Melbourne Seasonal Clerkship 2025/2026

**Melbourne Seasonal Clerkship Program**

Think Opportunity, Think Baker McKenzie

Our seasonal clerkship program provides you with a genuine insight into life at Baker McKenzie - our work, our people, our development opportunities and our culture.

If you aspire to be an outstanding lawyer, your journey to a world-class commercial legal career begins here. Start with Australia's first global law firm and set yourself on the path to excellence. Kick-start your career with our world-class seasonal clerkship. Build your technical, legal expertise through our graduate program. Receive outstanding work and mentoring to become an expert in your field, as an associate.

**What to expect**

At Baker McKenzie, we understand that the transition from university to legal practice can be challenging. We provide our seasonal clerks with a comprehensive induction program, to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Our training program is designed to help you get the most out of your seasonal clerkship and set yourself up for success. We consult with our seasonal clerks before they commence to understand the areas of practice in which they are interested in gaining experience. We structure our seasonal clerks' placements according to these preferences, where possible.

In Melbourne, our key practice areas are:

- Banking & Finance;
- Corporate Markets (including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets);
- Funds;
- Energy & Infrastructure;
- Commercial Real Estate;
- Construction;
- Dispute Resolution;
- Employment & Compensation; and
- Commercial, Data, Intellectual Property, Technology & Trade.

Most importantly, as a seasonal clerk, we want you to see what life is like as a graduate and junior lawyer at Baker McKenzie. Right from the start, our seasonal clerks get involved in real work. You will be exposed to our Australian and international clients through client meetings and shadowing, and other everyday activities within your assigned practice group (such as drafting correspondence, preparing court/transaction documents, drafting advices/agreements, legal research, document review, attending court/mediations, attending meetings with barristers/witnesses, attending settlements, and preparing client alerts). You will also have the opportunity to participate in pro bono files and community service initiatives.

Our seasonal clerks are guided by a supervising partner and enjoy the extra support of an experienced associate “buddy”. They also work closely with our lawyers of all levels. You will develop practical and legal skills through our national learning program and by attending Firm-wide sessions too.

Our various sessions throughout the clerkship will give you the chance to:

- build your network within the Firm;
- develop your legal knowledge and skills;
- learn about our practices, clients and Firm structure;
- hear about our global training and work opportunities; and
- learn about our Pro Bono and Community Service programs and Inclusion, Diversity & Equity initiatives.

We will also provide you with opportunities to network with colleagues around the Firm - through our 'speed networking' program and various social events with your buddy, our partners and our lawyers.

The majority of our graduate positions are offered to former seasonal clerks. We also offer our former seasonal clerks the opportunity to undertake paralegal roles with the Firm.

**Application process**

Applications open at 9.00 am on Monday, 7 July 2025 and close at 11.59 pm on Sunday, 10 August 2025.

To be eligible for a 2025/2026 seasonal clerkship position with Baker McKenzie, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or have the right to work in a full-time role in Australia during the clerkship periods set out below. You must also be enrolled in a law degree or equivalent which will qualify you for admission as a legal practitioner in Australia. At Baker McKenzie, our seasonal clerkship program is primarily aimed at students in the penultimate year of their law degree. However, final year students are also considered.

Offers for the seasonal clerkship program will be made from 10.00 am on Thursday, 16 October 2025.

In Melbourne, we run three seasonal clerkships. The first runs from late November to December (for four weeks), the second runs during February (for four weeks) and the final clerkship runs from late June to late July (for four weeks).

**What qualities do we look for in our clerks?**

At Baker McKenzie, we look for people who genuinely want to work with us and who understand Baker McKenzie's unique offering and position in the market. We look for well-rounded, motivated individuals who have a performance mindset and strive to be the best in whatever they do; who are intellectually curious and have sound academics; who display business acumen and are practical in their approach; and who have a global mindset and are passionately committed to service excellence. We look for people wh