Clerkship
Our clerkship lets you experience what it’s like to work in a top tier firm, our culture and the type of work we do.
You'll work on real cases and transactions with one or two teams, depending which office you're in, and will have a dedicated partner who supports and mentors you.
There are structured training programmes to develop your legal and business skills, and the opportunity to take part in plenty of social events too! A clerkship leads places! Most of our graduate roles are offered to people who have clerked with us.
What we can offer you
Real work
We want you to get a realistic understanding of what it's like to be an Ashurst lawyer. During your clerkship you may work on cases and transactions, attend court, join client meetings, sit in on client calls, work on pro bono matters, attend CLE sessions, and complete research.
Professional development
Your clerkship will include many chances for professional (and personal!) development. There are formal training courses, practice insight sessions, informal "on the job" learning, networking opportunities and exposure to pro bono and social impact work.
Dedicated support
We invest in our people. As an Ashurst clerk, you'll have a dedicated partner mentor, supervising lawyer, buddy and support from the Early Careers Team.
Insight
Your clerkship is a chance for you to get a genuine insight into being an Ashurst lawyer. This will help you make informed decisions about graduate offers.
The recruitment process
You'll be asked to upload a CV and academic transcript as well as complete several short answer questions.
Our application lets you showcase your talent by sharing why you want to be a lawyer at Ashurst.
You will be asked to complete an online assessment which measures a range of critical reasoning and behavioural strengths that align to a graduate role at Ashurst. The assessment has been designed to give you a realistic preview into life at Ashurst and the types of scenarios you might experience as a graduate.
Whilst we recommend completing the online assessment in one sitting, it is untimed so you can complete it at your own pace. It will take around 60 minutes to complete. Once completed, you’ll be sent an individual feedback report outlining your key strengths and development areas.
You can learn about the types of questions you may be asked in the assessment here.
We'll invite clerkship applicants to come to Ashurst, meet our people and learn more about our culture.
Our Early Careers Team will send you details during the early stages of the recruitment process.
You will meet with our partners, lawyers and members of our Early Careers team. We ask competency based questions that give insight into the behaviours we value at Ashurst.
We give you the opportunity to ask more about us too – our interviews are a "two-way street"!
Clerkship offers are made based on your overall performance throughout the recruitment process.
We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. Please note that our online application form includes a section which allows you to advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider when reviewing your application form.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any queries relating to your disability or long-term health condition and the recruitment process. Any information disclosed will remain strictly confidential.
Key dates
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Brisbane
Important dates
Read moreBrisbane
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 14 July 2025
Applications close
Friday 8 August 2025 | 5pm
Offers made
Wednesday 8 October 2025 | 9am
Offers accepted by
Thursday 9 October 2025 | 1pm
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Melbourne
Important dates
Read moreMelbourne
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 7 July 2025 | 9am
Applications close
Sunday 10 August 2025 | 11:59pm
Offers made
Thursday 16 October 2025 | 10am
Offers accepted by
Thursday 16 October 2025 | 2pm
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Perth
Important dates
Read morePerth
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 23 June 2025
Applications close
Sunday 27 July 2025
Offers made
Friday 12 September 2025 | 9am
Offers accepted by
Friday 12 September 2025 | 1pm
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Sydney
Important dates
Read moreSydney
Clerkship
Applications open
Wednesday 11 June 2025 | 9am
Applications close
Sunday 13 July 2025 | 11:59pm
Offers made
Wednesday 10 September 2025 | 9am
Offers accepted by
Thursday 11 September 2025 | 1pm
Events
The best way to find out more about our clerkships is to hear it directly from our people.
We attend universities across Australia and host networking events.
To find out when we'll next be on campus reach out to your university student law society, university careers team or email us directly at: earlycareers@ashurst.com.
Testimonials
"The summer clerkship at Ashurst was exciting, rewarding and insightful. It provided the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in the firm culture, whereby I witnessed the crossroad between Ashurst's values, its people and expertise. I have walked away from this experience with a close-knit group of colleagues whom I now consider my friends."
Harry Coulter, Clerk 2023/24
"My clerkship at Ashurst allowed me to meet many like-minded people and learn from the work and careers of the brightest minds in the legal industry. I was able to be involved with news-breaking matters and sharpen my legal skills and commercial acumen."
Prashana Coomarasamy, Clerk 2023/24
Applicant Resource Hub
For answers to all your frequently asked questions and information on application & interview tips, the benefits we provide, life at Ashurst, our L&D programmes, and our IDB initiatives.
Visit hub
Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging
Our inclusive and diverse culture stands at the heart of everything we do. For more information on our initiatives and the support we provide please follow the link below.
More informationContact us
If you can’t find answers to your questions on this page or on the Applicant Resource Hub then please contact our Early Careers team.
Agencies
Agency submissions and candidate introductions will only be accepted with prior approval from a member of the Ashurst Talent Acquisition team. To submit or introduce a candidate, an agency must have valid agreed terms of business in place with Ashurst. Any agency submissions or candidate introductions made without prior approval or without the agreed terms of business in place will be considered invalid.
Diversity
We are committed to offering a safe and welcoming environment for our employees and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. With diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do we place a strong emphasis on working with people from diverse communities and aim to make a positive impact through our Social Impact programmes.
Speak up!
Ashurst is committed to ensuring an accountable workplace culture. Candidates are encouraged to report any ethical or conduct concerns to our confidential portal.
Please note that this portal should not be used for general enquiries about, or applications for, job positions available at Ashurst as they will not be passed onto the relevant team. Any recruitment enquires should be directed to globalresourcing@ashurst.com.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work in Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and to the youth who are working towards a brighter tomorrow.