Sydney Summer Clerkship Program

Sydney Summer Clerkship Program Think Opportunity Think Baker McKenzie 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. Kickstart 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 2026- February 2027 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; Financial Services; Corporate Markets (including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets); Funds; Energy & Infrastructure; Commercial Real Estate; Construction; Dispute Resolution; Employment & Compensation; Commercial, Data, Intellectual Property, Technology & Trade; and Tax. 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 (such as drafting correspondence, preparing court/transaction documents, drafting advices/agreements, legal research, document review, attending court/mediations, attending meetings with barristers/witnesses, attending settlements, and preparing client alerts). 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 training sessions. Throughout the clerkship, our associates run sessions on their areas of expertise too, specifically for summer clerks. 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 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. Application process All applications should be addressed to Apolonia Mendel, Talent Management Consultant, and should include a cover letter, as well as details of your work experience, extra-curricular activities, interests, and academic results. We do not require you to upload your CV, as the information from your CV is used to respond to the areas above. We also ask you to complete a couple questions, particularly as our Firm does not use psychometric or other testing, group or individual assessments, or one-way video interviews as part of our overall assessment process. Candidates will attend one interview with a partner and senior lawyer. In our interviews, we want to get to know all about you – your experiences, your interests, your achievements, your strengths, and your abilities. We also want to know why you want to work with Baker McKenzie. To that end, our interviews are a mix of 'getting to know you' questions and 'behavioural' questions, so that our interviewers can get to know you and you can make the best possible impression. Candidates are also allocated a ‘buddy’, to support them throughout the recruitment process. Successful candidates who make it through round one are invited to an information and networking evening, which is attended by partners and associates - so that you can meet as many people from our Firm as possible. Following the networking evening a second round of interviews will take place, similarly with a partner and a senior lawyer. To be eligible for a 2026/2027 summer clerkship position with Baker McKenzie, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or have the right to work in a full-time role in Australia during the clerkship periods set out above. You must also be enrolled in a law degree or equivalent which will qualify you for admission as a legal practitioner in Australia. At Baker McKenzie, our summer clerkship program is primarily aimed at students in the penultimate year of their law degree. However, final-year applicants are also considered. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr