Alison Gurr, Seasonal Clerk, Canberra

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer clerkship experience with Mallesons in Canberra. Mallesons went to an enormous effort to provide us with a fantastic learning experience. We were assigned young lawyers as buddies, provided with regular (and very interesting) training sessions and given our very own offices (complete with computers, phones and plenty of stationery)!

During my rotations in Mergers and acquisitions and Dispute resolution, I had the opportunity to work with a number of different lawyers on a wide variety of tasks. In Mergers and acquisitions I was exposed to areas of law which I had not studied in much depth at University. I never thought that I would enjoy commercial and corporations law, but I found myself pleasantly surprised! In Dispute resolution, I researched an enormous range of issues and was given the opportunity to attend court, draft letters and legal advice.

For me, the highlight of my clerkship experience was the people I worked with. Other lawyers generously spent hours explaining tasks, giving me background into unfamiliar areas of law and providing useful feedback. My summer clerkship also involved a number of social events! Christmas parties, after-work drinks, lunches, birthday morning teas and chats around the coffee machine made my two months even more enjoyable. Overall, the clerkship provided me with the opportunity to gain practical legal skills and cemented my desire to become a lawyer.