Every year, Australian law schools produce from anywhere between 7,500 to 15,000 law graduates depending on who you ask. This is an extraordinary figure as the total number of practicing solicitors in Australia (as of 2016) is around 71,509. So, at the very best there, law graduates entering the workforce are one-tenth the number of practicing solicitors. These are bleak numbers any way you put it. Obviously, the numbers alone should not deter the young and ambitious law student. However, this author believes that legal education continuously fails to prepare law students for legal practice.
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The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG is somewhat of a demigod around law school corridors and lecture theatres. He served as a judge on the High Court for 12 years, has been named one of the most influential Australians ever, one of the country’s most creative minds, and one of the top public intellectuals. So what can we learn from him?
My friend and I decided to find out. We created The Thread - a 10-part documentary YouTube series. We met with leaders from wide-ranging fields: law, adventure, sport, business, philanthropy, medicine, and literature to uncover the common thread that binds them.
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With over 12,000 graduates finishing a tertiary level legal qualification every year, the law graduate job market is tough. Outside your careers fairs and your law student society's careers guide, it's hard to find out about all the opportunities available after law school. While commercial law is a well-known route, law graduates are now broadening their horizons to discover where else they can apply their law degree.
We've put together a Law Graduate Job Market Map that captures some of the organisations where law graduates and young lawyers have started their careers. While it's not a definitive list, it highlights organisations that you may not have considered for your first law job.
If you have any feedback, or would like to see an organisation featured, get in touch!
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Getting yourself into law school is tough. What is just as tough is making sure you’re making the right decision. Should you be doing a single law degree or a combined degree with another discipline? A great number of law students in Australia are encouraged to undertake double degrees. Not only does it provides students with an advantage in the job market, but it also allows them to learn an entirely different discipline. However, if you’re currently studying a single law degree or thinking of switching to a single law degree from double degrees, this article provides insights into both degrees to help you make the right decision.
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Since commencing my career at the ANU College of Law, I frequently reflect upon my first few years of legal practice. It was such an exciting, exhilarating and at times, exhausting time. The following are a few things I wish I had been told when commencing my legal career and some tips I’ve learnt along the way.
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A work experience in any given field is not something we are born with, unfortunately. And many, if not all of us either have come across or are yet to come across a dilemma – how to make our resume look good when applying for a first job? What to put in a resume if I haven't got so much work experience to boast about?
Lack of working experience is no reason to give in to despair: Everybody has to start from something. You need to always remember that while substantial expertise in the field is definitely a plus, it is not the only thing that the employer looks at when deciding upon whether to recruit a candidate or not. Having little or no working experience does not automatically make you a nobody in the eyes of the recruiter. There are things that are just as important (if not more): your skills, your enthusiasm and zest, your personal traits.
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