By David Minahan
I have written this article to help law students better understand their prospects of getting a law graduate position through a particular firm’s clerkship program in Melbourne.[1] Of course, your actual chances of getting a graduate spot depend on your performance during the clerkship and what value you can bring to the firm. Your prospects will also be higher if some other clerks do not accept a graduate offer. For example, if they have accepted an offer with another law firm or are pursuing another opportunity.
Nevertheless, considering the approximate percentage of clerks who will receive graduate offers from a firm’s clerkship program may still be helpful when deciding whether to apply for or accept a clerkship position at that firm.
The table below compares commercial law firm’s number of clerkship positions with their number of law graduate spots. Please note this comparison only includes clerk and graduate intakes in Melbourne. For this reason, Clifford Chance has been excluded as they do not offer clerkships or graduate positions in Melbourne.
In the last column, I have calculated the approximate percentage of clerks who will secure a graduate position at the same firm using the following formula:
However, these percentages may not be completely accurate due to several factors, including:
- All positions are approximate and may vary year to year.
- Many law firms have a range for the number of clerks or graduates they intend to hire (e.g. 90–100). For these law firms, I have used the mid-point of that range (e.g. mid-point: 95) to best calculate their conversion percentage.
- Some firms’ conversion percentage may be lower because they might hire law graduates from outside the clerkship process, such as their paralegals.
- Law firms have either provided their graduate positions that were available for 2025, or that will be available for 2026 or even 2027. I have not made a distinction between these hiring years for simplicity.
Comparison of clerkship and graduate positions, with clerk-to-grad conversion rates:[2]
| Commercial law firms: | Clerkship positions (approx.): | Graduate positions (approx.): | Clerk-to-Grad Conversion Rate (%) |
| Allens | 90–100 (mid-point: 95) | 30–35 (mid-point: 32.5) | 34.2% |
| Arnold Bloch Leibler | 40–45 (mid-point: 42.5) | 15–20 (mid-point: 17.5) | 41.2% |
| Ashurst | 70 | 24 | 34.3% |
| Baker McKenzie | 30 | 10 | 33.3% |
| Barry Nilsson | 10–12 (mid-point: 11) | 2–4 (mid-point: 3) | 27.3% |
| Clayton Utz | 40–50 (mid-point: 45) | 15–20 (mid-point: 17.5) | 38.9% |
| Cornwalls | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 65–70 (mid-point: 67.5) | 25 | 37.0% |
| DLA Piper | 15–20 (mid-point: 17.5) | 7–10 (mid-point: 8.5) | 48.6% |
| Gadens | 35–40 (mid-point: 37.5) | 12–16 (mid-point: 14) | 37.3% |
| Gilbert + Tobin | 30 | 10 | 33.3% |
| Hall & Wilcox | 30 | 16 | 53.3% |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | 65–70 (mid-point: 67.5) | 25–30 (mid-point: 27.5) | 40.7% |
| HFW | 8 | 3 | 37.5% |
| HWL Ebsworth | 30 | 7 | 23.3% |
| Johnson Winter Slattery | 16–20 (mid-point: 18) | 5 | 27.8% |
| Jones Day | No given data | No given data | N/A |
| KHQ Lawyers | 16 | 3–4 (mid-point: 3.5) | 21.9% |
| King & Wood Mallesons | 90–100 (mid-point: 95) | 20–30 (mid-point: 25) | 26.3% |
| K&L Gates | 25–30 (mid-point: 27.5) | 10–12 (mid-point: 11) | 40.0% |
| Lander & Rogers | 30–33 (mid-point: 31.5) | 10 | 31.7% |
| Maddocks | 35–45 (mid-point: 40) | 10–14 (mid-point: 12) | 30.0% |
| Mills Oakley | 20 | 8–10 (mid-point: 9) | 45.0% |
| MinterEllison | 50–60 (mid-point: 55) | 25–30 (mid-point: 27.5) | 50.0% |
| MolinoCahill | 14–18 (mid-point: 16) | 3–5 (mid-point: 4) | 25.0% |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | 30 | 10–15 (mid-point: 12.5) | 41.7% |
| Pinsent Masons | 5 | 3–5 (mid-point: 4) | 80.0% |
| Russell Kennedy | 40 | 10–15 (mid-point: 12.5) | 31.3% |
| Steinepreis Paganin | 12 | 2–3 (mid-point: 2.5) | 20.8% |
| Thomson Geer | 12–14 (mid-point: 13) | 6–8 (mid-point: 7) | 53.8% |
| White & Case | 18–20 (mid-point: 19) | 16–18 (mid-point: 17) (positions Australia wide) | Indeterminable – they provided Australia wide graduate positions, not just positions in Melbourne. |
Rankings of law firms:[3]
Percentage of their clerks that will work for them as law graduates:
| Rank | Firm | Clerk-to-Grad Conversion Rate (%) |
| 1 | Cornwalls | 100.0% |
