Herbert Smith Freehills

Don’t try and be what you think the firm wants you to be, because at HSF there’s no ‘mould’.

Tell us about yourself?

My name is Ellen and I’m a 2021 Graduate at Herbert Smith Freehills. I have a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Law and Society and English and Cultural Studies, and I’m just about to graduate from UWA with a Juris Doctor. I finished my Vacation Clerkship in February 2019 after rotating through the Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety team. After my Clerkship, I was given the opportunity to help out as a Paralegal.

Can you describe a typical day as a clerk at HSF?

My typical day as a clerk in the Employment team involved arriving at 8:15am clutching my Mary Street Bakery coffee. I’d walk around the office and have a chat before visiting my buddy to see how I could help out. My team kept me busy with all sorts of things, from tagging along to court, to drafting advice for real clients. Before I knew it, it was lunch time. We’d often have an interesting presentation at lunch time, which was great because the kitchen provided us with the yummiest food! I’d then do a couple more hours of work before grabbing the occasional coffee with a grad to ask for some of their words of wisdom. Come 5:30pm, it was time to head home and relax! 

What piece of advice would you give someone considering a role at HSF?

It’s way overplayed, but it’s overplayed because it’s true — just relax and be yourself. Being yourself is the best possible way you can assess whether HSF is for you. Don’t try and be what you think the firm wants you to be, because at HSF there’s no ‘mould’. The firm doesn’t want you to be like everyone else, that just makes for a boring and inefficient workplace. I was really surprised how diverse everyone in my clerkship group was —extroverts and introverts, people from all different unis, people who had switched over from science degrees, and even one guy who was previously a musician! Really the only uniting quality between us is that we were all stoked to be there. In short, open up and let people see who you are — being genuine is one of the best qualities you can have.

How has your experience, background & skills outside of your legal skills, helped you contribute as a grad/clerk?

I spent a lot of time in retail while I was studying, and you wouldn’t believe how well customer service skills translate into your clerkship. Those active listening skills you’ve honed from years of being bombarded with complex orders? They’re great when you’re taking instructions from your supervisor (hot tip: repeat your instructions back to your supervisor after you’ve received them, just like they do with your order at McDonalds). What about all those times a customer lost their receipt and you had to trawl through hundreds of invoices in the system to find it? That kind of attention to detail comes is essential when you’re proof reading important submissions. Even those times you had to explain that someone’s order would take 15 minutes to fulfill because you’re busy — setting expectations and keeping your co-workers informed about your capacity is a crucial skill. Basically, you’d be surprised just how much skills you’ve learnt from your part time job help set you up for success on your clerkship!