The outlook for law graduates remains grim as firms continue to have their pick of the crop and remain cautious about taking on new talent.
But some firms are bucking the trend with data from The Australian Financial Review’s December 2014 partnership survey showing Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Gadens were the most active recruiters in the past six months. Each firm hired 28 new graduates over the period. These firms were followed by Maddocks, which took on 26 graduates and Norton Rose Fulbright, which hired 24 graduates.
Ashurst and the fast-growing HWL Ebsworth Lawyers both took on 21 graduates. Corrs partner Andrew Korbel said the quality of candidates was “through the roof” but one firm’s perspective on outstanding ability did not necessarily make a good cultural fit in others.
The firm emphasised what it saw during interviews rather than paper qualifications, including working in a team and with clients, Mr Korbel said.
“A candidate who looked after their siblings and worked at KFC to pay off their degree can be just as impressive as someone who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and set up a school for underprivileged children in Kosovo,” he said.
Corrs expects to have 62 clerks this summer, with Mr Korbel saying the firm had consistently received around 2000 applications for its summer clerkship program.
Gadens partner John Dalzell said it had four applications within five minutes of a recent Sydney graduate advertisement being posted.
Top marks not enough
Applicants had very impressive academic transcripts, from top universities. But while first-class honours and awards were important, the firm also prioritised well-rounded graduates with a broad range of extracurricular activities. “The current generation of lawyers had more to offer than at any time previously – they have done so much by the time they graduate; running small business, running their own portfolio of shares and being active in political issues,” he said.
“My advice for law students is to work hard at university and to get involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible.” The firm expects to have 14 clerks this summer.
Maddocks director of people and culture Liz Ryan said it saw a higher calibre of applicants each year, and the greater competition to attract the best candidates meant law firms had to improve their recruitment processes.
Maddocks’s application process included questions about the firm’s values to distinguish candidates taking a scattergun approach from those who had a genuine interest in the firm, Ms Ryan said.
The firm also looked beyond clerkships for recruits, with some graduates older students with successful careers, including a former homicide detective of 19 years, she said. Maddocks expects to have a dozen clerks this summer.
Norton Rose Fulbright managing partner in Australia, Wayne Spanner he believed investing in talent was fundamental. “What is important is to ensure that you are investing in areas where we can see growth not only in the short term but in the long term.”
The firm expects to have 12 summer clerks.
Ashurst vice-chair Mary Padbury said the firm received about 2800 seasonal clerk applications and expects to take on 57 this summer.
“We are seeing a trend where clerks select at least one smaller firm or a position with the Department of Public Prosecutions for a clerkship,” she said.
“This is in contrast to a few years ago when clerks would go to three or four large firms.”
This article was originally published in the Australian Financial Review.