| 2 | Pinsent Masons | 80.0% |
| 3 | Thomson Geer | 53.8% |
| 4 | Hall & Wilcox | 53.3% |
| 5 | MinterEllison | 50.0% |
| 6 | DLA Piper | 48.6% |
| 7 | Mills Oakley | 45.0% |
| 8 | Arnold Bloch Leibler | 41.2% |
| 9 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 41.7% |
| 10 | K&L Gates | 40.0% |
| 11 | Herbert Smith Freehills | 40.7% |
| 12 | Clayton Utz | 38.9% |
| 13 | HFW | 37.5% |
| 14 | Gadens | 37.3% |
| 15 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 37.0% |
| 16 | Ashurst | 34.3% |
| 17 | Allens | 34.2% |
| 18 | Gilbert + Tobin | 33.3% |
| 19 | Baker McKenzie | 33.3% |
| 20 | Lander & Rogers | 31.7% |
| 21 | Russell Kennedy | 31.3% |
| 22 | Maddocks | 30.0% |
| 23 | Johnson Winter Slattery | 27.8% |
| 24 | Barry Nilsson | 27.3% |
| 25 | King & Wood Mallesons | 26.3% |
| 26 | MolinoCahill | 25.0% |
| 27 | HWL Ebsworth | 23.3% |
| 28 | KHQ Lawyers | 21.9% |
| 29 | Steinepreis Paganin | 20.8% |
| 30 | White & Case | N/A (provided Australia wide graduate positions, not just positions in Melbourne) |
| 31 | Jones Day | N/A (No data) |
Clerkship positions:
| Rank | Firm | Clerkship Positions |
| 1 | Allens | 95 (range: 90–100) |
| 2 | King & Wood Mallesons | 95 (range: 90–100) |
| 3 | Ashurst | 70 |
| 4 | Herbert Smith Freehills | 67.5 (range: 65–70) |
| 5 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 67.5 (range: 65–70) |
| 6 | MinterEllison | 55 (range: 50–60) |
| 7 | Clayton Utz | 45 (range: 40–50) |
| 8 | Arnold Bloch Leibler | 42.5 (range: 40–45) |
| 9 | Maddocks | 40 (range: 35–45) |
| 10 | Russell Kennedy | 40 |
| 11 | Gadens | 37.5 (range: 35–40) |
| 12 | Lander & Rogers | 31.5 (range: 30–33) |
| 13 | Baker McKenzie | 30 |
| 14 | Hall & Wilcox | 30 |
| 15 | HWL Ebsworth | 30 |
| 16 | Gilbert + Tobin | 30 |
| 17 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 30 |
| 18 | K&L Gates | 27.5 (range: 25–30) |
| 19 | Mills Oakley | 20 |
| 20 | White & Case | 19 (range: 18–20) |
| 21 | Johnson Winter Slattery | 18 (range: 16–20) |
| 22 | DLA Piper | 17.5 (range: 15–20) |
| 23 | MolinoCahill | 16 (range: 14–18) |
| 24 | KHQ Lawyers | 16 |
| 25 | Thomson Geer | 13 (range: 12–14) |
| 26 | Steinepreis Paganin | 12 |
| 27 | Barry Nilsson | 11 (range: 10–12) |
| 28 | HFW | 8 |
| 29 | Pinsent Masons | 5 |
| 30 | Cornwalls | 4 |
| 31 | Jones Day | N/A (No data) |
Law graduate positions:
| Rank | Firm | Graduate Positions |
| 1 | Allens | 32.5 (range: 30–35) |
| 2 | Herbert Smith Freehills | 27.5 (range: 25–30) |
| 3 | MinterEllison | 27.5 (range: 25–30) |
| 4 | King & Wood Mallesons | 25 (range: 20–30) |
| 5 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 25 |
| 6 | Ashurst | 24 |
| 7 | Arnold Bloch Leibler | 17.5 (range: 15–20) |
| 8 | Clayton Utz | 17.5 (range: 15–20) |
| 9* | White & Case | 17 (*Australia-wide) |
| 10 | Hall & Wilcox | 16 |
| 11 | Gadens | 14 (range: 12–16) |
| 12 | Russell Kennedy | 12.5 (range: 10–15) |
| 13 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 12.5 (range: 10–15) |
| 14 | Maddocks | 12 (range: 10–14) |
| 15 | K&L Gates | 11 (range: 10–12) |
| 16 | Baker McKenzie | 10 |
| 17 | Gilbert + Tobin | 10 |
| 18 | Lander & Rogers | 10 |
| 19 | Mills Oakley | 9 (range: 8–10) |
| 20 | DLA Piper | 8.5 (range: 7–10) |
| 21 | Thomson Geer | 7 (range: 6–8) |
| 22 | HWL Ebsworth | 7 |
| 23 | Johnson Winter Slattery | 5 |
| 24 | MolinoCahill | 4 (range: 3–5) |
| 25 | Pinsent Masons | 4 (range: 3–5) |
| 26 | Cornwalls | 4 |
| 27 | KHQ Lawyers | 3.5 (range: 3–4) |
| 28 | Barry Nilsson | 3 |
| 29 | HFW | 3 |
| 30 | Steinepreis Paganin | 2.5 (range: 2–3) |
| 31 | Jones Day | N/A (No data) |
Footnotes:
[1] Interestingly, in NSW, law students who complete a clerkship are generally offered a graduate law position at the same firm.
[2] I obtained the data from the 2025 clerkship guides of the University of Melbourne LSS, Deakin LSS, and La Trobe LSS:
- Link to the clerkship guide from University of Melbourne Law Student Society: https://www.mulss.com/publications
- Link to the clerkship guide from Deakin Law Students’ Society: https://www.deakinlss.org/seasonal-clerkship-guide
- Link to the clerkship guide from La Trobe University Law Students’ Association https://www.ltulsa.com/guides
[3] Midpoints were used where a range was given. Remember the same variables discussed above still apply (e.g. law firms may decide to hire outside the clerkship process, etc).
Purely Dicta 