Arnold Bloch Leibler’s track record of advocacy and solidarity with First Nations peoples has, over time, uniquely positioned the firm to attract First Nations candidates to consider our employment opportunities on offer.
We also take active measures to encourage applications from candidates who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. As a compelling part of our employment value proposition, our promotion materials and marketing activity at university law schools include detail of our public interest law work and our support in solidarity of First Nations peoples.
Arnold Bloch Leibler’s referral network is another channel for First Nations law students interested in pursuing a career with Arnold Bloch Leibler. This network is far-reaching and, amongst a broad range of contacts in the profession, clients and others, includes the deans of the leading law schools from which we draw our clerkship candidates and their faculty-based careers teams. We ensure that our network remains well-versed in our value proposition for First Nations candidates.
There are currently two First Nations-identifying staff members at Arnold Bloch Leibler. The AISN will continue to work with Human Resources and the Partners to improve this.
A significant driver of recruitment to legal positions at the firm is the clerkship program which results in graduate offers for penultimate year law students. In the most recent clerkship rotation, there were three applications from First Nations students. As is firm policy for First Nation applicants, all three applicants were granted an interview, with one receiving a graduate offer after the completion of the clerkship (however that offer was not accepted).
For broader context, over the last five years there have been six clerkship positions offered to First Nations students, with five offered graduate positions and three accepting and commencing as graduates.
We would certainly like these numbers to increase at both clerk and graduate levels, and across the other staff at the firm, and to introduce pathways or programs targeted to First Nations lawyers further in their career, and to other First Nations employment candidates, in addition to the work done at the clerkship level. In the coming year the AISN will work on a draft strategy to put to Human Resources and to the Partnership for their consideration with these priorities specifically in mind.
Interested in working at Arnold Bloch Leibler?
expressions of interest current vacancies
A report generated in 2020 found that only 0.8% of solicitors in Australia identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander.[1] A report by Melbourne Law School in 2019 found that only 8 students of its Juris Doctor program identified as Indigenous.[2] An article by the ABC notes that First Nations students made up just 2.06% of domestic university enrolments nationally, which was below population parity targets of 3.8%.[3] We acknowledge that the lack of First Nations lawyers arises from systemic failings of the legal profession and we acknowledge that the AISN has a responsibility within the firm to seek to challenge these failings.
In 2023 Arnold Bloch Leibler helped to establish the perpetual Leonie Thompson, Ray Finkelstein and Arnold Bloch Leibler Law Scholarship which supports high achieving students from First Nations and refugee backgrounds who are intending to enrol full-time in a degree or double degree in the Faculty of Law at Monash University.[4]
Launch of the Ray Finkelstein Scholarship
6 September 2023
We hosted a luncheon to celebrate the launch of the Ray Finkelstein Scholarship, which will support Indigenous and refugee students studying law at Monash University.
[1] 2020 National Profile of Solicitors - Final (lawsociety.com.au)
[2] Review-of-MLS-Indigenous-Studies-Programs-Final-Report-24.11.19.pdf (unimelb.edu.au)
[3] Boosting regional, poor and Indigenous university students goal of major higher education reforms - ABC News
[4] Leonie Thompson, Ray Finkelstein and Arnold Bloch Leibler Law Scholarship - Study at Monash; “Celebrity” attendance at ABL event in honour of Ray Finkelstein