Law Week (1 Viewer)

[hfis]

Seeing as this forum seems to have died over the last few days, I thought I'd bring it back to life in time for Law Week. As an aside, I never knew that it existed until just a few days ago.

So what is 'law week', aside from an excuse for law students and practitioners to get incredibly drunk and play blackjack? According to the Law Society of NSW,

Law Week is a national event that promotes greater understanding of the law, the legal system and the legal profession within the community and improves access to members of the legal profession, courts, police and legal and government service providers.

Wow! Now my drinking has a purpose!

Law Week starts on Monday 27th March (that's this Monday), and will be heralded by the launch of the book Why Should I?, a childrens book which the Law Society describes as 'a fun way to learn more about the law'. I'm hoping that they're not lying, otherwise I'm absolutely fucked for my administrative law exam this session; I don't see the point in buying a huge thick textbook with no pictures when I can buy this for just $19.95. I save time and money this way, which is what law reform is all about, isn't it?

Not to be outstripped by the Law Society, the Supreme Court of New South Wales has also decided to join in on the festivities by launching a quiz on the history of the Supreme Court. It's a good little distraction, though I only got 12/20. I guess I'm just not cut out to be the next CJ

So (somehow) get involved this Law Week! Actually do your prescribed readings! Buy a copy of Why Should I! Hell, get a few mates together and toast Gleeson CJ repeatedly with a case of cider: he demands it!

 

[santaslayer]

No.

Go to the Law Careers fair and get some freebies!!!

Held at Darling Harbour.

Or UoW if you want.

 

[MaryJane]

I second the law careers day at Darling harbour - thats where I get my stationary for the year!

... And you get really helpful advice. Really. If you're lucky enough to find a graduate who isnt too hyped up on the lollies they are handing out, like that...um... It begins with a "g" and they had the lifesaving display this year... Maybe Gardeners or something? They annoy me every year.

Spoke to a really nice person from G&T (Gilbert and Tobin, perhaps? I just kept thinking of gin and tonic! ), and Allens give you 18 months to accept a graduate position so you can travel which I think is an excellent idea!

/end off topicness and total lack of contribution to thread

 

[Frigid]

... And you get really helpful advice. Really. If you're lucky enough to find a graduate who isnt too hyped up on the lollies they are handing out, like that...um... It begins with a "g" and they had the lifesaving display this year... Maybe Gardeners or something? They annoy me every year.

i take back all the niceties i've ever bestowed on Gadens coz one of their ex-summer clerks was being an uptight bitch to me after i mentioned i was a "third year".

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Not to be outstripped by the Law Society, the Supreme Court of New South Wales has also decided to join in on the festivities by launching a quiz on the history of the Supreme Court.

From that page, "Please do not hesitate to contact the Court if you have any queries or concerns about the quiz."

Anyone else find this just a little bit odd? Can you imagine the conversation -

Operator: Good morning, Supreme Court registry.

Student: Yes, I have a few queries regarding the online quiz.

Operator: ...

Student: Firstly, regarding question seventeen. Is it not the case that, historically....

 

[MaryJane]

i take back all the niceties i've ever bestowed on Gadens coz one of their ex-summer clerks was being an uptight bitch to me after i mentioned i was a "third year".

Gadens! Thats it! Ta Frigid

I got that treatment too. They are really excited to talk to you until they realise that you're only third year. We have just as much right to be there as everyone else! Clayton were *so* rude, so I just took one of their crappy bags and left. And I didnt like the idea of the colour-coded stickers.

 

[Frigid]

i asked the lovely Ms Justine Allen, HR of the lovely firm Henry Davis York, why some of the firms were so cold against the green-stickered third years. she said that, under the common terms of the clerkship program, summer clerkships are only awarded to those with 2 to 4 semesters til graduation. as true as that is, i can graduate in 4 semesters (by the middle of the year) if i keep up my overloading.

moreover, i would like to put it to myself this way:-

Simmons & Simmonshttp://www.simmons-simmons.com - full service, international firm, 1971 staff, 217 partners, 20 offices

Gadens Lawyers - property, finance and a few other areas, local firm, not even top-tier, 983 staff, 116 partners, 7 offices.

if the HR people at the top international firms can treat me with a decent level of respect, i don't understand why a 'progressive' mid-tier local firm cannot.

in other words, those who are third years today will be penultimates tomorrow.

