Kara Firth

Corrs Chambers Westgarth graduate in 2013

I completed a clerkship at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in the August/September 2011 semester break.

During my clerkship, I spent most of my time in the Planning, Environment and Local Government practice group. This is the area of law I am most passionate about, and I found the work not only incredibly useful towards developing my skills and knowledge, but also very enjoyable. I quickly got involved in different daily jobs such as research, drafting and brief compilation, and even had a chance to work on a pro-bono matter. I also did some court work, during which I got to sit on some matters and call-overs, deliver documents and see how court processes worked in practicality.

While at Corrs Chambers Westgarth I also had an opportunity to spend time in Workplace Relations, after a partner noticed I had an interest in this area, and spoke to HR about the possibility of my rotating there. This became the highlight of my clerkship experience, demonstrating clearly to me that the culture that Corrs promotes truly exists – it’s a place where doors are truly ‘open’. All employees, regardless of their level, support each other and readily offer ongoing development. I would never have witnessed this culture without doing a clerkship.

Throughout the clerkship, Corrs offered me extensive training in many areas, which really helped the work I was doing and gave me new practical skills to apply to my remaining studies. My clerkship with Corrs made me eligible to apply for graduate position in the priority offer round – which led to my ultimate employment with the firm. The immensely positive experience during my clerkship meant I felt at ease and confident accepting a role with Corrs.

My Corrs clerkship gave me a true insight into the firm’s culture, its people, and its investment in training and development, as well as hands-on experience with some of the matters its lawyers deal with on a regular basis. Overall, the experience was invaluable, and I would recommend clerkships, particularly at Corrs, to anybody interested in a career in corporate or commercial law.