As law graduate hirings taper, what does a work day look like for newcomers?
Graduate hiring figures have plunged for the first time in years but firms still view them as intrinsic, so what does a work day look like for a grad in 2023? Watch the video.
Graduate hiring figures have taken a plunge for the first time in years after legal firms took precautionary measures to resist a potential recession and a subsequent slowdown in deals, offsetting a strong recruitment drive for freshly minted talent pre-pandemic.
The Australian’s Legal Partnerships Survey on Tuesday revealed graduate hiring numbers were down 6 per cent over the past six months; 1459 graduates were hired by the 50 firms polled.
Top-tier firm Allens hired three fewer than last year (117), Clayton Utz hired 10 fewer (68), MinterEllison hired 19 fewer (86) and Gilbert + Tobin hired 15 fewer (40).
Industry insiders have told The Australian some of the bigger legal firms chose to hold off on hiring large numbers of graduates because of warnings about inflation which would cause the deal pool to dry up.
Eaton Strategy + Search adviser Shaaron Dalton agreed, and said it was likely firms were easing off after strong recruitment of new lawyers over a few years.
“They have been hiring a lot more graduates over the last few years to make up for the situation we’ve had where there has been such a shortage of good quality mid-level lawyers, so a lot of firms upped their grad programs pre-pandemic and continued that throughout the pandemic,” Ms Dalton said.
“We’ve come off the back of quite a high grad recruitment period, so many firms may be making the adjustment back.”
King & Wood Mallesons was one of few firms that increased its hiring of graduates, jumping from 80 to 90 over the past six months. HWL Ebsworth hired 134 graduates after hiring a similar number last year, and Corrs Chambers Westgarth hired 77, which was six more than its previous intake.
Maddocks chief executive David Newman, whose firm consistently hires about 30 graduates per intake, told The Australian practices had an “obligation” to train the next generation of lawyers.
“We invest a lot of time and money and effort in our graduates, so to be able to bring a good number through that we can train and retain a lot of them is really valuable to us,” he said.
“We want to make sure they get a good experience.”
Mr Newman was adamant the firm did not alter the graduate hiring numbers up or down depending on work demand, because it was important to the firm to create a pipeline of lawyers for the future.
Asked what he looked for when hiring a graduate, Mr Newman said he wanted people who had a “genuine interest in the firm, care about what we do and are well rounded”.
“We want people who have shown in their schooling or university careers that they’re able to engage in activities and community beyond their studies,” he said.
“Whether they’re worked in certain roles, or participated in team sports, or been genuinely involved in volunteer activities for the community.
“Having a great academic background is great, but at the end of the day, as a lawyer you’re dealing with people, and you have to have skills from a broader experience.”
Graduate Jemima Stratton, who is in her second of three rotations at Maddocks, encouraged all law students to apply for a clerkship and a subsequent post-university role because “the best way to learn is to be thrown in the deep end”.
“You get to experience a few areas of law, and I’m a big believer that you don’t really know whether you like an area of law until you give it a try,” she said.
“Studying a subject at university is very different to actually doing it.”
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