are split between transactions and disputes. From the client perspective, our services cover:

• banking & finance;
• competition;
• corporate & commercial;
• dispute resolution & litigation;
• native title & public interest law;
• property & development;
• reconstruction & insolvency;
• taxation; and
• workplace advisory.

Why ABL:

We are well known for being the go-to firm when it matters. We pride ourselves on providing strategic guidance and solving complex problems related to our clients' commercial interests, legal position and reputation. This means that our lawyers are exposed to interesting and varied work where they can fully utilise their skills and potential. We do not try to be everything to everyone − rather, we strive for excellence in our chosen areas of expertise.

Our internal structure is also a little different to our competitors. Our lawyers are trained to be 'generalist specialists' – able to straddle a range of different legal matters, as opposed to only being super specialised in a narrow field. Working in a broad-based practice group this way, you'll work across the full range of matters that the group deals with.

All you need to know about clerkships at ABL:

In Victoria, we have three clerkship intakes that coincide with university holidays (November/December, January/February and June/July). We aim for a maximum of 12-15 clerks in each intake, so you won't get lost in the crowd.

Our clerkship program is a condensed version of our graduate experience - you'll be immersed in our culture, be given real work and responsibility, direct contact with Partners and clients in meetings, calls and court hearings and have the opportunity to make a real contribution to the firm - right from day one.

What stands out in a clerkship application?

When recruiting clerks we look for exceptional people who are seeking, and can provide, something extraordinary. We value academic excellence and intelligence as well as life experience, lateral thinking, imagination and a passion for the law. Good grades indicate not just ability, but also that you have the application and commitment to achieve results.

What type of work can a clerk expect to undertake?

From day one, you will work alongside our teams on active matters and be given real responsibilities to see how we support our clients. We find the best way to make the most of your clerkship is to get you involved in matters in a meaningful way – and the most effective way to do this is to place you in one team, with a dedicated supervisor and buddy to get you involved in hands-on work from day one. 

Working closely with Partners and lawyers, you'll attend relevant meetings and telephone calls with clients and attend court hearings. You'll be involved in interesting national and international matters and cases - anything from multi-billion dollar transactions and corporate collapses, to defending class actions.

What does the firm look for in a seasonal clerk?

We have found that the people who are successful in law and at ABL are those who also present themselves in a confident manner and demonstrate an ability to build relationships with clients and colleagues. We look for people who take initiative and accept shared responsibility for their career development. The other personal qualities we consider desirable are the willingness to learn, a sense of humour and preparedness to assume responsibility.

The Melbourne clerkship intakes are:

• Summer One: November/December 2024
• Summer Two: January/February 2025
• Winter: June/July 2025

Please note 

We only consider students in their penultimate year of study. 

We accept applications from international students in their penultimate year of their Australian or New Zealand law degree, provided that you have unrestricted legal rights to work in Australia. 

Please address your application to:

Monica Barrett, Human Resources Manager
Arnold Bloch Leibler
Level 21, 333 Collins Street
Melbourne