Great minds learn through experience
At Arnold Bloch Leibler, continuing professional development is part of our DNA. Our approach is founded on the principle that we never stop learning.
From your very first day, you will work alongside thought leaders in the profession on important and complex cases that will provide opportunities to flex your thinking, offer direct input and gain in-depth knowledge. Your opinions will be respected and you'll be given autonomy to progress matters. Your contribution will be valued and you will be supported in your personal and professional growth.
Our approach to your learning and development is underpinned by four key pillars:
Our Seasonal Clerk program
From day one, you will work alongside our teams on active matters and be given real responsibilities to see how we support our clients. We find the best way to make the most of your clerkship is to get you involved in matters in a meaningful way – and the most effective way to do this is to place you in one team, with a dedicated supervisor and buddy to get you involved in hands-on work from day one. You’ll be treated as part of the team and have the opportunity to make a real contribution. Of course, there will also be scope to try out taking on some work for matters outside of your allocated practice group, to ensure you explore all of the opportunities that exist at Arnold Bloch Leibler. While you will be placed in one team for your clerkship, our teams work together fluidly, and we work closely with our colleagues in our Sydney office.
Your clerkship will provide you with a unique insight into the experience you would have as a Law Graduate. You will quickly become immersed in our culture with the opportunity to work on active matters and be given real responsibilities. You will have direct contact with partners and clients in meetings, calls and court hearings. You will be invited to attend dinners with current Law Graduates as well as lunches with other practice groups across the firm. You will have the opportunity to experience a day with one of our clients, providing a unique opportunity to learn more about their work, why they choose Arnold Bloch Leibler and what they look for when they come to us for legal advice.
You will be allocated a supervisor and a buddy who will be your go-to support people for any questions that arise day-to-day.
Key dates
We offer three clerkship intakes that coincide with university holidays
- Summer One (November - December)
- Summer Two (January - February)
- Winter (June - July)
Victoria
- Applications open: Monday 1 July 2024
- Applications close: Sunday 11 August 2024
- Offer day: Wednesday 16 October 2024
NSW
Expressions of interest are available year-round. Apply here.
Application process
We require you to submit a covering letter, a copy of your CV and an academic transcript. The emphasis on a considered covering letter is critical. It is an opportunity for us to get to know you, how you are different, and discover why you would like to work at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
If successful, you will be invited to attend a 30-minute interview with two partners and a human resources team member. It is informal and positioned in a way for us to get to know you, figure out what motivates you and discover what you are looking for. It is a two-way dialogue, not an interrogation. Our interview process reflects the type of firm we are, and the value we place on your individuality.
Following your interview, you will be invited to have a coffee with one of our law graduates or junior lawyers. This is the time for you to ask questions about our culture, our work and your potential future with Arnold Bloch Leibler.
Great minds enjoy a challenge
At Arnold Bloch Leibler, our lawyers are exposed to a diverse range of clients and matters, and thrive off working on the most challenging and complex work in the market. This exposure enables them to build their expertise and legal and commercial acumen.
Our internal structure is different from our competitors. Our lawyers are trained to be ‘generalist specialists’ and are able to straddle a range of different legal problems, as opposed to only being specialised in a narrow field.
For example, you might choose to be a finance lawyer, working across corporate finance, property & development finance, restructuring and insolvency. In addition to your core finance work, you will also be exposed to broader commercial transactions like shareholders and joint venture agreements, equity transactions, fund management and financial services – instead of specialising in just one of these areas. In doing so, our teams maintain a client-centric focus.
This approach requires the ability to think differently – you need to cover more ground and be attuned to a broader range of issues. The feedback from our lawyers is that, whilst more challenging, the satisfaction that comes from achieving excellent outcomes for our clients is rewarding and propels their career at a faster pace than would otherwise be the case.
Seasonal Clerk experience
At Arnold Bloch Leibler we look for people who are seeking to contribute something extraordinary.
We value good grades and a sharp intellect as our work is complex and intellectually challenging – but our shortlisting process does not end there. We value life experience, lateral thinking, commercial acumen, resilience, imagination and a passion for the law.
We appreciate people who use initiative and can accept shared responsibility for their career development, with a willingness to learn and a sense of humour.
Want to what it's really like to work at Arnold Bloch Leibler as a Seasonal Clerk? Hear from some of our previous Seasonal Clerks below.
