2024/25 Melbourne Vacation Clerkship Program null

Discovering the perfect match for your aspirations is crucial when embarking on your legal journey. Our vacation clerkships offer a unique glimpse into life at Herbert Smith Freehills, a global leader in law, where you'll experience close mentorship, direct client interaction, and the opportunity to contribute to real-world projects, cases, and deals. Many of our graduates have kick-started their careers through these clerkships, making it an excellent opportunity to propel your career forward.

What we can offer

Join us for a part of your summer or winter, and you'll gain a deep understanding of how we meet our clients' needs. Our program is designed to provide practical experience as you dive into diverse and complex matters that are both challenging and rewarding. You'll get a comprehensive introduction to the firm, attend informative sessions on each practice group, and have the chance to contribute to our Digital Legal Delivery and Pro Bono & Citizenship teams.

What we’re looking for

At Herbert Smith Freehills, we believe that exceptional graduates possess both technical excellence and a growth mindset.

We value individuals who bring their best, are curious and who constantly seek to learn and improve from every experience. These graduates embrace challenges, viewing them not as obstacles but as opportunities to stretch their capabilities and achieve outstanding results.

We're looking for people who are proactive, demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to make a real impact, fostering strong relationships with clients and colleagues across our global network.

Our inclusive culture

At Herbert Smith Freehills, we strive to foster a diverse, innovative culture where high performance, client focus, and highly engaged individuals set us apart. We celebrate the uniqueness of our people. Our firm comprises individuals with a range of experiences and backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our inclusive environment empowers our people to be their authentic selves at work, feeling valued and able to perform at their best. We understand that our future success hinges not only on being innovative and progressive in the evolving legal market but, most importantly, on our people feeling engaged.

We acknowledge that our people have commitments and personal interests outside of work. We strive to create an agile working environment based on mutual trust and respect, where people can perform at their best while maintaining a sustainable balance between their work and non-work lives.

At Herbert Smith Freehills we are committed to the inclusion of all individuals participating in the application and interview process. This includes providing tailored accommodations to those who require them. You can request accommodations at each stage of the recruitment process. If you would prefer to discuss beforehand, please reach out to your local Graduate Recruitment Consultant. You can find their details at the bottom of the career page.

Please note:

Applications are open to students who are in their penultimate and final year of their law degree.

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

HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS. YOUR GROWTH. OUR AMBITION.