Sydney Seasonal Clerkship Program (Nov 2024)

DISCOVER more opportunities to DEVELOP your talents and THRIVE in a dynamic legal landscape.

Applications for our 2024/2025 Sydney Seasonal Clerk Program are now open!

This program is the ideal opportunity for you to experience firsthand what it is like to work as a lawyer in our firm. We have nine practice areas across Australia. As a seasonal clerk you will rotate through two practice areas and be involved in real legal work right from the start, giving you in-depth experience and providing real insight into life as a lawyer at K&L Gates.

In conjunction with on-the-job experience, we provide formal training. On day one, you will receive a comprehensive induction to the firm followed by on-going training sessions over the course of your clerkship program. These sessions have been designed to develop your legal knowledge and business skills, as well as to give you a broader insight into the various areas of law in which we practise.

We truly believe that working together is better. Your supervisor and buddy will help you settle in, and you will work closely with the partners, special counsel, senior associates and lawyers in your team. You will be provided with opportunities to build strong relationships, both within your team and the wider firm network. We provide and encourage a collaborative environment in which you can develop and thrive.

Not only will you get to experience what it is like to work in a global corporate law firm, you will have the chance to enjoy our down to earth culture we are known for. Clerks are encouraged to attend learning and development sessions, firm celebrations and other activities such as staff drinks and our regular pro-bono, community and charitable activities, and an innovation Hackathon Day. There will also be opportunities to join in on some of the work our Diversity Committee does to create an inclusive, diverse and supportive working environment.

What do we look for in a clerk?

K&L Gates is about more than practising law or making a living. It’s about building something amazing—creating a legacy for you, the firm, our clients and the communities we serve.

We look to recruit well-rounded, talented people, to provide the opportunities and support for them to achieve their best. It sounds simple, and to us it is. Our aim is to develop commercially orientated and entrepreneurial lawyers. Academic results are important but to be a future lawyer in our firm you need to demonstrate talent and skill in a variety of areas.

We are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse back­grounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impact­ful work lead to the same place.

Clerkship dates

• Summer: November 2024 - February 2025 (10 weeks in duration)

About K&L Gates

At K&L Gates, we foster an inclusive and collaborative environment across our fully integrated global platform that enables us to diligently combine the knowledge and expertise of our people to create teams that provide exceptional client solutions. We marry process with vision, success with dedication, method with passion, and innovation with creativity—the outcome: The K&L Gates Experience.

Located across five continents, we represent a broad array of leading global corporations in every major industry, capital markets participants, and ambitious middle-market and emerging growth companies. We also serve public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organisations, and individuals. Our lawyers counsel clients on their most sophisticated legal challenges in all areas of corporate and regulatory law as well as litigation.

We are leaders in legal issues relating to industries critical to the economies of both the developed and developing worlds—technology, manufacturing, energy, transportation, telecommunications, financial services, and life sciences, among others.

In Australia, K&L Gates has approximately 300 fee earners located across four offices: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Please visit the Careers section of our website or our Facebook page for further information.

How do I apply?

Applications should be submitted online by clicking the 'Apply' button. As part of your application, you will be asked to upload your academic transcript, a cover letter, and for you to provide answers to set questions before providing us with details about your work experience, education and extra-curricular activities.

Successful applicants for interview will be notified by email.  You will experience a two-stage interview process. Your first interview will be with one of our senior lawyers that are part of our recruitment team, as well as a member of our Human Resources team. The second interview is a group activity.   Offers for a clerkship role will be made in accordance with the 2024 NSW Law Society guidelines.

We consider international students on a case-by-case basis. If you are not an Australian citizen or do not have permanent residency, you will be asked to outline your visa status and Australian working rights in the application.

To be eligible to apply for a K&L Gates clerkship program, you will be a law student, in your penultimate or final year of study at university. You must hold full Australian working rights and be available for an in-person clerkship program and must also be able to commence an in-person graduate position in March 2026.

K&L Gates is an equal opportunity employer and promotes the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of those with a disability. We welcome applications from people who have an indigenous and/or culturally and linguistically diverse background.

Please note, applications close at 11.45 pm Sunday, 14th July 2024.