Matt Hartsukyer

Ashurst graduate in 2012

In February 2011, I completed a four week clerkship with Ashurst Australia, where I am currently a graduate lawyer. Ashurst is a global commercial law firm with 24 offices in 14 countries and over 1700 lawyers. We act for some of the world's largest companies on some of the largest and most interesting commercial transactions happening in the market today. If your goal is to work for a top-tier law firm such as Ashurst, securing a seasonal clerkship is highly important. The bulk of top-tier firms recruit the majority of their graduate lawyers from within their clerkship pool and is also a great chance for you to get to know the firm, and the firm to get to know you!

The application process for clerkships was fairly straight forward and not too stressful. I submitted a resume and cover letter and was lucky enough to be offered an interview. The interviews were a relaxed process, the first with a HR representative and a lawyer and the second was a friendly coffee chat with two lawyers. I was thrilled to be offered a clerkship and accepted the offer immediately! Currently, Ashurst offer a program designed to accommodate Bond students during our semester break. I found Ashurst’s Bond Clerkship to be accessible and convenient and an invaluable chance to utilize the study break in a way that could kick start my legal career.

The clerkship itself began with getting to know the firm, learning about how the business works, meeting partners and basic training. This was an effective way to start the process because it meant that we weren't thrown into an office in the deep end right away. This structured process was maintained throughout the entire clerkship with other valuable seminars such as research training, as well as presentations on each practice group within Ashurst. This ensured that even if we were not able to rotate through a group, we still received an overview of each practice group and the kind of work they do.

As my clerkship was four weeks, I completed rotations in both the Construction and Banking and Finance practice groups which gave me exposure to a great deal of different legal content and tasks. I was involved in researching, assisting in drafting advices, presentations, contract reviews and I also sat in on a client meeting. All of the tasks I was given gave me invaluable experience in understanding the day to day practical application of what we all learn at university. Even if you do not receive an offer for a graduate position, or you decide that a particular firm is not for you, a clerkship provides you a great insight and experience into the day to day life of a modern lawyer.

Like the bulk of my fellow clerks at Ashurst, I was lucky enough to be offered a graduate position after the clerkship process was completed. Without having completed a clerkship my chances of obtaining a graduate position at Ashurst, or other large law firms would certainly not have been as high. It was an invaluable experience, and a great introduction into a great profession at a great firm. If your goal is to be a commercial lawyer, I would certainly recommend applying for a clerkship at Ashurst.