Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

My name is Sarah MacDonald and I was a Vacation Clerk over the 2021 – 2022 period. Whilst I was at university, I pursued various interests and work opportunities which were not related to the legal field. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, during the Vacation Clerkship application process, this experience counted just as much as my legal experience.

The clerkship application process

My work experience prior to coming to HSF as a Vacation Clerk was varied. During my university years, I worked as a legal secretary, legal content editor, freelance writer, paralegal and communications adviser at a rideshare startup and Instagram food blogger. Although these roles were very different, they all helped to develop different skills which would later come in handy as a lawyer – such as time management, organisation, client relationship management and clear communication.

During the Vacation Clerkship application process, I was surprised to find that my interviewers at HSF were genuinely interested in hearing about my non-legal experience. Instead of setting me back, the different interests I had pursued set me apart. During my first HSF interview,

I chatted with a partner about my favourite recipes to cook for my food blog and the café where I had worked in Tasmania before moving to Sydney (the partner had visited the café on a recent trip, and we both agreed on the best breakfast dish it sold).

Part-time client secondment

Following the Vacation Clerkship, I came back to the firm as a Graduate in March 2023. Through the Graduate program at HSF, you will complete three six-month rotations in teams across the firm. During my second rotation in the Employment team, I completed a two-month part-time secondment with a client. I spent two days at the client’s office each week, assisting their employment relations team. During the secondment, I had the opportunity to appear on behalf of the client in a Fair Work Commission conciliation – something which I did not expect to ever do, and certainly not as a one-year lawyer!

Through my secondment, I have developed key practical skills and a greater understanding of what clients want from their legal service providers. The benefit of taking on a part-time secondment is that you stay connected to your HSF team and continue to develop your practice group skills and HSF network.

I think that my various non-legal experiences prior to joining HSF as a Graduate helped me to enter a different workplace confidently and adjust to a new role quickly as a secondee. Never discount your experience, whatever it may be – people come to HSF from all sorts of backgrounds and with all sorts of skills, interests and experience.