Dean Jarvis
2022 Seasonal Clerk
“Clerking at ABL is an incredible fast-track to experiencing what it is like to work as a lawyer in a commercial law firm. From the first day I was trusted with the autonomy to conduct my own research and draft my own letters on issues impacting both corporate and private clients, with support from the lawyers in my team always close at hand. I also got involved in several Public Interest matters and the ABL Indigenous Solidarity Network during my clerkship and appreciated that ABL places a strong cultural emphasis on helping those who need it most. The clerkship was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone thinking of applying.”
Omer Samuni
2022 Seasonal Clerk
“From day one on the job, I had the opportunity to work closely with partners on exciting matters and sit in on client meetings. I felt like I could contribute meaningfully to the work done and felt that my opinions really mattered within the team. I met and learnt from highly intelligent and successful people, not just in the team but also the wider firm, both professionally and personally. Overall, the clerkship was extremely fun and action-packed, combining a good amount of work with networking and other social opportunities.”
Stephanie Aitken
2021 Seasonal Clerk
“I joined the firm as an HR assistant prior to completing my seasonal clerkship, following this I had the opportunity to work as a paralegal in the commercial team, where I experienced firsthand the level of involvement from the partners in your development as a young lawyer. The opportunity to work with interesting entrepreneurial clients was a standout thing for me in my clerkship. And I really enjoyed that I was exposed to real client work from day one.”
Practice areas
Our services cover:
- Banking & Finance
- Competition & IP
- Corporate & Commercial
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Employment & Workplace Advisory
- Native Title & Public Interest Law
- Property & Development
- Restructuring & Insolvency
- Taxation
View our full list of established practice areas here.
Great minds have global reach
Our firm advises entrepreneurial family-owned businesses, ASX listed companies, private clients and international corporations. Our clients turn to us for advice and support on their most complex and high-stake legal matters and transactions, when strategic decisions and ‘out of the box’ commercial thinking is required.
With a reputation built on a long history of success, our lawyers are often at the centre of law reform and regularly advise on landmark matters. We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver innovative strategic guidance and solutions to protect our clients’ commercial interests, legal position and reputation.
We enjoy long-standing relationships with a select group of other professional advisors, including accountants, hedge funds, insolvency practitioners, private bankers and equity firms as well as overseas-based specialist law firms.
You will work on real matters and start to build relationships with real clients from day one. We believe this direct contact will set your experience apart from your peers' in the profession.
You can find out more about some of our clients and matters below.
ABL acts for ASX-listed Probiotec on its proposed acquisition by Indonesian-listed Pyridam
ABL advises Propel Group on sale of iconic Australian brands to Gina Rinehart's Kidman Group
ABL acts for AsheMorgan on largest office purchase of the year
ABL acts for Macquarie on investment into Ardonagh Group’s Australian business, The Envest Group
ABL advises National Veterinary Associates on sale of VetPartners to EQT Group
ABL acts for View Media Group on realestateview.com.au takeover offer
ABL acts for Harel on investment into small business lender, Lumi
ABL advises Gurner™ on major property acquisition in Sydney CBD
ABL acts for Neuren Pharmaceuticals on new licencing deal
ABL acts for Booktopia on successful capital raising and debt to equity conversion
ABL advises InstantScripts on $135 million sale to Australian Pharmaceutical Industries
ABL acts for Greening Australia in relation to its strategic partnership with CBA to expand native seed production
ABL acts for Chargrill Charlie’s and its founders on sale to Craveable Brands
ABL advises Votiro Cybersec on its latest $11.5 million venture capital raising
ABL acts for MPT on $1.2B hospital portfolio sale
ABL advises on Merricks Capital’s $465 million syndicated facility to finance acquisition of landmark Sydney CBD site
ABL advises on carsales.com's $500 million capital raising and $353 million acquisition of increased stake in webmotors Brazil
ABL advises ASX-listed Retail Food Group on its latest capital raising
ABL acts for View Media Group on $50 million investment by ANZ
ABL acts on HESTA’s $240 million investment into build-to-rent housing platform, Super Housing Partnerships
ABL advises Nufarm on its $950 million global refinancings
ABL advises View Media Group on latest proptech acquisition
ABL acts for ELMO Software on its proposed $486 million acquisition by K1 Investment Management
Contracts signed on two Time & Place development projects
Arnold Bloch Leibler advises Australian Community Media on large scale enterprise bargaining
ABL acts on the establishment of new Australian wagering business
ABL advises View Media Group on acquisition of The Today Business
ABL advises on the sale of a stake in Sydney’s Carlingford Shopping Centre
ABL acts for Honda on the sale of key Australian assets
Arnold Bloch Leibler advises on Supalai’s investment in $1 billion Smiths Lane project
Arnold Bloch Leibler acts for Insurance Brands Australia on sale to Steadfast Group
ABL advises on the establishment of private equity firm Arcus Partners
ABL advises Market Eye on sale to Automic Group
ABL advises AI software leader Elula on 25% investment from PEXA Group
ABL acts for Australian Way on joint venture with French headquartered Lagardère Travel Retail
ABL client wins ‘epic’ shareholder oppression case
Stage two of the $1.2 billion build-to-rent Caulfield Village development resumes
ABL acts for Oxanda Education on milestone sale of childcare centres
ABL acts on Melbourne’s Hotel Lindrum sale
ABL acts for Zip on $491m acquisition and latest capital raising
ABL advises City Harbour on $150 million sale of two Docklands offices
ABL advises Neuren Pharmaceuticals on $20m capital raising
Great minds celebrate difference
At Arnold Bloch Leibler, our approach and longstanding deep commitment to diversity and inclusion has been, and always will be a significant aspect of the firm’s culture.
