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To all the clerkship applications I’ve cried over before

It is important for law students to ask themselves why they invest so much – physically and emotionally – in the clerkship application process, writes Monash student Flynne Tytherleigh.

user iconFlynne Tytherleigh 03 September 2018 Careers
To all the clerkship applications I’ve cried over before
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On paper, I thought I was a good candidate. I boasted three years of experience working across a number of different law firms. I had a range of extracurricular activities from the Law Students’ Society to running my own business. I had volunteer experience in a few Community Legal Centres and with a couple of charities with which I had a personal connection. Despite a few personal setbacks, I had managed to maintain a low 70s average; with many of the firms constantly reassuring candidates that they consider more than just grades, I didn’t think it would be an issue.

Off paper was a different story. As the portals on CVMail opened, I was being wheeled out of an operating theatre after having a procedure to manage a chronic illness I have battled since I was a toddler. When hoards of bright eyed candidates flooded to the LIV Careers Fair, elbowing their way into conversations with HR Representatives, I was binging Netflix and trying to distract myself from the pain. The emotional side of managing my condition was taking its toll on me and I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn’t in the right headspace to be applying for clerkships. Despite this, the fear of regretting missing out on an opportunity to work in a commercial law firm, a career I wasn’t sure I was even settled on, persuaded me to apply.

I put in seven applications. I’ll admit, I probably really put effort into four of them. I personalised cover letters, I researched, I LinkedIn stalked and contacted every single contact I had at the firms and asked them for their tips and permission to drop their name into my cover letters. For a very brief moment, I stopped feeling awful about everything I had been through and started imagining my life as a hot shot lawyer raking it in at a commercial law firm.

Given everything I’ve said above, it probably won’t be a surprise to some that the rejection emails waddled into my inbox like a small row of ducklings following a mother duck of misguided hope. Four times I was thanked for my interest but wasn’t included in the group of ‘very high calibre applicants’ whom I envisaged as my peers laughing at me while they held their cheap champagnes and schmoozed with recruiting partners. I wasn’t even good enough for an interview. I was upset and frustrated that my hard yards doing discovery and cleaning up files and being palmed the tasks which the lawyers didn’t want to do had counted for nothing. I felt like I had wasted my time despite convincing myself that I wouldn’t be suited to a career in law anyway.

After I cried all the tears I had in me and begun to imagine my life jobless and sponging off my parents, I reflected on why I ever applied in the first place. I knew in my gut that I didn’t want to make it as a lawyer, so why had I invested so much in this process that the rejections left me crying myself to sleep?

It’s no secret that studying and working in the legal profession puts you in a risk category for mental illness. We’re a breed of people who seem to live two lives. On the outside, we’re untouchable, smart and ambitious high-achievers whose mothers are so proud that they have or will have a lawyer in the family. But inside our heads and the bubble we exist in, we’re insecure, always trying to outdo our peers who are on the other side of the negotiation and are so far into the depths of self-deprecating humour that we probably start believing it. Our self-esteems are inextricably tied to our performance at work or uni.

Despite widespread knowledge of the statistics, law firms and universities are slow to do anything. Well-intended initiatives in firms need to be crafted to foster an environment where people (of all levels) feel comfortable talking about their mental health without fear of the repercussions. It’s just not enough to advertise flexible working arrangements in clerkship guides; we need to change mindsets. We need to change the belief that if you’re not suffering, you’re not trying hard enough. And we need to do this at the university level, so students can set healthy expectations of themselves before setting foot into the workplace.

Maybe I just applied for clerkships to convince myself I wasn’t destined for a career in law. Maybe I was just scared of the uncertainty of not having a pathway. I don’t know. What I do know is that I learned that I just didn’t fit the mould, and that was okay. I am smart in my own way and creative in many ways and like to drink tea and sew things and hang out with my dogs and buy too many houseplants and these are all things which made me special and unique even if they didn’t land me a job. Although I’m still learning this, there’s great opportunity in uncertainty.

To all the students going through this process at the moment, whether you’re walking around house dressed in a business shirt and pyjama pants as you look for a suitable video interview location, wondering what to expect from an ‘information session’ or fielding the rejections, remember that you are enough. You are good enough, you are smart enough, you have done enough things, you are a full enough person. You were all these things before the clerkship process, and you will continue to be these things afterwards. Your achievements are impressive, your time volunteering or playing sport is admirable, and your efforts at networking events is remarkable given how tough they can be. Even if you have been rejected from every single firm you applied for, someone will be lucky to have you.

There’s a job out there for everyone, even if it’s not one in a commercial law firm. Hey, it might not even be in the law, but it’s still there. Even if (or when) my final three applications are unceremoniously rejected, I still consider myself a winner because I hit submit despite everything stacked against me. Perhaps if we spent as much time celebrating the things which make us special as we did framing our achievements to look like the most desirable candidate, we wouldn’t be such a sad bunch.

