SA law firm banned from charging graduates for jobs

AN Australian law firm looking to charge graduates $22,000 in exchange for their first job has been blocked from launching its “unique” program.

AN Australian law firm looking to charge graduates $22,000 in exchange for their first job has been blocked from launching.

Adlawgroup, an offshoot of established South Australian law firm WBH legal, had originally planned to launch its “unique program” earlier this year, but was stalled having to wait for the outcome of a review by the South Australia Law Society.

The would-be firm’s project manager said the group was confident the review would “demonstrate the soundness” and “provide potential employees with confidence” in the program, but things haven’t gone exactly as they’d hoped.

Correspondence from the Law Society last week told Adlawgroup its program was not consistent with an employment relationship and that its two-year paid training and employment program may not allow an employee to demonstrate a “continuous period of two years fulltime employment as an employed practitioner”.

South Australian law graduates are requires to undertake two years of supervised employment before being allowed to practice independently.

‘The future’ costs $22,000.

After facing criticism over the costly entry requirements into its program, Adlawgroup has revealed in the time it has been waiting for the Law Society’s verdict, partners of WBH Legal have been exploring the possibility of absorbing “most of the costs of participation themselves”.

But the review found the fee was not the only problem.

Adlawgroup spokeswoman Tina Hailstone told news.com.au it appeared the Law Society “has not fully understood the business model”.

She said the group’s principals will continue to engage with the Law Society, but could give no indication when or if the program would be launched.

The firm has earlier denied the project would be taking “an unfair or predatory advantage of a dire situation” to get new lawyers to “buy a job”. Rather, it was sold as a “direct response” to the current graduate job opportunity pool, where an oversupply of law graduates and an industry that hasn’t quite bounced back from the global financial crisis has led to a shortage of jobs for graduates.

Promising to provide a “unique opportunity” allowing new lawyer to “be given the opportunity to invest in their own future careers”, Adlawgroup received around 25 applicants before its ad was removed from job search site Seek after just one day.

The group says it’s responding to a problem ... and providing a ‘social justice’ service.

Ms Hailstone told news.com.au applicants were notified on Friday the program would not be going ahead at this stage.

“The sad thing is there have been a number of applicants emailing and asking have you had any progress yet,” she said.

“The opportunities for graduates aren’t there. The situation is getting worse and my view is this is an effect that you get when you turn professional education into a commodity.”

The figures indicate graduate employment is at an all-time low in the legal field, with around a quarter (24.7 per cent) of grads unable to secure fulltime employment within four months of finishing uni, according to Graduate Careers Australia.

Originally published as SA law firm banned from charging graduates for jobs