Unemployed grads told to think outside the box

The head of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) has encouraged clerks who were unsuccessful in landing a graduate position to think beyond the city firms.

Leanne Mezrani • 04 September 2013 • SME Law

Unemployed grads told to think outside the box

LIV president Reynah Tang (pictured) told Lawyers Weekly that the industry body is attempting to tackle the oversupply of unemployed graduates by encouraging students to consider roles in government departments, community legal centres and suburban, regional or rural practices.

You’re out of free articles for this month

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

First Name

Last Name

Mobile

Organisation Type

By becoming a member, I agree to receive information and promotional messages from Lawyers Weekly. I can opt out of these communications at any time. For more information, please visit our Privacy Statement.

Need help signing up? Visit the Help Centre.

“Not everyone will end up at their most desired firm and there are a range of different career paths people can go down,” he said.

Tang revealed that the LIV has received feedback from understaffed rural and regional practitioners who are struggling to attract lawyers to their locations. He added that anecdotal evidence suggests experience in these practices can offer the same depth and spread of work as a city firm.

Community legal centres are also under-resourced, continued Tang. While many of the roles are voluntary, the experience will, at the very least, “keep lawyers’ skills in play” until market conditions improve.

Tang admitted that economic conditions are contributing to firm cutbacks to graduate intake, but he could not say whether the trend is simply a cyclical movement or indicative of structural change within the legal profession.

VIEW ALL

“The legal industry goes through ups and downs [but whether] something more structural is going on – it’s hard to tell,” he said, adding that he commenced his legal career in the wake of the recession of the early 1990s when the job market was similarly tight.

Lawyers Weekly exclusively reported last month that the Melbourne offices of Allens, Baker & McKenzie, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, Lander & Rogers and Slater & Gordon hired less than half, and in some cases less than a quarter, of their clerks that were vying for a 2014 graduate position.

A national recruiter also revealed to Lawyers Weekly in August that she is receiving dozens of phone calls each week from high-performing law graduates who are struggling to find a job.

“It is the worst time in living history to be a law graduate,” said Elvira Naiman, managing director of Naiman Clarke.

To the clerks that missed out on a graduate position, Tang recommends joining LIV’s Young Lawyers or similar law society groups, which provide networking opportunities and information about job opportunities.

Rolf! Saturday, 31 May 2014

I've done the same thing K! I was admitted in 2012 and despite working 2 jobs at university, maintaining a high credit average, saved for a university exchange, volunteered my services in law firms and CLCs for free. After 150 applications and countless interviews, I've decided to un-invest too and move on. I'm looking at other careers and will go back to the books. Fortunately I can claim a lot of study credit and hit the career running by the time I'm thirty!

0
frustrated Wednesday, 21 May 2014

This also happened to me. I just finished 2 years as a contract paralegal at a large national firm and found the situation to be the same - legal support staff were admitted lawyers - and those who asked for opportunities to move into a different department or about a graduate lawyer role - did not get their contracts renewed. It was seen a sign of "discontent".

0
K Thursday, 01 May 2014

I appreciate what you are saying, but the option of becoming a solo practitioner with 0 years PAE is not possible. I can't speak for others but for myself I know I put a lot of hard work into my law degree. I have a huge HECS debt and made many sacrifices to get those good marks. I absolutely busted my gut volunteering and saving to go on exchange and all those things, so I think it can be hard, mentally and emotionally to un-invest and move away from all of that effort, you know? I'm finally in the mental space to look at a different career but it has been a journey, thats for sure!

0
Disheartened Thursday, 01 May 2014

I could not agree more with everything you've expressed here!! I too have been a very active, thinking outside the box grad in looking for jobs in rural and regional areas, but with no success. On a regular basis I search for jobs doing an "All Australia" search and NO JOBS come up in rural or regional areas. As for government work, pfft, I've applied for upward of 30 jobs in govt in the last few months, ranging from secretarial work through to legal work and just get rejected. When I ask for feedback I am told I was an impressive candidate, but that due to "an overwhelming response" I didn't get the job. I recently completed a short term paralegal contract at a large plaintiff law firm in Melbourne and EVERY SINGLE PARALEGAL was an admitted solicitor. These firms benefit from having admitted practitioners doing their paper pushing - I was being paid a paralegal wage, yet being charged out at lawyer rates AND I was completing work that my senior associate had been assigned to do! I'm just going to take the opportunity to re assess and move into another (possibly more rewarding) career.