Flynne Tytherleigh is a law student at Monash University and is the owner of men’s accessories brand PocketMan.

Comments (11)
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    Just be glad you're not a translator. Extremely high-order skills, many years to train, and you do well to get $5 an hour in the global economy, because you're competing against people in low-cost economies such as China and Russia. As the services market in a lot of areas has become truly globalized, with a concomitant drop in earnings for service providers, and law is a service, I sincerely hope this isn't what awaits the law profession in the future. But I fear it is.
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      It is all about regulation and competition. If you need a document translated for official purposes in Australia, it needs to be stamped by a NAATI-certified translator. For that you are looking at paying at least $40~$50 per page. As long as legal practice is regulated by governments around the world, then lawyers won't have to compete the way translators do when doing translating work that doesn't require certification.
      Another problem is that companies often do not see the value in high-quality translation, which is why they are quick to take the cheap option, despite it causing headaches for the poor soul who has to read the translated product. I certainly hope people would not be that frugal when looking for legal advice.
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    You’ve only put seven in?! I did 35 last year and I’ve done 20 in the last month and had one interview, 3 rejections, one position withdrawn and one online test offered. I got admitted 6 years ago and prior to obtaining a graduate program in 2016 I’d applied for about 60+ jobs.

    You’re lucky to have some experience. I had to work to live whilst going to uni so I missed out on community legal. Seriously, time moves on, you have to put as many job applications out there that you can stomach to do. Even with all that I’m still not anywhere near a proper legal job. I’m lucky to get a bit of policy.
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    Thank you for sharing this Flynne. I was in a similar position a few years ago where I "wasn't even good enough for an interview" - I literally told myself this over and over again. As much as this is the last thing people who are going through clerkship applications want to hear, rejection has a funny way of preparing you and setting you up for what's next. Having the summer and winter breaks enabled me to spend time with my family, volunteer, travel, and take up a new job that would have clashed with the clerkship periods. Each of these things was crucial to giving me the perspective and perseverance I needed. Eventually I did end up getting a traineeship, without having done a clerkship. Through the process I realised that rejection is temporary, but so are clerkships and traineeships. At the end of the day, knowledge can be taught, experience can be gained and relationships with higher ups can be forged, but if you allow it, rejection can give you something far more valuable.
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    You've done so well to get where you are now. The process is intimidating, but with any lucky following your passions will lead you where you are meant to be!
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    Andrew - Uni of Canberra Monday, 03 September 2018
    This is a great article. As a new graduate I raced to find a clerkship with everyone else but could never quite figure out why and never really interrogated any potential employer about whether they were truly offering a supportive, professional working environment with adequate training. And consequently had a really poor experience in my early years of practice. Before you apply, make sure they are the types of places that you want to work. Ask questions about training and mentoring. If they can't answer, don't take the offer. That might sound ridiculous but if you're doing a job you hate, somewhere you loathe, there's plenty of research that says it's a slippery slope to depression and, heaven forbid, a call from the professional regulator.
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    To all the stressed law students out there, know that you are not alone and there is help if you need it. This help can be in the form of friends and family to something a bit more professional such as your GP or counseling. Ultimately, everyone’s journey is different and there is never one path to your destination.
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    Therese - Avenue Legal Monday, 03 September 2018
    I would have to say that is one of the healthiest and one of the smartest responses I have seen re dealing with rejection from summer clerkship process. A career in law does not define you. In fact if you are morphing to fit the mould you are giving permission to others to define you and disempowering yourself. Some of the smartest lawyers are those that actually left law to pursue other endeavours that lined up with their value system and work life balance mandate. As a lawyer with a chronic illness that I need to manage, I have myself had challenge myself to cease 'performing' for others and to set my own goals which put health before profit and career aspirations. I commend you for being far more honest with yourself than I was at your age. At least now you can make life and career choices that will indeed allow you to manage the work life balance that you actually need. Bless you for your honesty.
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    As a current clerkship applicant, I didn't know how much I needed this. Thank you.
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    I was a solicitor for 17 years and have been a barrister for 12 years. I worked my way from a small suburban firm to a mid-sized cbd firm then partner. If you don’t love law, please don’t do it! You will be miserable. Do something you care about. Law is tough, even for those like me who love it. I meet far too many people who are unhappy but did law “ because I got the marks”, or “mum & dad wanted me to”. There atanyother interesting jobs out there.
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    Proud Clerkship Reject Monday, 03 September 2018
    Great article Flynne! I too felt pretty worthless when I was rejected from all 20 commercial law clerkships I applied for, despite making it to the final rounds for many of them. But things have their way of turning around. Now I have an awesome job working in the legal team of a trade union (the opposite of corporate law!) so stay strong my Clerkship Rejects!
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