Articled Clerks    

 Each year, Slater & Gordon recruit approximately 8-10 articled clerks in Victoria. Each articled clerk is allocated to a practice area for the full duration of their Articles. There may also be opportunities for those who relocate to Victoria to undertake their articles to relocate back to their home state to work in our interstate office at the end of their Articles.

As an articled clerk you will be exposed to a wide range of experiences in the field of litigation. You will actively participate in all aspects of the litigation process, including the preparation of documentation, meeting with clients to obtain instructions, instructing at court, drafting correspondence and attending mediations/conciliations.

From an early stage, you will acquire files under the direct supervision of an experienced lawyer. Our lawyers are very willing to discuss each step that must be taken in relation to a file including client management, legal issues that arise and basic time management concerns. You will also observe client interviews to learn appropriate interview techniques.

At other times you will complete tasks on more advanced files. This involves reading the file and trying to assess and understand basic issues and difficulties of the case, learning to evaluate what stage a claim is at and how to complete tasks in question, for example, prepare and file an affidavit.

We encourage our more junior practitioners to "have a go" in the first instance. There is an emphasis on ensuring that articled clerks understand each step of the file in order to completely understand file management. There is always the opportunity to thoroughly discuss the essential issues with your supervising senior lawyer.

Read more about what our ACs say!

Induction Program

While your articled clerkship will commence in March, many of our article clerks commence at Slater & Gordon prior to this. There are opportunities to work on a part time basis before commencing your articles program in March.

All articled clerks participate in an induction program which involves:

• Getting to know the senior managers and staff
• Learning about our way of life
• Discovering Slater & Gordon's history
• Learning about our different practice areas and meeting the practice group leaders
• Visiting our suburban offices in Victoria
• IT training including our on-line library system
• Learning about finance processes
• Tour of the courts, law institute libraries and barristers chambers
• Information session with our media liaison team to learn about Slater & Gordon's public profile
• Shadowing your buddy (previous year's articled clerks)

Career Development

A training program is developed to help you learn about practice management. Our senior managers and lawyers run regular training sessions. There are also plenty of opportunities for our staff to attend external training sessions.

We conduct performance reviews on an annual basis. This provides you with valuable feedback on your performance and offers an opportunity to discuss training and ongoing career development.

What we look for in an Articled Clerk?

When sorting through the large volume of applications we receive each year, we look for the following attributes and qualities in our staff:

• Knowledge and interest in the practice areas within the firm.
• A demonstrated ability to work as part of a team.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Consistent and excellent academic achievements in law, law/medicine, law/social sciences.
• Previous work experience which demonstrates maturity, leadership and initiative.

How to Apply

Applications for articled clerkships 2009 open in November 2007 and close on Friday 18 January 2008. We abide by the Law Institute of Victoria guidelines for articled clerk recruitment.  Click here for further information on how to apply.