Clerkship
Our clerkship program gives you a genuine taste of life in a top tier firm — the work we do, the people you’ll collaborate with, and the culture that shapes how we operate.
You’ll work closely with a supervising partner, a lawyer, and a buddy who’ll make sure you’re involved in meaningful, hands on work from the start.
Depending on your office, you’ll work with one or two teams and contribute to real matters and transactions. Your tasks may include case law research, drafting legal updates, taking notes during meetings, and reviewing contracts. There may also be opportunities to attend court, get involved in pro bono matters, and join in interfirm activities.
You’ll take part in structured training designed to build both your legal and business skills, along with plenty of social events that help you connect with the wider team.
Most of our graduate roles are offered to people who have clerked with us. At the end of your program, you’ll receive feedback and be considered for a place in our graduate cohort.
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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.
Pro Bono
You will have the chance to work with our Pro Bono team. Our global Pro Bono practice team has five priority areas including: Citizenship and Displacement, Climate Change, Gender Rights and Diversity, Modern Slavery, and Racial Justice.
The recruitment process
Applications are open to penultimate and final year students studying a law degree or Juris Doctor. To be eligible, you must be an Australian/New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
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.
As part of our graduate recruitment process, you will complete an online assessment evaluating your skills, behaviours, and abilities. We use psychometric assessment to ensure fair, objective evaluation and to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your potential alongside your experience. Our assessment provider, SHL, offers practice questions and guides to help you prepare. Please focus on behaviour-based assessment, inductive, deductive and numerical reasoning, and biodata practice assessments. Additional practice tests are available when you log into your user profile.
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.
Our Applicant Resource Hub is here to answer your questions. Still can't find the answer? Contact our Early Careers team.
Key dates
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Brisbane
Important dates
Read moreBrisbane
Clerkship Recruitment Dates: Clerkship Program Dates: Applications open Summer 2 13 July 2026 25 January – 19 February 2027 Applications close Autumn 7 August 2026 | 5pm 19 April – 14 May 2027 Offers made Winter 7 October 2026 | 9am 14 June – 9 July 2027 Offers accepted by 8 October 2026 | 1pm -
Melbourne
Important dates
Read moreMelbourne
Clerkship Recruitment Dates: Clerkship Program Dates: Applications open Summer 1 6 July 2026 | 9am 25 November – 11 December 2026 Applications close Summer 2 9 August 2026 | 11:59pm 27 January – 19 February 2027 Offers made Winter 15 October 2026 | 10am 23 June – 16 July 2027 Offers accepted by 15 October 2026 | 2pm -
Perth
Important dates
Read morePerth
Clerkship Recruitment Dates: Clerkship Program Dates: Applications open Summer 1 22 June 2026 16 November – 4 December 2026 Applications close Summer 2 26 July 2026 18 January – 5 February 2027 Offers made Winter 11 September 2026 | 9am 14 June – 2 July 2027 Offers accepted by 11 September 2026 | 1pm -
Sydney
Important dates
Read moreSydney
Clerkship Recruitment Dates: Clerkship Program Dates: Applications open Summer 10 June 2026 | 9:00 am November – February 2027 Applications close 12 July 2026 | 11:59 pm Offers made 9 September 2026 | 9:00 am Offers accepted by 10 September 2026 | 1:00 pm
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.
Alternatively, reach out directly to your university's law society to see if we have any events scheduled.
Hear from our graduates
What surprised you most?
First vs last impression
Ashurst culture
Favourite traditions
Why choose Ashurst?
Testimonials
"My clerkship at Ashurst offered an insight into the firms combination of exceptional people, a genuinely supportive culture, and exposure to high-profile, market-leading matters. Working alongside talented lawyers with top-tier clients made the experience both intellectually challenging and incredibly rewarding."
Ragul Sivaram, Sydney Clerk 2025
"My clerkship at Ashurst gave me a clear and practical understanding of what life is like as a junior in a leading international firm. My experience was shaped by being part of a hard-working team where I was given meaningful work, encouraged to contribute on fascinating high-profile matters, and surrounded by people who consistently demonstrated a genuine interest in my development. I would strongly recommend the Ashurst clerkship to anyone who wants to be challenged and supported in a great collaborative environment!"
Vanessa Boitchenko, Brisbane Clerk 2025
Awards
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.
SpeakUp!
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.