Our aim is to be a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging and where individuality is respected, valued and harnessed.
We are committed to providing our people with equality of opportunity in realising their professional and personal aspirations while providing our clients with the very best outcomes. Our clients come to us recognising the value of innovative thinking. The level and quality of creativity we offer is a distinct by-product of our approach to diversity and inclusion.
Find out more
Great minds give back
Giving back to the community, by making a real and valuable contribution, has always been one of our core values. We have a stand-alone pro-bono practice group, which all our lawyers are given the opportunity to be involved with.
The firm engages with many not-for-profit and charitable organisations that are active in community, social, health, research, religious and environmental sectors.
The firm is deeply committed to indigenous constitutional recognition and reconciliation, with over a third of all pro-bono hours provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities.
This was recognised in 2017, when we were awarded the prestigious Lawyers Weekly Pro Bono Program of the Year for our unparalleled work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations. This was reconfirmed in 2020, when partner Peter Seidel was awarded the Lawyers Weekly Pro Bono Partner of the Year award for his extensive work in support of our public interest clients.
National Pro Bono Target
Giving back to the community has always been and will continue to be a core value at Arnold Bloch Leibler and the firm remains a proud signatory of the Australian Pro Bono Centre's National Pro Bono Target.
Last year, we acted for more than 200 public interest law clients and the matters we worked on varied from test case litigation to corporate governance, tax and commercial advice, as well as administrative law and contractual advice.
The 70.5 hours of pro-bono work carried out on average by our lawyers was almost double the national average of 39.7 hours for Large Firms, and more than double the National Pro Bono Target of 35 hours.
Peter Seidel
Partner, Public Interest & Native Title
“We view and utilise the law as an instrument of social justice. It is not simply what we do - it is part of our identity as a firm, valued and respected by our clients, partners and staff across the board. It’s in the DNA of each and every one of us at ABL.”
Bridgid Cowling
Special Counsel, Public Interest & Native Title
"ABL’s commitment is firm-wide and runs really deep - from the leadership provided by senior partner Mark Leibler, right through to the enthusiasm of our seasonal clerks, and across professional and support staff. The length and depth of relationships we build with our clients and the passion we put into our advocacy is unparalleled."
FAQs
How many clerks does the firm take?
To maximise the career-building opportunities for each clerk, we accept approximately 15 clerks in each intake.
Does the firm accept non-penultimate applicants?
Arnold Bloch Leibler is a proud signatory to the LIV guidelines for applications in Victoria. To ensure you are at a level that you can really get the most out of your clerkship, we only consider students in their penultimate year of study. In NSW, our preference is also for you to be in your penultimate year, however, you can apply at any time for a position in our Sydney office here.
How do I choose a department once I have secured a clerkship position?
Along with your offer, you will receive a practice group area preference form. Our human resources team will allocate you to a practice group based on your preferences and the needs of the firm.
Most clerks receive their first preference and if not, the human resources team will work closely with you to allocate you to another suitable group.
If I clerked in the Melbourne office can I apply for a graduate position in the Sydney office?
Yes, definitely. Many of our people either clerked or commenced their careers in one of our offices before relocating to our other office.