Sydney Summer Clerkship Program (Nov 2024)

Sydney Summer Clerkship Program

Our summer clerkship program provides you with a genuine insight into life at Baker McKenzie - our work, our people, our development opportunities and our culture.

If you aspire to be an outstanding lawyer, your journey to a world-class commercial legal career begins here. Start with Australia's first global law firm and set yourself on the path to excellence. Kick start your career with our world-class clerkship program. Build your technical and legal expertise through our graduate program. Receive outstanding work and mentoring to become an expert in your field, as an associate.

Date of Clerkship

• November 2024 - February 2025

What to expect

At Baker McKenzie, we understand that the transition from university to legal practice can be challenging. We provide our summer clerks with a comprehensive induction program, with legal, technical and soft-skills training sessions, to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Our training program is designed to help you get the most out of your clerkship and set yourself up for success. 

We consult with our clerks before they commence to understand the areas of practice in which they are interested in gaining experience. We structure our summer clerks' rotations according to these preferences, where possible. 

In Sydney, our key practice groups are:

• Banking & Finance;
• Corporate (including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets);
• Commercial Real Estate;
• Construction;
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation;
• Employment & Industrial Relations;
• Energy Resources Infrastructure & Corporate;
• Intellectual Property;
• Media;
• Tax; and
• Technology Communications & Commercial.

Most importantly, as a summer clerk, we want you to experience what life is like as a graduate and junior lawyer at Baker McKenzie. So, right from the start, our summer clerks get involved in real work. You will be exposed to our Australian and international clients through client meetings, shadowing, research and other everyday activities within your assigned practice group. You will also have the opportunity to participate in pro bono files and community service initiatives. 

Our summer clerks work closely with our lawyers, are guided by a supervising partner, and enjoy the extra support of an experienced associate “buddy”. With the Firm's strong focus on supporting its people to learn, grow and achieve better results, you can expect to be well led, well coached and well mentored. 

You will develop practical and legal skills through our dedicated clerkship program and by attending Firm-wide/practice group sessions. Throughout the clerkship, our partners and associates run professional development sessions. These sessions will give you the chance to (amongst other things):

• build your network within the Firm;
• develop your legal and commercial skills;
• learn about our practices, clients and Firm structure;
• learn about our Pro Bono program, Community Service initiatives and Inclusion & Diversity areas; and
• hear about our global training and work opportunities.

We will also provide you with opportunities to network with colleagues around the Firm – through our 'speed networking' program and various social events with your buddy, our partners and our lawyers.

The majority of our graduate positions are offered to former summer clerks. We also offer our former summer clerks the opportunity to undertake paralegal roles with the Firm. 

What do we look for in our clerks?

Baker McKenzie looks for people who genuinely want to work with us and who understand Baker McKenzie's unique offering and position in the market. 

We look for well-rounded, motivated individuals who have a performance mindset and strive to be the best in whatever they do; who are intellectually curious and have sound academics; who display business acumen and are practical in their approach; and who have a global mindset and are passionately committed to service excellence. We look for people who enjoy a challenge and seek new opportunities; who constantly look for ways to achieve better results while learning and growing; and who take proactive ownership and responsibility for their careers. We also look for people who act with integrity, honesty and candour in their dealings, decisions and actions; who express themselves confidently while staying open to new ideas; who seek a friendly, inclusive and diverse culture; and who take seriously our role in making a difference to our local and global communities.

We pride ourselves on our diversity too, and recognise that all of our people have something unique to offer and contribute to the success of the Firm.