A student review by MLS student David Minahan.

Using several clerkship guides,¹ I have compared the number of graduate positions with the number of clerkship positions at several law firms. I hope this will help my fellow law students understand their chances of getting a graduate position through different law firms’ clerkship programs.²

Of course, applicants’ prospects depend on several factors, such as their performance during their clerkship. Nevertheless, I think my comparison will be useful because it may help students approach the clerkship process with more realistic expectations.

The table below compares commercial law firms’ number of clerkship positions with their number of law graduate positions. Please note it only includes clerk and graduate intakes in Melbourne. For this reason, Clifford Chance has been excluded because they do not offer clerkships or graduate positions in Melbourne. 

In the last column, I have calculated the approximate clerk-to-grad ratio using the following formula: 

However, these percentages may not be completely accurate due to several factors, including:

• All positions are approximate and may be subject to change
• Many law firms have a range for the number of clerks and/or graduates they intend to hire (e.g. 90–100). For these law firms, I calculated the midpoint of the range (e.g. the midpoint of 75 to 85 is 80)
• Some firms’ conversion percentage may be lower because they might hire law graduates from outside the clerkship process. For instance, they may hire one of their paralegals
• Law firms have either provided graduate positions that were available for 2025–2026, or that will be available for 2026–2027. I have not made a distinction between these hiring years for simplicity

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COMPARISON OF CLERKSHIP & GRADUATE POSITIONS

A comparison of clerkship and graduate positions, with approximate clerk-to-grad conversion rates:

Law firms:	Clerkship positions (approx.):	Graduate positions (approx.):	Clerk-to-Grad Conversion Rate (%) (approx.)
Allens	75–85 (80)	30–35 (32.5)	40.6%
Arnold Bloch Leibler	40–45 (42.5)	20–25 (22.5)	52.9%
Ashurst	65	23	35.4%
Baker McKenzie	30–35 (32.5)	10	30.8%
Barry Nilsson	8–10 (9)	2–4 (3)	33.3%
Clayton Utz	40	15	37.5%
Cornwalls	9	4	44.4%
Corrs Chambers Westgarth	65–70 (67.5)	25–30 (27.5)	40.7%
DLA Piper	14–18 (16)	7–10 (8.5)	53.1%
Gadens	33–35 (34)	12–16 (14)	41.2%
Gilbert + Tobin	40–50 (45)	15	33.3%
Hall & Wilcox	30	15	50.0%
Herbert Smith Freehills	65–75 (70)	25–30 (27.5)	39.3%
HFW	8	3	37.5%
HWL Ebsworth	30	25	83.3%
Johnson Winter Slattery	16–20 (18)	5	27.8%
Jones Day	2–4 (3) (paralegals)	2–4 (3)	100.0% (paralegal program)
K&L Gates	18–20 (19)	8–10 (9)	47.4%
KHQ Lawyers	8	3–4 (3.5)	43.8%
Lander & Rogers	35–40 (37.5)	10–15 (12.5)	33.3%
Maddocks	40–45 (42.5)	12–14 (13)	30.6%
Mallesons	80–90 (85)	22	25.9%
Mills Oakley	20	8–10 (9)	45.0%
MinterEllison	50–60 (55)	TBC	TBC
MolinoCahill	12–14 (13)	3–5 (4)	30.8%
Norton Rose Fulbright	20–24 (22)	13	59.1%
Pinsent Masons	6–8 (7)	5	71.4%
Russell Kennedy	40	10–15 (12.5)	31.3%
Steinepreis Paganin	12	2–3 (2.5)	20.8%
Thomson Geer	12–14 (13)	8–10 (9)	69.2%
White & Case	18–20 (19)	16–18 (17)	89.5%

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LAW FIRMS

For those interested, below are rankings of law firms’ clerk-to-grad ratios, the number of graduate roles, and the number of clerkship positions.

