Sydney Summer Clerkship null

Your Clerkship Experience Program

As a clerk you are a valuable member of a team that values learning, inclusivity and collaboration. Your supervising partner, development coach, and buddy will provide guidance and share their expertise to help you navigate the early stages of your career. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to learn from leaders and industry experts through structured learning and development sessions, which will contribute to your personal and professional growth. Our program offers exposure to a wide variety of work that shapes your future and sets you up for success, no matter where your career takes you. It is worth noting that all of our graduates are selected from our clerkship program, making it the first important step towards a successful career at King & Wood Mallesons.

Together we Learn. Together we Master. Together we Lead.

What you'll learn

We have developed a comprehensive program to ensure that your time with us is productive and fulfilling. 

Throughout your clerkship you will:

• learn essential skills for starting your legal career, such as taking instructions, meeting with clients, drafting memos and documents, managing your practice, and building professional relationships;
• develop a thorough understanding of our core practice teams at KWM, including their structure, clients, and your role within them;
• gain exposure to our suite of market leading tech tools; and
• have the opportunity to immerse yourself in our unique culture by actively participating in team activities and events. Our supportive and knowledgeable people from all areas of the business will be there to guide you through the early stages of your career and beyond.

About you

We welcome, respect and value the diversity of cultures and experiences that individuals can bring to our ‘one firm’ culture. A successful KWM clerk:

• communicates clearly and effectively;
• demonstrates an understanding of and genuine interest in pursuing a career in corporate or commercial law;
• is curious and has an appetite for continuous learning with a growth mindset;
• is able to balance commitments and prioritise; and
• shows initiative and commitment to delivering quality work.

You don’t need to feel like you need to be the ‘best’ at everything. We know we are at ‘our best’ we when learn from each other’s strengths.

Diversity and Inclusion

King & Wood Mallesons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from diverse backgrounds. We welcome, value, support and harness the positive benefits that people’s different life experiences bring, especially as they relate to gender, sexual identity, culture, faith, disability and life stages. 

Our standard recruitment process involves an online written application, face-to-face interviews, and networking events. We have a range of inclusive hiring practices. If you want to talk through options, please feel free to contact Sara Morrison (sara.morrison@au.kwm.com).

Am I eligible to apply? 

Clerkship applications are open to penultimate or final year law students. To be eligible to apply for our clerkship program, you must be an Australian citizen, or permanent resident or hold or be able to obtain, all other approvals necessary for you to work for the firm in Australia for the clerkship and the graduate program. By submitting an application, you confirm that you meet, or are reasonably able to meet, the eligibility requirements.

We do accept and welcome applications for the King & Wood Mallesons clerkship program 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 and you are able to apply for a visa to continue to work unrestricted in Australia upon graduation. Graduates are responsible for independently obtaining the correct visa.

Academic transcripts

We understand some universities will not release academic transcripts until close to the application deadline. For those students, we ask that you hold off submitting your application until you receive your academics (and before the application deadline), if possible. Please note you can still commence your application and save and continue later. If your university will not be releasing academic results until after applications have closed, please submit your application with your most up-to-date academic record that you have at the time. If you are invited to a first interview, bring a hard copy of your latest official transcript for us to sight. There is no need to email through your transcript after the closing date for applications.