 

[santaslayer]

It depends heavily on the represntative you speak to as well. Gadens were exceptionally nice to my friend and I when we told them we were first years. (This is true, went to careers fair when we were in first year...overly enthusiastic)

 

[charlie_charlie]

Or in the case of second years, don't even pretend you're there for anything else but the freebies. they tend to be quite pleasant to you then, and even some of reps of the firms even deigned to speak to us.

 

[MaryJane]

Apparently there was a clerkship stuffup last year, which resulted in a heap of third years from MQ getting clerkships at places like Claytons and HDY. They "underbooked" or something (believing that the demand would be as high as other years), but students accepted positions at different firms, and so other firms were left high and dry! It would be nice if that happened again this year (but I'm going overseas for 3 weeks in Jan, which is quite inconvenient to any possible prospects)...

The guy who came first in property law (land law to your darling USYD students) was offered 7 clerkship positions just because he came first. Or so my friend who knows alleged property law king says...

 

[erawamai]

I second the law careers day at Darling harbour - thats where I get my stationary for the year!

Top gifts were

1. The Corrs bag. That was just choc full of goodies.

2. The shoulder bag from Claytons.

3. Phillip Fox mug

4. G+T sharks.

... And you get really helpful advice. Really. If you're lucky enough to find a graduate who isnt too hyped up on the lollies they are handing out, like that...um... It begins with a "g" and they had the lifesaving display this year... Maybe Gardeners or something? They annoy me every year.

Gadens seem nice. Sure they aint top teir but the feeling is that that they don't require you to be g8 and have a D average or above. Greatly encouraging that one of the lifeguards (unsw) told us he made it in with a wam of 72.

Allens give you 18 months to accept a graduate position so you can travel which I think is an excellent idea!

I think allens is almost out of most peoples league. Unless you are well into honours average.

 

[El Misterio]

I think allens is almost out of most peoples league. Unless you are well into honours average.

It depends what you mean by "most peoples' league". You'll want to be on or close to and honours average to have a good chance at any of the top-tiers, particularly Mallesons, Allens, Freehills and Clayton Utz. But there are always exceptions. And the general opinion around the marketplace seems to be that (while still of course looking for high achievers) AAR places less stress on marks alone than several other firms.

Apparently there was a clerkship stuffup last year, which resulted in a heap of third years from MQ getting clerkships at places like Claytons and HDY. They "underbooked" or something (believing that the demand would be as high as other years), but students accepted positions at different firms, and so other firms were left high and dry! It would be nice if that happened again this year (but I'm going overseas for 3 weeks in Jan, which is quite inconvenient to any possible prospects)...

The rumours that fly around about clerkships always make me laugh. The firms make one round of offers to however many people they've selected. Numbers will go up and down year to year, but there are no 'second round' offers, and no firms make offers to people who don't fall within the set criteria (i.e. 2 to four semesters to finish), because they'd be in breach of the programme if they did. Nor, as far as I'm aware, are such people even entitled to apply. Furthermore, I very much doubt that there were more than a handful of Macquarie people at either of the firms you mentioned.

The rumours I heard for last summer were about another (top-tier) firm having to make second-round offers - that wasn't true either, although their numbers may have been a little down from usual.

Don't believe everything you hear... in fact, when it comes to other law students talking around campus, you'd be well advised to believe very little... for instance:

The guy who came first in property law (land law to your darling USYD students) was offered 7 clerkship positions just because he came first. Or so my friend who knows alleged property law king says...

Nobody gets offers "just because" of any one thing. And it's called Real Property at Sydney (although Professor Butt's book is called Land Law).

 

[santaslayer]

Real Property sounds gay.



EDIT: I haven't done any Property so the word "Real" may or may not have any significance. I may look stoopid now.

