Our People

Overall highlight of working at the firm so far

I am currently a first-seat Law Graduate in the Global Financial Markets (GFM) team.

As the work in this team is inherently cross-border in nature and engages multiple jurisdictions, a highlight so far has been working collaboratively with Clifford Chance colleagues based all over the world. I have worked closely with colleagues in Perth, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong, gaining exposure to major international project financings, cross-border finance transactions, and regulatory matters involving global financial institutions operating in Australia.

Another highlight was the orientation week in Sydney where all Australian Law Graduates received a comprehensive introduction to the firm, its practice areas, and its people, which helped us to feel welcome and supported from day one.

International & domestic secondment opportunities

Clifford Chance offers the opportunity to embark on a six-month secondment to one of its international offices during your Graduate Program. As a new Law Graduate, I have keenly followed the journeys of the Perth Graduates who are currently on secondment in London (based in the Corporate and Capital Markets teams) and have been inspired by the junior lawyers who have completed rotations in a range of Clifford Chance offices including Hong Kong and Singapore. These lawyers bring back a range of unique experiences and perspectives, which takes what is already a very dynamic and globally minded work environment to another level!

Opportunity to work across multiple partners and areas of law

The graduate program is a two-year program, split into four rotations lasting six months each. At Clifford Chance Australia, you will rotate through the three main practice areas of Corporate, GFM and Litigation & Dispute Resolution — each with specialised sub-teams.

Through completing a GFM rotation, I have gained strong exposure to the fast-paced world of top-of-the-market finance deals, supported and encouraged by senior lawyers who are generous with their time and advice.

Within the broader GFM team, I have been fortunate to work across multiple partners, on matters spanning restructuring and insolvency, project finance, derivatives transactions and financial regulation.

Learning and development during the Graduate Program and beyond

Even though I am only a few months into the Graduate Program, my legal and technical skills have developed immensely, with a combination of mentoring and coaching from supervisors, training sessions that are constantly evolving as both the law and technology develop, and on-the-job learning.

At the start of each rotation, graduates receive tailored training sessions specific to that practice area, while the Clifford Chance Academy provides a regular series of in-person and online trainings covering legal and broader professional development skills. With the guidance of senior lawyers and an allocated 'buddy' in each rotation, graduates at Clifford Chance are highly immersed into their team's matters, being given responsibility and accountability for tasks, which allows us to put our new skills into practice on a daily basis.

Advice for prospective applicants

Thorough preparation and research to learn about the firm's practice areas and sector expertise in Australia will ensure you are putting your best foot forward with a focused and meaningful application.

I have observed that my fellow graduates have strong commercial awareness, an enthusiasm for learning, enjoy working collaboratively with others, and are open-minded to new opportunities as their legal interests evolve. These are skills which I would encourage prospective applicants to showcase during the application process.

The team at Clifford Chance are passionate about working on multi-jurisdictional matters with talented colleagues from around the world in a truly global law firm. Feel free to ask questions and learn more about us.