Brisbane
Opportunity expired
Discovering the perfect match for your aspirations is crucial when embarking on your legal journey. Our vacation clerkships offer a unique glimpse into life at Herbert Smith Freehills, a global leader in law, where you'll experience close mentorship, direct client interaction, and the opportunity to contribute to real-world projects, cases, and deals. Many of our graduates have kick-started their careers through these clerkships, making it an excellent opportunity to propel your career forward.
What we can offer
Join us for a part of your summer or winter, and you'll gain a deep understanding of how we meet our clients' needs. Our program is designed to provide practical experience as you dive into diverse and complex matters that are both challenging and rewarding. You'll get a comprehensive introduction to the firm, attend informative sessions on each practice group, and have the chance to contribute to our Digital Legal Delivery and Pro Bono & Citizenship teams.
What we’re looking for
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we believe that exceptional graduates possess both technical excellence and a growth mindset.
We value individuals who bring their best, are curious and who constantly seek to learn and improve from every experience. These graduates embrace challenges, viewing them not as obstacles but as opportunities to stretch their capabilities and achieve outstanding results.
We're looking for people who are proactive, demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to make a real impact, fostering strong relationships with clients and colleagues across our global network.
Our inclusive culture
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we strive to foster a diverse, innovative culture where high performance, client focus, and highly engaged individuals set us apart. We celebrate the uniqueness of our people. Our firm comprises individuals with a range of experiences and backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our inclusive environment empowers our people to be their authentic selves at work, feeling valued and able to perform at their best. We understand that our future success hinges not only on being innovative and progressive in the evolving legal market but, most importantly, on our people feeling engaged.
We acknowledge that our people have commitments and personal interests outside of work. We strive to create an agile working environment based on mutual trust and respect, where people can perform at their best while maintaining a sustainable balance between their work and non-work lives.
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we are committed to the inclusion of all individuals participating in the application and interview process. This includes providing tailored accommodations to those who require them. You can request accommodations at each stage of the recruitment process. If you would prefer to discuss beforehand, please reach out to your local Graduate Recruitment Consultant.
Please note:
Applications are open to students who are in their penultimate and final year of their law degree.
We accept applications from international students in their penultimate or final year of their Australian or New Zealand law degree, provided that you have unrestricted legal rights to work in Australia when you commence your clerkship.
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS. YOUR GROWTH. OUR AMBITION.

4.3
1,000 - 50,000 employees
Law
At Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, we align your growth and ambition with ours.
The people at HSF Kramer are some of the most kind and supportive individuals I have worked with. These people are at the top of the legal game and have an incredibly deep understanding of complex legal landscapes, yet take the time to share their knowledge and guide juniors through new and interesting tasks.
The graduate induction at HSF Kramer is a fantastic way to learn about the values of the firm as well as expectations and various administrative points prior to starting.
My work hours are good. I am currently under the LSA so cannot work past 6.30 but I am rarely called upon to work even that late. I work very reasonable hours and am able to take comfortable breaks throughout the day.
HSF Kramer’s graduate program gives me the opportunity to rotate through three teams for six months each. This gives me a breadth of experience which I think helps with my professional progress.
The offices at HSF Kramer Sydney are top tier and are in a very central location in Sydney. I am given my own desk which is very handy. The building management team are extremely attentive to our needs and often run fun events.
The work life balance in certain teams is not good.
The hours can sometimes be long and the pressure can sometimes be high.
The requirement with almost no flexibility to do 1 transactional and 1 disputes rotation.
Sometimes the workflow can be unpredictable.
I think the culture in some teams could be improved.