Important Changes to the Law Institute of Victoria's Seasonal Clerkship and Traineeship Guidelines
Please Read Carefully:
There have recently been significant changes to the LIV Guidelines for Seasonal clerkship and Traineeship recruitment, in particular to the key dates. This change was initiated by law firms who are signatories to the Guidelines. Victorian Law Student Society representatives were involved in the consultations and also support the changes.
Ultimately, the changes will benefit students and make the process a lot more transparent. One of the key benefits to students is that they will no longer have to apply blindly to firms unsure of whether firms are actually offering any places over and above priority offers. Under the new Guidelines, priority offers will be made first, and firms will then open applications to the open market – a significantly more transparent process. Students will also have one more semester of marks to present to employers.
The new Guidelines push back the recruitment by 6 months. Under the current system penultimate year students apply for seasonal clerkships in March and undertake them in July (Winter) and December of their penultimate year and January of their final year. Under the new system, they will apply in July/August of their penultimate year and undertake the clerkships in December (of their penultimate year), January and July of their FINAL year. Applications for Traineeships will follow after the July (Winter) clerkship in the final year. Offers will be made around October to begin a Traineeship in the following February/March.
Next year will be a transition year and as a consequence there will not be any Winter clerkships. There has been some anxiety among students that throughout the transition they will have reduced opportunities to undertake clerkships. This, however, is not the case. While there will not be a Winter clerkship offered in 2010, those penultimate year students will have the opportunity to do a Winter clerkship in 2011, their final year.
2009 penultimate year students undertake their Winter clerkship in July 2009 (of their penultimate year)
2010 penultimate year students will undertake their Winter clerkship in July 2011 (of their final year)
So going forward, even through the transition period, students will still have 3 opportunities to do a seasonal clerkship.
Current schedule (2009 LIV Guidelines)
2009 Penultimate year students applied for seasonal clerkships in March 2009
They can do a clerkship in July 2009, December 2009 and January 2010
They apply for a Traineeship over the December 2009/January 2010 holiday period
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2011
Transition schedule (2010 LIV Guidelines)
Student who will be in their final year in 2010 will apply for Traineeships for 2011 over the December 2009/January 2010 period
2010 Penultimate year students will apply for seasonal clerkships in August/September (offers made on 13 September 2010)
Students can do a clerkship in December 2010, January 2011 and July 2011 (final year)
They apply for Traineeships in August 2011 (directly after completing their Winter clerkship)
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2012
New Schedule (2011 LIV Guidelines)
2011 Penultimate year students will apply for seasonal clerkships in August/September
Students can do a clerkship in December 2011, January 2012 and July 2012 (final year)
They apply for Traineeships in August 2012 (directly after completing their Winter clerkship)
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2013
The Careers Office has arranged for the Law Institute of Victoria to visit the Law School on Thursday 20 August at 1pm in G08 to present a seminar on the Guidelines and the new schedule. Please make an effort to attend this session so that you are clear how the changes may affect you. The seminar will be iLectured and will be available from the Careers Office website.
The changes may affect some students’ course plans, particularly if you are planning to do an exchange. The Student Centre is able to help students if they need to check their course plan or make changes. You are also welcome to meet with a careers consultant to discuss your particular situation in detail.