What this leading law firm wants in a summer clerk
The ability to successfully juggle university legal studies and part-time work – any kind of work – is one of the key skills that King & Wood Mallesons partner Rhys Casey looks for in aspiring summer clerks.
“I’m always interested in how well they’ve balanced, for example, their studies – where they’ve generally done pretty well – but with part-time jobs,” Mr Casey said.
King & Wood Mallesons partner Rhys Casey. Dan Peled
“That might be jobs in the legal sphere, but it might be jobs in hospitality or other areas as well.
“It’s really interesting to get [a] feel for how people manage priorities and do that sort of juggle, as well as finding out what interests them outside of law, what makes them tick.”
The Brisbane-based partner, who works in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions team, has been involved in interviewing potential recruits for the top-tier law firm for about 15 years.
“Many years ago I was a summer clerk at Mallesons in Brisbane, so I guess I’ve sat on both sides of the table,” he said.
“And I’ve probably been involved in the recruitment process for really as long as I can remember, in one form or another… I’ve always thought it’s an important responsibility to play a role in bringing through that next generation.”
The Brisbane practice of the law firm is about a week away from making offers, with the goal of recruiting roughly 15 summer clerks (a similar number is recruited for the winter clerkship).
The summer clerkship runs from late November to mid-December, while next year’s winter clerkship will run from mid-June to mid-July.
The roles are highly sought after, as law firms will generally draw the majority of their new starters from their pool of clerks.
“I think it’s fair to say, certainly for us, but
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