A summer clerkship with Bird & Bird is much more than just work experience. It's an opportunity to discover your potential and kick start your career in law, taking you straight to the heart of a global law firm. With access to senior people across the firm, including partners and management, you'll have a chance to live and breathe the brand, experiencing our business from the inside.
We offer all of our summer clerks and graduate lawyers broad-based training in a fast-moving and stimulating environment. You can expect to be doing rewarding and relevant work from the moment you join us. We also encourage everyone to contribute to the shared CSR vision of the firm by participating in either the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Pro Bono Committee, Environment & Sustainability Committee, Innovative Committee, and Social Committee.
Our ideal summer clerk applicants are sociable, articulate team-players who are genuinely interested in building their careers. We aim to recruit people who will enjoy working with the firm, and therefore seek candidates who have a long-term interest in Bird & Bird and the sectors and areas of global legal practice for which we are renowned.
Our Australian clerkships are the main pathway into our graduate and associate programme.
You can apply at the times listed below by sending a detailed cover letter, curriculum vitae and academic transcript to [email protected].
The Summer Clerk Committee (consisting of Partners, Seniors and HR team) will personally read every application that is submitted, often several times over, without the use of any automatic culling methods. While this process takes slightly longer, it ensures we provide every applicant with an equal chance of success.
Some matters to address in your cover letter:
Once all applications have been reviewed, candidates will be informed by email of the outcome of their application. The successful applicants will be invited for an interview, and will receive a detailed biography of their 2 interviewers. The interviewers are typically a mixture of Partners, HR, and Special Counsel. Following your interview, you will be invited for coffee by one of our junior lawyers or paralegals who will have typically gone through the clerkship process themselves. This will be a great opportunity for you to ask those questions you may have missed during your formal interview, and to learn more of our firm culture.
You will receive an email regarding the progress of your application once the interview round is complete. Typically, interviewees will be invited to our Summer Clerk Breakfast. Be sure to put this date in your calendar. This is the perfect opportunity for you to meet and chat with Partners and Associates of all levels, and to decide whether Bird & Bird is the right firm for you.
Every summer clerk, graduate or lawyer we select has the potential to be both a leader of our global firm and a recognised leader in their chosen field of law. Given the competitive nature to retain top talent, we ensure we are providing competitive remuneration and benefits at all stages (clerkship, graduate, associate).
Our summer clerkship programme lasts for 10 weeks (2 week paid holiday) and all of our summer clerkship cohort are typically offered a permanent paralegal contract while they complete the remainder of their university studies. Upon admission with the Law Society of NSW, our summer clerks (now paralegals) are offered a new contract as an Associate. They are given early responsibility and exposure (with guidance and support) at every stage of their career.
Once our Associates have completed their rotations (3x6month) they eligible to partake in an Associates only retreat with all of their APAC peers in Asia. Associates may also be invited to sector group and practice group retreats in Europe.