Traineeships
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO LIV SEASONAL CLERKSHIP AND TRAINEESHIP GUIDELINES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
There have recently been significant changes to the LIV Guidelines for Traineeship recruitment, in particular to the key dates.
Full details are available in the Important changes to LIV Guidelines document.
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Information on Articles of Clerkship / Supervised Workplace Training
As of 1 July 2008 Articles of Clerkship have been replaced by Supervised Workplace Training. As a student the changes are not too dramatic. The application process remains the same. The main difference is that the quality of training will be standardised across all firms. In some cases this will be a heavier burden on firms than Articles. Overall it will benefit graduates by ensuring that they all have the necessary skills and experience once they finish their graduate year. Further information on the new system is available on the Law Institute of Victoria website.
You apply for Traineeships over the summer preceding your final year of studies. For example, if you are doing your final year in 2010 and wish to do a Traineeship in 2011, you would apply over the period December 2009 to January 2010. Dates for the next round of applications are below.
Firms can open and close their applications whenever they like - usually in December and January. You must carefully check the firms' websites to ensure that you have the correct closing date for each firm.
The Law Students' Society Careers Guidebook is an excellent resource for Traineeship applications. Traineeship opportunities are also advertised on the Traineeship section of the Careers Office Employment webpage.
Many Victorian law firms are signatories to the LIV Guidelines 2010. These guidelines stipulate when firms can interview candidates for seasonal clerkships and traineeships and when they can make offers.
If you have successfully completed a Seasonal Clerkship with a firm during your penultimate year, that firm is able to make you a Priority Offer. This means that you do not have to interview for the position and you know of your success one month before the regular offers for Traineeships are made.
Key dates for 2010 (to commence a Traineeship in 2011):
| Applications open | December 2009 to January 2010 |
| Applications close | Around January 2010. (Varies from firm to firm.) Check the individual firms' website carefully |
| Priority offers made | 17 & 18 February 2010 |
| Interviews offered | 15 March 2010 |
Traineeship offers made | 12 April 2010 Offers are open for 24 hours |
The dates are detailed in the LIV Traineeship Guidelines 2010.
Further information on Supervised Workplace Training:
The Law Institute of Victoria website
LIV Traineeship Guidelines 2010
List of firms that adhere to the LIV Seasonal Clerkship and Traineeship Guidelines 2008
Michael Brett Young, CEO of the LIV, presented a seminar on the new Traineeships at the Law School on 6 August 2008.
The audio recording of the seminar is available here (choose the streaming and download formats then click open and follow the instructions in the pop up window).
The PowerPoint presentation is available here.