EDIT 2: El Misterio, what's taking you so long in completing your double degree? Are you employed fulltime in a firm?

 

[erawamai]

It depends what you mean by "most peoples' league"

'Most peoples league' means the great majority of people who are below a D average that may be required to work at one of the big 6.

 

[ManlyChief]

EDIT: I haven't done any Property so the word "Real" may or may not have any significance. I may look stoopid now.

No, you don't look stupid ... you only sound stupid

Just kidding, seriously.

 

[Bractune]

Just a thought, i wanna do Law at Uni but dont know which uni to go for. So can you guys help me out.
Of course you can
Peace out

 

[wheredanton]

Just a thought, i wanna do Law at Uni but dont know which uni to go for. So can you guys help me out.
Of course you can
Peace out

Look at the 500000000000 threads on the topic already made.

 

[santaslayer]

Just a thought, i wanna do Law at Uni but dont know which uni to go for. So can you guys help me out.
Of course you can
Peace out

UoW4Lyf

UoW4EVA

 

[melsc]

Just a thought, i wanna do Law at Uni but dont know which uni to go for. So can you guys help me out.
Of course you can
Peace out

No one can make that decision for you, you need to look at it from your perspective and needs. Look at location, course structure, course options, what UAI you expect etc...

I basically chose my uni for a few reasons:
1. I knew I wouldn't make the cutoff for Syd or NSW but UWSs cutoff was more realistic for me
2. Course, it was the only uni that offered the Social Science (Criminology)specialisation I wanted to do (with a law degree)
3. Location, either campus is 20 mins drive from my house and the only expense it petrol and parking ($50 per year) I also chose it over Uow and others because I didnt want to travel to o far or move out of home.
4. Scholarship
Before I decided I went to the uni open days and talked to the staff about all entrance options and course structure as well as things like competitions and PLT. I also browsed the websites and the uni subforums on here, I even asked students about the course from here. In the end I had a few options which I would have liked, lucky for me my UAI made the final decision.

You need to think about all these things and more on your own, go to open days, open the websites and read about the courses, talk to employers and lecturers if you want, but don't expect others to tell you what to do.

I'll quote something here I said in the Legal Studies forum, its basically where u can study law, the cutoffs, how to get in if you miss out etc... but the rest you need to look into either online or at open days.

.

1. Normal entry (CSP/HECS places), the cutoffs range from (according to last years cutoff) 99.55 - 83, I'll list the cutoffs from highest to lowest:
USYD - 99.55
UNSW - 99.20
UTS 97.0- 98.3
MAQ 95.55 - 96.55
ANU - 96.5
La trobe 95.5
newcastle - 93.80
CSU 90.0
UOW - 91.0
Canberra - 90.1- 91
UWS - 85
UNE - 83.0

2. Full fee places, some uni's offer full fee spots, which is where you pay the full fee rather than having the goverment pay part of your payments in return you get in for a lower cutoff, generally this is about $20 000 per year as opposed to the max of $8600ish per year for hecs students.

MAQ - 90.00-98
UNSW 94.20
Newcastle - 90.0
USYD 96.85
UTS 92.0

3. Transfer, there is the option of transfering into a course by studying one for 6 months to a year and maintaining some standard, each uni has its own policys and requirements which you will need to research but for example, my uni (UWS) has the guaranteed course transfer system which means that after 6 months or one year if you have maintained an above credit average you are able transfer into any UWS course regardless of your UAI. Uni to uni transfers or other uni's have different policies so you are best to check out their website or the transfer forum on the university subforum of this site.

4. The Diploma in law is also avaliable, it is run through the Legal Practioners Admissions board and only requires a good mark in English and 66 UAI. You work and study at the same time and at the end you are able to pratice like any other law grad. ----> All info about the diploma http://www.usyd.edu.au/lec/future/index.htm

5. Uni's in other states, for this you would need to talk to your careers advisor, attending a uni in another state means u need to apply to their UAC equivalent, you may also have to do the stat test or just rely on your uai, it is possible though, I know a girl studying law through the university of tasmania, she lived there for a while but decided to do it by correspondance but this would require much dedication.