Sydney Summer Clerkship Program

Think Opportunity, Think Baker McKenzie!

Our summer clerkship program provides you with a genuine insight into life at Baker McKenzie – our work, our people, our development opportunities and our culture.

If you aspire to be an outstanding lawyer, your journey to a world-class commercial legal career begins here. Start with Australia's first global law firm and set yourself on the path to excellence. Kick-start your career with our world-class summer clerkship. Build your technical, legal expertise through our graduate program. Receive outstanding work and mentoring to become an expert in your field, as an associate.

What to expect

At Baker McKenzie, we understand that the transition from university to legal practice can be challenging. We provide our summer clerks with a comprehensive induction program, to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Our training program is designed to help you get the most out of your summer clerkship and set yourself up for success.

We consult with our summer clerks before they commence to understand the areas of practice in which they are interested in gaining experience. We structure our summer clerks' rotations according to these preferences, where possible.

In Sydney, our key practice groups are:

• Banking & Finance;
• Financial Services;
• Corporate Markets (including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets);
• Funds;
• Energy & Infrastructure;
• Commercial Real Estate;
• Construction;
• Dispute Resolution;
• Employment & Compensation;
• Commercial, Data, Intellectual Property, Technology & Trade; and
• Tax.

Most importantly, as a summer clerk, we want you to see what life is like as a graduate and junior lawyer at Baker McKenzie. Right from the start, our summer clerks get involved in real work. You will be exposed to our Australian and international clients through client meetings and shadowing, and other everyday activities within your assigned practice group (such as drafting correspondence, preparing court/transaction documents, drafting advices/agreements, legal research, document review, attending court/mediations, attending meetings with barristers/witnesses, attending settlements, and preparing client alerts). You will also have the opportunity to participate in pro bono files and community service initiatives.

Our summer clerks are guided by a supervising partner and enjoy the extra support of an experienced associate "buddy”. They also work closely with our lawyers of all levels. You will develop practical and legal skills through our national learning program and by attending Firm-wide sessions. Throughout the summer clerkship, our partners and associates run sessions on their areas of expertise too, specifically for summer clerks. 

Our various sessions throughout the clerkship will give you the chance to:

• build your network within the Firm;
• develop your legal knowledge and skills;
• learn about our practices, clients and Firm structure;
• hear about our global training and work opportunities; and
• learn about our Pro Bono and Community Service programs and Inclusion, Diversity & Equity initiatives.

We will also provide you with opportunities to network with colleagues around the Firm – through various social events with your buddy, our partners and our lawyers.

The majority of our graduate positions are offered to former summer clerks. We also offer our former summer clerks the opportunity to undertake paralegal roles with the Firm.

Application process

Applications open at 9.00 am on Wednesday, 11 June 2025 and close at 11.59 pm on Sunday, 6 July 2025. Offers for the summer clerkship program will be made from 9.00 am on Wednesday, 10 September 2025 and must be accepted or declined by 1.00 pm on Thursday, 11 September 2025.

To be eligible for a 2025/2026 summer clerkship position with Baker McKenzie, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or have the right to work in a full-time role in Australia from November 2025 to February 2026. You must also be enrolled in a law degree or equivalent which will qualify you for admission as a legal practitioner in Australia. At Baker McKenzie, our seasonal clerkship program is primarily aimed at students in the penultimate year of their law degree. However, final year students are also considered. Graduate offers will be made after the summer clerkship period to those who meet our performance criteria, for commencement in March 2027.

All applications should be addressed to Apolonia Mendel, Talent Management Consultant, and should include a cover letter, as well as details of your work experience, extra-curricular activities, interests and academic results. We do not require you to upload your CV, as the information from your CV is used to respond to the areas above. We also ask you to complete a few questions, particularly as our Firm does not use psychometric or other aptitude testing, group or individual assessments, or one-way video interviews as part of our overall assessment process.

Successful candidates will attend two interviews and will also be invited to an information and networking evening, which will be attended by partners and associates so that you can meet as many people from our Firm as possible.

For more information about our Sydney summer clerkship program, please contact Apolonia Mendel, Talent Management Consultant at apolonia.mendel@bakermckenzie.com or +61 2 8922 5201. In Sydney, summer clerkships will commence in late 2025 and conclude in February 2026. Each clerk will undertake two rotations.

What do we look for in our clerks?

Baker McKenzie looks for people who genuinely want to work with us and who understand Baker McKenzie's unique offering and position in the market. We look for well-rounded, motivated individuals who have a performance mindset and strive to be the best in whatever they do; who are intellectually curious and have sound academics; who display business acumen and are practical in their approach; who have a global mind-set; and who are passionately committed to service excellence. We look for people who enjoy a challenge and seek new opportunities; who constantly look for ways to achieve better results while learning and growing; and who take proactive ownership and responsibility for their careers. We also look for people who act with integrity, honesty and candor in their dealings, decisions and actions; who express themselves confidently while staying open to new ideas; who seek a friendly, inclusive and diverse culture; and who take seriously our role in making a difference to our local and global communities. We pride ourselves on our diversity too, and recognise that all of our people have something unique to offer and contribute to the success of the Firm.

To find out more about life as a clerk and graduate at Baker McKenzie, visit our Prosple pages: https://au.prosple.com/graduate-employers/baker-mckenzie-australia/graduate-stories.

Baker McKenzie is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture for all its employees, with equal opportunity for all to progress and have a meaningful career with our Firm. As part of our inclusive culture, we welcome applications from people of all genders (including if you identify as transgender or gender diverse), sexual orientations, abilities, cultural backgrounds, as well as First Nations peoples and people with caring responsibilities, neurodivergent lived experiences and disabilities. We want all applicants to be given the best possible opportunity to succeed in our recruitment processes, so invite you to let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to equitably participate in our recruitment processes or in performing the requirements of a role at Baker McKenzie.

We appreciate that everyone's needs are different. Please contact us so that we can work with you to best support you in our recruitment processes. We are happy to share accommodations we've made in the past and are keen to work with you personally, to set you up for success.