Finlaysons Clerkship Application
Cross-sector expertise, national reach, advice you can act on
Program Overview
- Criterion: Penultimate and final year law students; recent graduates completing professional legal training; candidates seeking exposure to real work from day one - Mentoring: Buddy and coach assigned to all clerks; open-door culture; partner exposure through real work involvement - Development: Departmental or rotational options available; exposure to multiple practice areas for longer placements - Pathway: Clerks eligible for consideration in 12-month Graduate Program with multiple rotations - Program: Ad hoc clerkship and GDLP/PLT placement positions (4 weeks to 12 months); flexible dates negotiable; locations in Adelaide and Darwin
Locations
- SA
Firm Values
- - Identity: 150+ year heritage firm with national reach from Adelaide and Darwin bases
- - Identity: Cross-sector expertise spanning 12+ industries including defence
- energy
- resources
- - Identity: Long-standing client relationships through critical business milestones
- - Values: Practical advice you can act on under pressure
- - Values: Community engagement in legal and industry evolution
- - Culture: Relationship-driven approach to client service
- - Culture: Collaborative full-service model balancing cost and value
- - Culture: History of innovation and reinvention through challenges
- - Differentiator: Proven specialists resolving complex business challenges
- - Differentiator: Industry-focused expertise across agribusiness
- health
- defence sectors
- - Differentiator: Globally minded perspective from dual Australian bases
Awards & Recognition
- - Award: Best Law Firms Australia 2026 — 16 Tier 1 rankings across 24 practice areas
- - Award: Best Lawyers Australia 2026 Lawyer of the Year (Adelaide) — Kyra Reznikov
- - Award: Best Lawyers Australia 2026 Lawyer of the Year (Adelaide) — Michael Butler
- - Award: Best Lawyers Australia 2026 Lawyer of the Year (Adelaide) — Sam Burford
- - Award: Best Lawyers Australia 2026 Lawyer of the Year (Adelaide) — Will Taylor
- - Ranking: Best Law Firms Australia 2026 Tier 1 in Commercial, Corporate, Insurance, Litigation, Tax, Planning, Health, Construction
- - Ranking: Best Lawyers Australia 2027 — multiple practice areas
- - Ranking: Best Lawyers Australia 2024 — 24 individual lawyers recognised
- - Recognition: Recognised across agriculture, construction, corporate, health, insurance, litigation, mining, oil and gas, planning, tax, real property and trusts
Community & Pro Bono
- Program: National Pro Bono Target signatory - Focus: Pro bono service delivery - Initiative: Voluntary benchmark of 35 hours pro bono per lawyer per year - Impact: Standardised pro bono commitment across firm - Partner: National Pro Bono Target - Program: JusticeNet SA membership - Focus: Access to justice for low-income individuals - Initiative: Coordinated pro bono legal assistance for disadvantaged communities - Impact: Legal support for low-income individuals and community organisations in South Australia - Partner: JusticeNet SA - Program: Federal Court Referral Scheme - Focus: Public interest litigation - Initiative: Legal assistance for Federal Court proceedings - Partner: Federal Court of Australia - Program: Justice Reinvestment Working Group - Focus: Law reform and policy - Initiative: Participation in justice system reform and policy development - Partner: Justice Reinvestment Working Group - Program: Consumer protection pro bono - Focus: Consumer rights and protection - Program: Indigenous community legal support - Focus: Indigenous rights and community support - Program: NFP governance support - Focus: Not-for-profit sector - Partner: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Youthinc, Common Ground, Connecting Up - Program: Casual Friday giving program - Focus: Community support - Initiative: Monthly staff gold-coin donations to selected charities - Partner: Local sporting clubs and schools