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'll be asked to complete three psychometric assessments.
Cognify – a series of online games measuring your problem solving and analytical skills.
Emotify – a series of online games measuring your emotional intelligence
Values Fit – helps us to identify candidates who have similar values to Ashurst, ensuring the best cultural fit for both you and Ashurst.
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.
Key dates
-
Brisbane
Important dates
Read moreBrisbane
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 15 July 2024
Applications close
Friday 9 August 2024
Offers made
Wednesday 9 October 2024
Offers accepted by
Thursday 10 October 2024
-
Melbourne
Important dates
Read moreMelbourne
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 1 July 2024
Applications close
Sunday 11 August 2024
Offers made
Wednesday 16 October 2024 | 10am
Offers accepted by
Wednesday 16 October 2024 | 2pm
-
Perth
Important dates
Read morePerth
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 24 June 2024
Applications close
Sunday 28 July 2024
Offers made
Friday 13 September 2024
Offers accepted by
Friday 13 September 2024
-
Sydney and Canberra
Important dates
Read moreSydney and Canberra
Clerkship
Applications open
Monday 10 June 2024
Applications close
Sunday 14 July 2024
Offers made
Wednesday 11 September 2024
Offers accepted by
Thursday 12 September 2024
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 Graduate.Programs@ashurst.com
Date | Time | University | Event | Location |
| 27 March 2024 | To be confirmed | Australian National University | Law Careers Fair | ANU Moot Courts |
| 6 May 2024 | 6.00pm – 9.00pm | Australian National University | Senior Mooting Grand Final | Civic Quarter, Level 9/68 Northbourne Ave, Canberra ACT 2601 |
Date |
Time |
University |
Event |
Location |
| 2 May 2024 | 8.00pm – 10.30pm |
Notre Dame University | Law Society Careers Expo |
Notre Dame |
Date |
Time |
University |
Event |
Location |
|
25 March 2024 |
10am – 2pm |
Newcastle University |
Career Expo |
409 Hunter Street, Newcastle |
|
11 April 2024 |
6am – 8.30am |
University of Technology Sydney |
Commercial Law Moot Grand Final |
Level 11, 5 Martin Place Sydney (Ashurst Office) |
|
18 April 2024 |
6pm – 8pm |
Diverse Women In Law (DWL) |
DWL – Written application Workshop |
Level 11, 5 Martin Place Sydney (Ashurst Office) |
|
19 April 2024 |
1pm - 2pm |
UTS LSS |
Clerkship Information Session |
Virtual |
|
24 April 2024 |
6pm - 8pm |
USYD |
Inside a Deal |
Level 11, 5 Martin Place Sydney (Ashurst Office) |
|
30 April 2024 |
11am - 1pm |
University of Newcastle |
Firm visit |
Level 11, 5 Martin Place Sydney (Ashurst Office) |
|
6 May 2024 |
1pm - 2pm |
USYD |
Clerkship Information Session |
Law Foyer, Sydney University |
|
6 May 2024 |
6pm – 8.30pm |
Sydney University |
Mooting Grand Final |
Level 11, 5 Martin Place Sydney (Ashurst Office) |
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 email address: ethics.counsel@ashurst.com.
Please note that this email address 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.