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Showing posts with the label Professional development

"How to Get Hired as a Lawyer" by Brian Potts - an Aussie perspective

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" The Jobless Lawyer's Handbook - How to Get Hired as a Lawyer " by  Brian H. Potts :  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7143752086655021056/ Photo by Studio Media on Unsplash While law school provides you with a legal education, the unfortunate reality is that law school doesn't teach you how to land a job in the law. Brian H. Potts' book " The Jobless Lawyer's Handbook - How to Get Hired as a Lawyer "  is a frank and practical step-by-step guide on how to land a job as a lawyer.  Brian Potts is a partner at international law firm Perkins Coie. While Brian's book is probably targeted at an American audience, here are just some of my key takeaways which are just as relevant for Australian law students: " Here’s the bottom line: for many of you, getting a legal job is going to be hard. Very hard. So, don’t half-ass your attempt ." This is particularly true for the most sought-after roles in the law, such as BigLaw cle...

Don'ts of Seasonal Clerkship and Law Graduate Interviews

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If you have an upcoming interview at a law firm, here is a list of Don'ts as told by someone who went through the clerkship and graduate application process.   Photo by Issy Bailey on Unsplash So, don't : Come not having done your research about the firm and/or interviewers (if known). Come not having practised your interview skills and your answers to common interview questions. Come not having remembered the content of your resume. Be late to your interview. Come not dressed the part. Come not having your phone on silent or turned off. Not show enthusiasm.  Not smile or not be friendly. Not make eye contact with your interviewers. Not closely listen to your interviewer and not answer the question asked of you. Not be concise and not be "to the point" in your answers. Not slow down when answering and not be clear in your speech. Launch your answer immediately if you are still thinking and not ready to answer. Waffle or come off as nervous. Fidget in your chair. Not ...

What I wish I'd known as a first-year or second-year law student

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash Check out this article titled " What I wish I'd known as a first-year or second-year law student " published   on Lawyers Weekly:  http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/38716-what-i-wish-id-known-as-a-1st-year-or-2nd-year-law-student

Seeking work experience as a pre-penultimate year student

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As a pre-penultimate year student, you are generally not eligible for most internship, vacationer and clerkship programs.  However, as explained in What makes a competitive applicant for clerkship, vacationer, internship or graduate positions? , this fact does not mean that you need to wait (or should be waiting) until your penultimate year to obtain work experience (whether it is legal or non-legal experience). This post focuses on examples of "legal experience" and tangential experience which pre-penultimate year law students could be considering.  However: remember that "legal experience" is not the only form of work experience valued by law firms and other legal employers.  For example, customer service experience is valuable to employers as such experience tends to demonstrate the proven ability to work with clients and customers.  The importance of "other" experience is perhaps evidenced by the fact that there will be always some seasonal clerks who,...

Interview Question of the Day - Why do you want to work at this firm?

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"Why do you want to work here?"  This question (or any question to that effect) is a "motivational question" which any interviewing candidate can expect in most interviews. Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash   While there is no such thing as the "perfect" magical answer (and interviewers may have their own preferences as to what is a good answer), here are some considerations as to how you could possibly approach this question. Being genuine . For example, if you are applying for a top tier commercial law firm (or a firm with a Band 1 practice group that you are interested in), then a genuine answer might be that you are looking to work on the most complex matters and with market leading practitioners and that firm will provide you with those opportunities.  If you are applying for a mid tier or boutique law firm, then a genuine answer might be that you like autonomy and responsibility and you believe that the firm will provide you with greater responsibil...

Why is "Grit" the most important thing for your studies and career?

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"And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." - J.K. Rowling As Angela Duckworth has noted , "grit" is a significant predictor of success (and, in particular, long-term success).   It is synonymous with resilience, perseverance and a "never give up" attitude in the face of adversity and failure. According to Wikipedia , grit is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal or end state. Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash So why is "grit" important for your professional career?  After all, for some of you, failure has been and will be a foreign concept throughout high school and university.  You graduated high school with a 99.95 ATAR, you are on track to graduate with First Class Honours in your law degree and you will secure a seasonal clerkship offer (and subsequent graduate position) at a top-tier law firm.   However, n...

Why should you get a mentor as a law student?

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"While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. “ - Rick Warren The best way to learn how to navigate any clerkship/job application process is to learn from those who have "been there, done that". Whilst you can learn valuable things from a firm's recruitment team, former clerks or partners at a networking or careers event, these events often do not provide the "safe space" that a 1-on-1 mentoring relationship tends to offer.   Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash I personally found it beneficial to have a mentor who was a BigLaw lawyer and had done a clerkship to bounce thoughts and ideas off.  What could you ask of a mentor? You might ask a mentor to: Identify areas for development as a job applicant Identify job, networking and professional development opportunities  Review and provide feedback on your resume and cover letters Assist with your interview preparation (including informing you of common law fir...

Creating a favourable impression at clerkship, internship or graduate interviews

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“First impressions last. You start behind the eight ball, you'll never get in front.” - Harvey Specter from Suits Acing the "Tell me/us about yourself" question As the opening question to most, if not all, interviews, this is arguably the most important question in any interview.   Why?  Well, according to HireVue, it is estimated that 30% of interviewers make their decision about an interviewee within the first five minutes of the interview .  Within the first 7 seconds of meeting you, people will form an impression of who you are . Your answer to this question will provide an interviewer (whether it is an HR representative or a law firm partner) with their first impression of you (and consequently, will set the tone for the rest of the interview).    For that reason, it is important that you can rattle off your answer with confidence (and, to do so, generally requires most people to know exactly what they will say and to practise their answer).  ...

What makes a competitive applicant for clerkship, vacationer, internship or graduate positions?

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Whether you are an Australian university student in your: first-year thinking about how to secure future internship/clerkship or graduate roles; penultimate year applying for summer clerkship, vacationer or internship programs; or  final year applying for graduate programs or entry-level roles, it is important to understand how you can stand out amongst other university students when there is stiff competition for these roles. There is, of course, no magic formula for the "perfect" candidate.  However, from what I have observed as a law student and as a lawyer (who has seen seasonal clerks and graduates come through), strong candidates tend to have at least some of the following: Strong academic results :  Technical excellence is valued by many, if not all, top-tier and mid-tier law firms.  Unfortunately, the reality is that an obvious marker of "technical excellence" is the average result (e.g. WAM/GPA) achieved by a student in their law degree.  Whilst many f...

What happens if I don’t get a summer clerkship or internship?

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As summer clerkship applications loom in New South Wales, thousands of penultimate year and final year law students across the state are in the process of updating their resumes, preparing their cover letters and attending informative student law society and law firm events. Given the limited amount of law firms and seasonal clerkship positions at each firm, the reality is that (for many of you) you will, unfortunately, receive no clerkship offers or miss out on offers from your preferred firm(s). Every year, the competition for summer clerkship positions becomes increasingly fierce. For those who do end up getting an offer or even multiple offers, many congratulations. The rest of this written piece will be irrelevant to you. For those who end up with no offers, it will probably suck (especially if you are genuinely interested in a career in commercial law). As someone who ended up with no clerkship offers back then, I have first-hand experience with that feeling of rejection.  I ...