Grow with us as a clerk

At Baker McKenzie, our seasonal clerks experience life as a junior lawyer at our Firm.

Right from the start, you get involved in real work and are given real responsibility, just like our junior lawyers. You will be exposed to our Australian and international clients through client meetings, phone calls and events, and will often have the opportunity to deal with clients directly. Our clerks also have the opportunity to participate in pro bono matters and community service initiatives and attend our Inclusion, Diversity & Equity meetings and events.

Working with lawyers of all levels, you will be guided by a supervising partner and associate 'buddy'. With the Firm's strong focus on supporting its people to learn, grow and achieve better results, you can expect to be well-led, well-coached and well-mentored.

You are supported at every stage of the clerkship by Talent Management who facilitate a comprehensive development program, starting with induction and skills development including practical sessions on legal research, technology training, drafting, business communication, personal brand, client service, teamwork and other skills crucial to ensuring you impress and succeed during your clerkship. You will also develop practical and legal skills through our national learning program for junior lawyers and Firm-wide professional development sessions.

There are many opportunities to network with colleagues around the Firm, through our 'speed networking' program, practice group sessions and social events – including with your buddy, our graduates and our partners/lawyers.

After your clerkship, there are opportunities to undertake paralegal roles and attend various social events to stay connected with the Firm.

To apply for a clerkship

Our Sydney clerkship application process opens at 9:00 am on 10 June 2024 and closes at 11:59 pm on 7 July 2024. Offers will be made on 11 September 2024.

Apply for Sydney clerkship

Our Melbourne clerkship application process opens at 9:00 am on 1 July 2024 and closes at 11:59 pm on 11 August 2024. Offers will be made on 16 October 2024.

For more information on our clerkship recruitment process and read our clerks' stories, visit our Prosple pages.

Grow with us as a graduate

When you join Baker McKenzie as a graduate, we know you want to be working with clients on meaningful work from the start, so we support you to hone your skills and develop your experience as quickly as possible.

So that you can lay the best foundation for your careers, you will complete three rotations during your graduate program. You will be paired with a supervising partner and associate "buddy" in each rotation to maximise your on-the-job and formal learning – and ensure support at all levels.

You can expect to build on the experiences you had as a clerk, with even more responsibility and opportunities to contribute to our local and global work, and build relationships with our clients. You will also have the opportunity to manage your own files as part of our pro bono program.

To foster our graduates' development, our dedicated Leadership & Learning team facilitates sessions in five areas – legal learning, managing your career, the business of law, business development and client service, and people and self-leadership. We offer targeted learning opportunities including seminars on core legal topics (through our Cornerstone Legal Learning Program) and practical skills development workshops in areas like drafting, legal research, commerciality and communicating effectively, to set our graduates up for success. We also support our graduates to undertake Practical Legal Training, both financially and with study leave. All of these ensure you receive the best possible foundation for your career.

With our culture of coaching, we also have regular roundtables and feedback sessions to ensure you receive mentoring, coaching and feedback to develop as a lawyer.

Additionally, we bring graduates across our Australian offices together for various training programs to foster networks across the Firm. We have also sent our graduates on client secondments – virtually and on-site.

Finally, our graduates play a pivotal role in cultivating our inclusive and friendly culture – and frequently participate in our Inclusion, Diversity & Equity committees and social and sports committees.

For more information and to read our graduates' stories, please visit our Prosple pages.

Baker McKenzie looks for people who:

• genuinely want to work with us and understand our unique offering and position in the market
• are well-rounded (i.e., through extra-curriculars/leadership), motivated, have a performance mindset and strive to be the best in whatever they do
• are intellectually curious and have sound academics
• display business acumen and are practical in their approach
• have a global mindset and are passionately committed to service excellence
• enjoy a challenge and seek new opportunities
• constantly look for ways to achieve better results while learning and growing
• take proactive ownership/responsibility for their careers
• act with integrity, honesty and candour in their dealings, decisions and actions
• express themselves confidently while staying open to new ideas
• seek a friendly, inclusive and diverse culture
• take seriously our role in making a difference to our local and global communities

For more information on the work we do, our practice areas, our learning opportunities, our culture, and our Inclusion, Diversity & Equity initiatives, please visit our Legal Careers and Prosple pages.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding Early Careers, please reach out to:

Are you interested in becoming a global lawyer? Are you eager to build your commercial acumen? Are you keen to gain practical legal skills to set yourself up for success as a junior lawyer?

Well, Baker McKenzie is excited to offer you the opportunity to experience all of these things, as well as life as a junior lawyer at our Firm!

As a Firm that is keen to invest in the future of the legal profession, we are delighted to give students the opportunity to develop their legal and technical skills, build their commercial awareness, and experience the exciting hands-on and global work we offer our junior lawyers through our Virtual Experience Programs with Forage!

Baker McKenzie offers two programs – a Corporate transactional program and a Dispute Resolution and Litigation program. The programs are self-paced, free and open to all students. Upon completing a program, you will receive a completion certificate that you are able to add to your CV or LinkedIn profile.

NOTE: Our tasks are not part of our clerkship assessment or selection process.

Click on the buttons to undertake the Corporate or the Dispute Resolution and Litigation modules. 

Learn about us

Learn more about Baker McKenzie and read about our clerks' and graduates' career journeys on Prosple.