I was fortunate enough to clerk in the Corporate Advisory team in the summer of 2022, in a hybrid approach working both in the office and remotely online. With lockdowns at the time keeping us on our toes, Gilbert + Tobin leant into its vast technological experience to be able to ensure that I never felt left out, even when I was completing my clerkship from my room.
What to expect from the G+T application process
G+T stood out to me in their application process because the focus is on who you are as a person and your personality. Rather than undertaking psychometric testing, I found that the application process asked me questions about myself and allowed me to show off my strengths and skills that I had acquired outside the law classroom. The interviewers are genuinely interested in getting to know you, which made the whole process an enjoyable one, rather than nerve wracking.
The application process also included a one-on-one catch up with current graduates and lawyers which provided an opportunity to informally speak directly to those working here, allowing me to gain a better insight as to what made G+T the right fit for them, and helped me decide that G+T would be the right place for me.
During your clerkship
After three days of training online, I jumped straight into the Corporate Advisory team and found myself getting involved in real work from day one. As a clerk at G+T, I found that the team is actively invested in providing you real opportunities, and so I was able to work on prospectuses, mergers, drafting advice that would be provided to clients and more in the three weeks that I was with the team. I also found the work incredibly engaging largely due to G+T’s focus on high stakes commercial work.
Equally, the broad range of work each practice group undertakes, combined with the unique G+T flat structure, means I was able to see all different kinds of tasks. This allowed me to get a real sense of what about corporate advisory was of interest, as well as work with multiple different lawyers and partners directly.
Another highlight of the clerkship is the legal app innovation day. G+T highly prides itself on its innovation, and from your first day you’ll see how that’s integrated into the lifeblood of the firm. You spend one of your clerkship days learning to use app building technology, you’ll be presented with your own legal problem that you have half a day to build an app to solve, and then pitch it to the team here.
Lastly, I found everybody at G+T incredibly approachable, and always willing to get a coffee, answer any questions I had, and allowed me to really get involved. Nobody approached you as though you were an expert on the law, and it meant you were able to give it a go without fear.
Ultimately, the clerkship experience at G+T solidified my interest in commercial and corporate law, and provided me with a strong basis to really understand the culture and work that I’ve been experiencing as a graduate now here at G+T.
Parting advice
Clerkships are just as much an interview for you to assess whether you want to work here, as they are the other way around. My parting advice, as cliché as it may be, is to be yourself. Allowing your personality to show will help you stand out more in your application but will also help make sure that wherever you clerk is somewhere you will feel at home.