Life as an Articled Clerk    

Your Articled Clerkship is an important year that not only represents the start of your career as a lawyer but consolidates your foundations in becoming a successful practitioner.

As an Articled Clerk at Slater & Gordon you will be exposed to a wide range of experiences in the field of litigation. To provide an insight into our Firm, our people and the Articled Clerk experience please read the following excerpts from our current Articled Clerks.

Dianna Comelli commenced her Articles with the Firm in 2006, working in the Workers Compensation practice (Melbourne Office). Dianna worked with the Firm prior to commencing her Articles as a Legal Assistant in the Commercial Litigation and Medical Negligence practices. Dianna will be admitted to practice in 2007.

Before commencing Articles in March 2006, I had been working with Slater & Gordon on a casual basis since for some years. Having worked as a Legal Assistant throughout that time, I thought that I was well prepared for my Articles year. However, I embarked upon a much steeper learning curve than I had first anticipated.

After induction, training, a road trip to some of our suburban and regional offices and short rotations through the various departments, I commenced working in the Melbourne Worker’s Compensation Department. I had not previously worked in Worker’s Compensation and have found it to be an interesting and rewarding, yet challenging area of law.

I have been given a diversity of work with a good balance of autonomy, responsibility, and guidance. My office is never free of things to do, but the work expected of me is entirely manageable. From attending or conducting new client appointments to observing or instructing in matters at hearing, I have had the opportunity to participate in matters at every point of the litigation process.

Slater & Gordon is a vibrant and exciting firm. We have a range of practitioners and support staff, all with a breadth of experience that you can draw upon. The firm is true to its ‘open door’ policy and I don’t ever hesitate to sit in with a practitioner to ask questions and discuss their experiences. Friday night staff drinks each month are a great opportunity to de-brief with my fellow Articled Clerks and catch up with co-workers.

From a time when I thought ‘PIAWE’ (Pre-Injury Average Weekly Earnings) was a fuzzy little creature to now, where I am given matters to work on in preparation for trial, I look back on an amazing journey, which is still in its early days.

Each moment brings a new experience and greater knowledge. I continue to be challenged and am enjoying my Articles experience thoroughly.

Odette McDonald commenced her Articles with the Firm in 2006, working in our Commercial Litigation practice (Melbourne Office). Odette had been working with the Firm prior to commencing her Articles in our call centre as a New Client Services Consultant. Odette will be admitted to practice in 2007.

The Articled Clerk program at Slater & Gordon provides a gradual introduction to the firm. The first few two weeks are dedicated to inducting AC’s into working (and social) life at the firm. This includes various training sessions, talks by Practice Group Leaders, ‘field trips’ to suburban and regional offices, and social gatherings with other AC’s. This is followed by a four-week period of rotating through each department, which is designed to expose AC’s to the different practice groups and people at Slater & Gordon. Articled clerks then settle in to their allocated practice groups for the remainder of the year.

I started Articles with Slater & Gordon in 2006, and was allocated to the Commercial Litigation group. The induction program and rotations had been moving along at a steady pace, and I was settling in to the firm. A few weeks in, however, I was told that I was being pulled out of rotations to begin trial preparation on an individual shareholder action against a large publicly listed company. The matter had been set for a six-week trial in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and involved legal issues that were previously untested by the Australian judiciary. This was an intense learning curve for me, and a time during which I gained priceless experience. In May I headed off to Perth for a month to run the trial as part of a small team, and to instruct in the Supreme Court. A few months later we received judgement in our favour, with the decision providing our worthy client with multi-million-dollar compensation. This type of ‘storybook’ Articles experience is not uncommon at Slater & Gordon – and it all happened in my first three months!

After the trial I returned to the Melbourne office and settled in to the Commercial Litigation practice. Since this time my file load and responsibility has increased substantially, and the work continues to be interesting, complex and rewarding. In the Commercial Litigation department I deal with a variety of different legal disputes and a diverse (and deserving) client base. I am supervised by experienced and accessible lawyers, and receive support from invaluable legal assistants. Most importantly, the people at Slater & Gordon are approachable and easy to get along with. All of these factors have made for a very enjoyable Articles experience.

Genevieve Grant commenced her Articles with the Firm in 2006, working in our Motor Vehicle Accidents practice (Melbourne Office). Genevieve will be admitted to practice in 2007.

Prior to coming to Slater & Gordon I worked at the Supreme Court, where I spent much of my time perusing court files and piecing together the human stories underlying legal disputes. Working in the Motor Vehicle Accident practice has enabled me to meet the human faces of these disputes and to gain an understanding of the significant impact of road trauma on the lives of those affected.

The range of work here is broad and challenging. The opportunity to interview new clients and be the first to provide them with advice about their entitlements in the wake of a transport accident has proved to be one of the best features of my Articles. I've also appeared at VCAT and in the County and Supreme Courts, and have even had the rare opportunity to instruct in a High Court Special Leave Application. With positive and supportive supervision and guidance I've negotiated settlements for clients with respect to their entitlements to physical treatment, wage benefits and compensation. I have done more than enough work to satisfy my desire to use my (fledgling) legal powers for good.

Parting advice to those seeking articles? It's hard to know what will interest you when you're fresh out of uni. It pays to be honest, though. Don't take the 'safe' or predictable option of the corporate path if you don't think it's for you. You'll undoubtedly be better off (and happier) for it.