Approximate percentage of clerks that law firms will take on as law graduates:

Rank	Firm:	Clerk-to-Grad Conversion Rate (%) (approx.)
1	Jones Day	100.0% (paralegal program)
2	White & Case	89.5%
3	HWL Ebsworth	83.3%
4	Pinsent Masons	71.4%
5	Thomson Geer	69.2%
6	Norton Rose Fulbright	59.1%
7	DLA Piper	53.1%
8	Arnold Bloch Leibler	52.9%
9	Hall & Wilcox	50.0%
10	K&L Gates	47.4%
11	Mills Oakley	45.0%
12	Cornwalls	44.4%
13	KHQ Lawyers	43.8%
14	Gadens	41.2%
15	Corrs Chambers Westgarth	40.7%
16	Allens	40.6%
17	Herbert Smith Freehills	39.3%
18	Clayton Utz	37.5%
19	HFW	37.5%
20	Ashurst	35.4%
21	Gilbert + Tobin	33.3%
22	Lander & Rogers	33.3%
23	Barry Nilsson	33.3%
24	Russell Kennedy	31.3%
25	Baker McKenzie	30.8%
26	MolinoCahill	30.8%
27	Maddocks	30.6%
28	Johnson Winter Slattery	27.8%
29	Mallesons	25.9%
30	Steinepreis Paganin	20.8%
31	MinterEllison	TBC

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NUMBER OF GRADUATE POSITIONS

Rank	Firm	Graduate Roles
1	Allens	30–35 (32.5)
2	Herbert Smith Freehills	25–30 (27.5)
3	Corrs Chambers Westgarth	25–30 (27.5)
4	HWL Ebsworth	25
5	Ashurst	23
6	Arnold Bloch Leibler	20–25 (22.5)
7	Mallesons	22
8	White & Case	16–18 (17)
9	Clayton Utz	15
10	Gilbert + Tobin	15
11	Hall & Wilcox	15
12	Gadens	12–16 (14)
13	Maddocks	12–14 (13)
14	Norton Rose Fulbright	13
15	Lander & Rogers	10–15 (12.5)
16	Russell Kennedy	10–15 (12.5)
17	Baker McKenzie	10
18	K&L Gates	8–10 (9)
19	Mills Oakley	8–10 (9)
20	Thomson Geer	8–10 (9)
21	DLA Piper	7–10 (8.5)
22	Johnson Winter Slattery	5
23	Pinsent Masons	5
24	MolinoCahill	3–5 (4)
25	Cornwalls	4
26	KHQ Lawyers	3–4 (3.5)
27	Barry Nilsson	2–4 (3)
28	Jones Day	2–4 (3)
29	HFW	3
30	Steinepreis Paganin	2–3 (2.5)
31	MinterEllison	TBC

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NUMBER OF CLERKSHIP POSITIONS

Rank	Firm:	Clerkship positions
1	Mallesons	80–90 (85)
2	Allens	75–85 (80)
3	Herbert Smith Freehills	65–75 (70)
4	Corrs Chambers Westgarth	65–70 (67.5)
5	Ashurst	65
6	MinterEllison	50–60 (55)
7	Gilbert + Tobin	40–50 (45)
8	Arnold Bloch Leibler	40–45 (42.5)
9	Maddocks	40–45 (42.5)
10	Clayton Utz	40
11	Russell Kennedy	40
12	Lander & Rogers	35–40 (37.5)
13	Gadens	33–35 (34)
14	Baker McKenzie	30–35 (32.5)
15	Hall & Wilcox	30
16	HWL Ebsworth	30
17	Norton Rose Fulbright	20–24 (22)
18	Mills Oakley	20
19	K&L Gates	18–20 (19)
20	White & Case	18–20 (19)
21	Johnson Winter Slattery	16–20 (18)
22	DLA Piper	14–18 (16)
23	MolinoCahill	12–14 (13)
24	Thomson Geer	12–14 (13)
25	Steinepreis Paganin	12
26	Cornwalls	9
27	Barry Nilsson	8–10 (9)
28	HFW	8
29	KHQ Lawyers	8
30	Pinsent Masons	6–8 (7)
31	Jones Day	2–4 (3) (as paralegals)

¹ I obtained the data from the 2026 clerkship guides of the Melbourne University LSS, Deakin LSS, Monash LSS, and La Trobe LSA:

• Link to University of Melbourne LSS’ clerkship guide: https://www.mulss.com/publications 
• Link to Deakin LSS’ clerkship guide: https://www.deakinlss.org/seasonal-clerkship-guide  
• Link to Monash LSS’ clerkship guide: https://monashlss.com/careers/clerkship-guide/ 
• Link to La Trobe University LSA’s clerkship guide: https://www.ltulsa.com/guides 

² In NSW, law students who complete a clerkship are generally offered a graduate law position at the same firm.