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Baker McKenzie

At Baker McKenzie we are different in the way we think, work and behave. Like no other law firm, we were born global.

Baker McKenzie has been thinking globally in Australia for over 50 years. In 2014, we opened our Brisbane office making our Australian practice the fourth largest in our network of 75 offices with more than 85 Partners and 231 lawyers across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In Australia, we act for leading multinational and domestic companies on market leading local and global transactions.

Founded in 1949, Baker McKenzie is one of the world’s largest law firms by markets, revenue and headcount. We offer clients and talent the uncompromising commitment to excellence expected of a leading firm and a distinctive way of thinking, working and behaving as a passionately global and genuinely collaborative firm.

We understand the challenges of the global economy because we have been a global law firm from the start.

Our Clerkship Program

Right from the start, our clerks get involved in real work after completing a 3 day intensive induction and training program to set you up for success. You will be exposed to our Australian and international clients through client meetings, shadowing, research and other everyday activities within your assigned practice group.

Our clerks work closely with other lawyers, are guided by a Supervising Partner and enjoy the extra support of an experienced Associate “Buddy”. You will develop practical and legal skills through our national learning program and by attending workshops specifically designed for clerks, as well as Firm-wide sessions.

In Sydney, the Summer Clerkship Program runs from late November to mid-February each year with clerks completing two rotations.

Our Graduate Program

Our Graduate Development Program normally commences with a 5-day Legal Intensive Program with the College of Law followed by our onboarding program to set you up for early success. Over the course of the program, graduates gain experience in multiple practice groups to gain exposure in both litigious and transactional work before they join a particular practice group as an Associate. You will be assigned a Supervising Partner and an Associate “Buddy” in each rotation to oversee your on-the-job and formal learning.

Develop globally

At Baker McKenzie, we have a deep commitment to development. In each rotation, we work with each graduate to set goals and create a tailored development plan. To help you reach your goals, we provide targeted learning opportunities — from seminars on core legal topics to practical skills development in areas such as communication, drafting and presenting.

We work hard to facilitate on-the-job learning and the many ways it happens — through informal mentoring relationships, client secondments, involving graduates in global teams working on international deals or supporting them to run their own files for our award-winning Pro Bono Program.

We also bring graduates from our Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane offices together to help our people foster networks across the Firm, and support professional development by covering the costs of Practical Legal Training.

The Firm has a weekly Learning Newsletter which advertises ongoing development opportunities that you can sign up to (as well as Social, Diversity and Pro Bono events) across our Asia Pacific region.  You can also expect to be invited to our annual Junior Legal Learning Intensive Program and ongoing Junior Lawyer Cornerstone events. 

We invented the global law firm. And we remain a Firm where we have local expertise, worldwide. Our international outlook allows our people to work across multiple geographies with clients and colleagues. We are committed to engaging with our communities in the places we work and to the sustainable success of our clients and people. Being part of Baker McKenzie means being part of a truly multi-cultural firm united by a genuine and robust culture of friendship. Once graduates complete their Graduate Program, they are able to apply to travel oversees to another Baker McKenzie office and do a secondment.

In addition, the Firm offers opportunities for lawyers at varying stages of their career to work directly for clients or with our other offices in the Asia Pacific region.

What does the Firm look for?

We look for people who enjoy a challenge and seek new opportunities; who share our global perspective; who have sound academics and are practical in their approach; who like taking responsibility and getting things done; who express themselves confidently while staying open to new ideas; and who seek a friendly and inclusive culture that strives to make a difference to our local and global communities.

Thrive in a culture of inclusion

Quality and excellence along with team work, integrity and responsiveness are central in delivering outstanding service to our clients, as you would expect in a top tier law firm.

The values that make us a unique and great place to work are deeply embedded and you will notice our difference in all of your interactions with us, in Australia and across the globe.

  • We are passionately global, and leverage our global expertise for our Australian and global clients at every opportunity, recognising our strength is in our diversity.

  • We have a strong culture of friendship and inclusion, and an egalitarian and collaborative working style.

  • We are commercial pragmatists who make complex issues simple for our clients and we focus on our clients’ business needs.

  • We strive to stay ahead of the curve and encourage entrepreneurship.

  • We actively encourage and support contribution to the community, through our pro bono and community service programs.

Our award-winning diversity strategy, initiatives and programs are focussed in four areas, in which all our people can participate:

  • BakerWomen – Gender equality and supporting the progression of women

  • BakerDNA – Ethnic, indigenous and cultural diversity

  • BakerWellbeing – Building a positive work culture, supporting carers and parents, employee wellbeing and workplace flexibility

  • BakerPride + Allies Australia – Creating an inclusive workplace for all LGBTI – Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex diversity employees.

  • Baker Indigenous Engagement – Progressing reconciliation and increasing engagement with the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders and implementing Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Our key areas of practice include:

  • Banking & Finance

  • Capital Markets

  • Commercial Real Estate

  • Construction

  • Dispute Resolution

  • Employment

  • Energy, Resources and Infrastructure

  • Environmental Markets

  • Financial Services & Structured Transactions

  • Insolvency

  • Intellectual Property

  • Media

  • Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Private Equity

  • Tax

  • Technology, & Communications

For more information, visit the Baker McKenzie website here.