Well, I thought I would contribute a bit. Bit of nostalgia being around here againnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
By way of context, graduated from high school in 2009, from uni in 2014, work at a mid-tier in Sydney (and my partner just quit his top-tier job). I work in insurance law. I clerked and gradded at my current firm. I was a paralegal during uni at the top tier (same place where my partner worked).
Is law as intense as they say? (in terms of hours of study each week, content or the like)
No, law students are just bigger drama queens (stereotyping a bit, we're generally all type A personalities). I consider every discipline to be difficult. Stick me in engineering or chemistry and I'd be fucked. The reason why law has a rap of being "hard" is because law students talk louder than most.
It is intense, but, in my view, no more intense than other subjects (well, maybe with the exception of Arts - I did both, and the difference was noticeable there).
What's the pass rate at USYD?
It's generally pretty hard to fail.
How'd you land the clerkship? (Connections, excellent resume/grades, luck?)
I can't speak for OP, but I will say, a combination of good marks, resume (including work experience and co-curricular experience), presenting well in the interview, and of course luck. Some firms use arbitrary "cut offs". Others don't. Apply to all, and don't buy into "oh, this firm uses cut offs, is my mark good enough, no, I won't apply". Apply to all, and you've covered your bases.
Are there any tips you can give in relation to maximising your chances in the recruitment processes for Linklaters and is prior experience in a legal firm essential to securing a job in the top firms?
Do well in law school, get decent grades, learn how to present yourself well on paper and in person. Know the legal market and business and industry. At the clerkship level, it's rare to get technical questions, but commerciality questions are fair game.
Do you regret chosing law?
I don't. I'm lucky to have a job. And I like my job, the work and the people.
But some do.
Why did you want to do law? And are those the same things that motivate you now?
I had always wanted to get into politics. I did a stint in politics, loved it, but it kinda wasn't for me. So law was it. Turns out, I'm fairly decent at it (or so I'd like to think/it's what I tell myself at night).
Things that motivate me now are that a lot of my colleagues are my friends. So that makes it enjoyable. And I enjoy the work.
What was your preparation like for the application process and interviews?
Resumes can be the same across all firms. Cover letters cannot be. And also answer the questions that are asked.
Interviews, just be yourself. That's super cliche, but it's good advice, particularly if you're an extrovert. I'm not, but at the same time, I can carry myself in most conversations. Interview questions fall into 5 distinct categories: motivation ("why do you want a job here? why did you pick commercial law?), resume based (tell me about X job or X society position or X sport), commerciality (what are some of the issues affecting one of our clients? tell me what you know about our firm?) and behavioural (give me a time when you exhibited X trait).
At the clerk level, no firm is going to ask you technical questions.
How did you spend the summer holidays (end of third year/start of fourth year) before clerkship season?
I went on holidays.
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Bit more background, I went to Go8, my average was a mid C (71 ish), but I had decent co-curriculars - state volleyball, swimming and national netball (men's netball, so a lot less good than girls'). Also did some stuff around uni.
Got clerkship offers at some Big 6 (incl where I paralegalled) and various mid-tiers.
BF went to Go8, had a 75 average. He had amazing co-curriculars - was a student politician and did nationals netball too. I think he got all the top tiers except maybe KWM.
What I'm getting at that marks are important. But not the be all and end all. But if your marks are around my level (mid C's), be prepared to have decent co-curriculars and a fairly social personality.
