Rigby Cooke Clerkship Application
Full-service commercial law firm where our people's expertise drives your success
Program Overview
- Criterion: Final year LLB or JD students - Criterion: Recently graduated candidates - Criterion: PLT commitment required - Criterion: Available to commence full-time in early 2026 - Criterion: Strong academic performance (transcripts required) - Criterion: Professional communication skills (covering letter assessment) - Mentoring: Support from day one with hands-on guidance - Development: Rotations across multiple practice areas - Development: Involvement in legal research, drafting, and case preparation - Development: Client meeting and court hearing exposure - Pathway: Opportunity to identify area of passion through rotations - Pathway: Graduate program leading to career progression
Locations
- VIC
Firm Values
- - Identity: Full-service commercial law firm with 180+ year heritage
- Melbourne-based
- - Identity: Adaptive firm continuously evolving across 1840s origins
- - Values: Client success through excellence across all legal areas
- - Values: People-first approach
- expertise and talent drive firm
- - Values: Commercial mindset delivering effective
- efficient outcomes
- - Culture: Collaborative open-plan spaces fostering partner access
- - Culture: Continuous collaboration embedded in office design
- - Culture: Values-aligned recruitment and talent retention focus
- - Differentiator: Mission-driven "Our People: Your Success" philosophy
- - Differentiator: 180+ years of adaptive change and resilience
- - Differentiator: Melbourne Central Tower collaborative workspace design
Awards & Recognition
- - Award: Commercial Law Firm of the Year – Melbourne (Legal Insider Award Winner) (2025)
- - Award: Best Lawyers in Australia – Six partners recognised across eight areas of law (2026)
- - Award: Best Lawyers in Australia – Andrew Hudson named Lawyer of the Year for Trade Law (2026)
- - Award: Best Law Firms Australia – Recognised in 5 areas of law in Melbourne (top 5% of firms) (2026)
- - Award: Doyle's Guide – Rhodie Anderson named preeminent lawyer in Leading Town Planning & Development Lawyers, Victoria (2024)
Community & Pro Bono
- Program: Refugee Legal - Focus: Refugee support and legal assistance - Initiative: Ongoing pro bono legal services - Impact: Regular support provided to vulnerable refugee populations - Partner: Refugee Legal - Program: La Trobe Law School Partnership - Focus: Legal education and academic excellence - Initiative: Prize sponsorship for Principles of Equity and Trusts - Impact: Supporting student achievement in core legal disciplines - Partner: La Trobe Law School - Program: La Trobe Law School Partnership - Focus: Legal education and academic excellence - Initiative: Prize sponsorship for Dispute Resolution - Impact: Supporting student achievement in dispute resolution skills - Partner: La Trobe Law School - Program: Community Engagement - Focus: Community empowerment and positive social change - Initiative: General community giving and pro bono work - Impact: Commitment to community benefit (specific outcomes not publicly available) - Partner: Various community organizations