Clerkship program

Massons continues to grow and prosper and is interested in developing a strong “pipeline of talent”

Our next clerkship program is for a 4 week period commencing on 23 November 2020 and is open to all current law students, but priority will be given to penultimate year law students. We are aiming to offer a clerkship opportunity to 3 – 5 students this year.

Our 2020 clerkship program has been adapted to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions and comprises of 3 main components:

1. Shadowing our legal staff including attending client meetings (where possible), taking part in telephone and video conferences and being involved in negotiations
2. Formal training including risk management, delegation and teams, client relationships, business development, financial management, negotiation and drafting skills
3. “On the job training” where you will have the opportunity to assist in preparing draft documents, undertaking legal research and in progressing transactions involving complex commercial property assets.

What are we looking for

If you are interested in achieving a placement in the Massons formal clerkship program, ideally you will need to:

• be a penultimate law student
• be available for the full clerkship period
• be highly intelligent and driven, with a minimum distinction average
• have a demonstrated capability to work under pressure, prioritise and deliver work with a high level of accuracy
• demonstrate maturity and a positive attitude
• have a desire to have a career in property law

Massons considers that diversity is the path to an evolved legal practice.  We encourage applications from law students of all cultural and academic backgrounds and invite applicants to identify any aspects of their cultural  or personal background (eg indigenous, refugee, rural etc) and any academic, community or social engagement or interests (eg sport, the arts, volunteering, passions or social causes) which they believe would contribute positively to the quality of cross-thought and ideation within our firm.

What can we offer you

Massons is a premium law firm specialising exclusively in Australian commercial property law. Led by Jodie Masson and Leisha de Aboitiz, Massons has a high profile within the real estate industry and a sophisticated client base built on long-term relationships.

Massons advises on any legal issue relating to the acquisition, sale or ongoing management of commercial property. It is a rapidly growing firm, prioritising retention of the best people.

Massons delivers simple solutions for complex property projects.  The goal: making hard things look easy.

We pride ourselves on providing a high level of mentoring and development feedback throughout the program. Even if you do not continue with a career in property law, it is our intention to help you develop and grow during your time with us.

If successful, you would be working in the same location as our staff work. At the time of this advertisement, due to COVID-19 precautions, this is a combination of remote working (via an office supplied laptop) and in our offices in Sydney, on the beautiful waterfront at Jones Bay Wharf.  We hope that restrictions will ease for the clerkship period, so that we can also incorporate our usual business development and team engagement activities.

Massons aims to employ graduates straight from its paralegal and clerkship programs, rather than having a further graduate recruitment process. This ensures that our graduates are already advanced in their legal knowledge and skills, even before they complete their final “practical legal training” component of study and are admitted as lawyers.  Accordingly, a clerkship with Massons is a genuine opportunity to be considered for a long term paralegal or graduate role with our firm.

Application process

If you fit the above criteria, and would like to apply for a clerkship placement, please send your resume and academic transcript to property@massons.com by Friday 2 October 2020. Your application must also include a cover letter providing answers to the following questions:

1. Why do you want to take part in the 2020 Massons summer clerkship program?
2. What skills and attributes do you think that a lawyer working in a premium specialist law firm might need compared to a lawyer working in a more traditional multi-service law firm?
3. Having regard to your answer to question #2, why do you think you might be suitable for the Massons clerkship program?
4. Massons is a transactions-focused firm. Are you able to identify some of the ways our lawyers might add value to clients in commercial transactions? If you were a clerk at Massons, how would you see your role in supporting the lawyers to provide that value?
5. At Massons, we understand that our people are more than just the sum of their work history and their academic results. We value both diversity and well-rounded people. Can you tell us something about yourself that you think we might find fun or interesting (ie something that isn’t apparent from your resume and university results)?
6. Historically, Massons has been very privileged to have attracted a large number of exceptional candidates for our entry level positions. What is the one thing that you would like to say about yourself in closing that might make us prioritise your application above our other candidates?

If you like, you may also include a video of yourself which addresses the following question: “Tell us about your background, or one or more of your experiences to date, and how this has influenced your career goals”. All videos should be in MP4 format and be no more than 2 minutes long.

Key dates

Applications open	Monday, 14 September 2020
Applications close	Friday, 2 October 2020
Shortlisted applicants notified	Monday, 12 October 2020
Presentation and group interview session for shortlisted applicants	8am to 9am Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Second round interviews for final round applicants	Thursday, 22 October 2020
First round offers made by	Friday, 23 October 2020
Deadline for accepting first round offers	Friday, 30 October 2020
If not all first round offers are accepted, second round offers made by	Monday, 2 November 2020
Deadline for accepting second round offers	Friday, 6 November 2020
Clerkship commences	9.30am Monday, 23 November 2020
Clerkship concludes	5pm Friday, 18 December 2020
Clerkship feedback / debriefing	Thursday, 14 January 2021