Herbert Smith Freehills
Casual Paralegal, Planning and Environment (Start ASAP)
Brisbane
Opportunity expired
Opportunity details
- Part-Time Student Job
- AUD 76960 / Year
- Per hour rate is $38
- 1 vacancy
- Apply by 13 Nov 2023
- Start date ASAP
About the role
The successful candidate will be responsible for drafting monthly client alerts and managing large regulatory compliance manuals for clients. Legal research will also form a key part of this position, along with preparing presentations for internal and external seminars, drafting articles for publication, and assisting with Land Court and Planning and Environment Court appeals.
This is a 3-day per week position; however, this can be flexible to accommodate university timetabling and assessment. The start date for this position is late January 2024.
About the ideal candidate
The ideal candidate will:
- be in their second or third year of law at the time of applying and expecting to graduate no earlier than late 2025;
- have excellent drafting skills and high attention to detail;
- have excellent time management and prioritisation skills;
- have a law grade point average of at least 5.5 out of 7 (or equivalent);
- be enthusiastic and willing to learn; and
- be available to work in this position for approximately 3 years (transitioning to more senior paralegal duties as time progresses).
An interest in the environment and planning law is essential; however, no prior study in those areas is required.
Hiring criteria
- No experience required
- Australian Citizen +more
- Law, Legal Studies & Justice +more
- Bachelor or higher
Reviews
My role has, essentially, been to act as a sponge. Take in as much about the culture of the team and the firm as I do about the law and the work. My day to day responsibilities would include managing email correspondence and document management systems, doing drafting or proofing work, and helping out other Brisbane and interstate teams that are stretched with time intensive work in things like document review.
I am responsible as the junior lawyer on a range of matters that I have worked on since I started the graduate program. This allows me to develop client relationships and familiarity with the subject matter. My tasks include emailing clients updates, responding to client queries, amending contracts based on client or partner feedback and attending client meetings. As I have progressed in the graduate program, my responsibilities have increased at a rate that challenges me and allows me to grow.
Graduate role - tasks range from having a first go at reviewing and drafting documents, preparing pitch proposals to potential clients and assisting the team with document management when closing a deal.
About the employer
Herbert Smith Freehills
4.5
1,000 - 50,000 employees
Law
A leading global law firm delivering high-profile work that matters to our clients. We have the ambition to do things differently.
Pros and cons of working at Herbert Smith Freehills
Pros
Learning from the best. Everyone is super smart and invested in my career development. I have felt incredibly supported from day 1.
HSF has great people, great work, and great experience for anyone who comes here, especially for a graduate like myself.
The firm is really flexible with its work-from-home policy and benefits for employees who are required to work late.
The firm's culture is top-notch across the board, everyone from senior lawyers and partners to support staff are so willing to help each other.
The training and development at HSF is unmatched. Hands-on in a challenging environment where you have every opportunity to learn and grow.
Cons
Same as every top-tier firm, if there is a big deal you can be working longer hours. But the sense of achievement provides a lot of satisfaction.
There isn't anything that I can think of - it would be better if the firm invested more in graduate bonding/social events.
Long hours are a common experience in the industry and largely unavoidable given the client-centric nature of the work.
The fast-paced nature of the work means you don't always get to spend as much time as you would like on tasks.
As with all big commercial firms, work hours and pipeline can be unpredictable but that is the nature of working with big clients and transactions.