0
Natasha Monday, 28 April 2014

Jacob, it's great to hear that you have managed to find happiness in your job. I've had ridiculous bad luck in terms of employers in the past and the GFC together with the current market has resulted in me being made redundant twice, with a total of 2 years of employment out of the 6 years since my admission. Could you please give some advice as to how you changed your career path as I am considering changing to ensure job security in the future. Thanks 

0
RuralSolo Monday, 30 September 2013

While it's a lovely idea - going out to the regional and rural CLCs and small towns to "keep lawyers' skills in play" (or even just to kick start the game) - I did that. Had to beat down the door of a lot of small law firms and ended up working for $17/hr for 2 days a week until I eventually worked my way into a decent position, but I was willing to do whatever it took (and "think outside the box") to launch my legal career. I now have 6 years PAE in small-mid size regional firms. 2 years ago though I figured I had enough experience to get back to the city and find my way into city lawyer life. I thought wrong. Apparently (and one recruitment agency in particular was extremely blunt on this point) I was almost unemployable because big time city law firms are not interested in small town generalist lawyers regardless of any amount of PAE I may have. Add to that that I am a woman with children and apparently (unofficially of course) my CV goes to the bottom of the pile. I spent a year trying to prove these firms wrong to no avail. Not all is lost however - I have since made the decision to become a solo practitioner and (I would be willing to bet) I now live a better lifestyle, love my work, have more time and more disposable income and future income potential than I ever would have had working in "big law". My point? Don't think that x number of PAE years automatically equates to a job. And don't expect the big firms to value your expertise gained in the backwaters of western NSW/VIC/QLD or anywhere else. At the end of the day, suck it up, stop blaming the economy, the profession, the universities, your parents, friends and anyone else and focus on making the best use of your education and situation. Anyone capable of completing a law degree is capable of creating a rewarding life and career but no one is going to hand it to you for free. And that's my 2 cents ;)

0
Realist Tuesday, 10 September 2013

I usually have no hesitation bagging my profession (particularly on the issue of billable hours) but the commenters doing so in this article are out of line. It is not the responsibility of the legal profession (particularly in the current climate) to create extra graduate positions to accommodate the oversupply of law graduates being churned out by greedy universities.Some don't seem to have realised that the days of the 'profession' are (regretfully) long gone. Nowadays, firms are businesses which exist purely to fatten the pockets of partners, not to promote the welfare of juniors. Of course a significant reduction in graduate recruitment may lead to a shortage of mid-level lawyers in a few years' time, but this is a risk that firms are entitled to take.Students themselves need to take some responsibility and realise that simply completing a law degree does not entitle you to any job, much less one of your choice. There are still plenty of graduate positions out there but top marks from a top university are (and have always been) paramount. Law school might become increasingly nasty and competitive as a result, but what better preparation could you get for your 'dream' grad job at a top tier?

0
Sol Goodman Tuesday, 10 September 2013

The Law Institute of Victoria has 5 Council members who are government employees, 2 including the President work at large firms and 1 for a corporation. The idea of raw, small firm job seeking, is as far removed from their consciousness as astronaut training procedures.

0
lost and disillusioned Monday, 09 September 2013

Jacob, that's really inspirational to hear that you have done well in life after law. As I have stated in my long winded post, the legal profession is so full of egotistical jerks, if you're not as good as them then you get bullied and be labelled as a dud but if you're better than them, then they will feel threatened and you'll be labelled as a smart-ass and they will soon sabotage your career aspirations. Sort of in between a rock and a hard place? Either way, you will get a hard time. I am also contemplating getting out too, and returning to my previous profession but now with an addition of a law degree.

0
rinse and repeat Monday, 09 September 2013

As a mid 40's single parent who undertook a career change, Tang makes a valid point 'there are a range of different career paths people can go down'. Sure, I'd love to study for a law degree, be a fully practising lawyer at the bar but with a mortgage and other responsibilities, I now work in government in investigations and compliance full time. Work partly sponsors my part time study (Advanced Diploma), car supplied and 9-5 hours. The work is challenging and crosses over into different areas of law. I'm not earning 6 figures but instead have a great work life balance.

0