Meet Emily

What roles have you worked in since joining MinterEllison?

I first started working at MinterEllison as a summer clerk, in November 2017. During my clerkship, I rotated through the Government and Administrative Law, Commercial and Regulatory and Dispute Resolution teams. After that, I worked part-time as a paralegal in the Government and Administrative Law team while I completed my law degree, before starting as a graduate in March 2019. In October 2019, I was admitted to practice, and I’m now a lawyer.

What do you enjoy most about working at MinterEllison?

I get to work on exciting, challenging and high profile legal matters where I can learn from specialised lawyers who are experts in their chosen field, in an environment where I genuinely enjoy coming to work, feel comfortable being myself and have fun.
To me, MinterEllison’s emphasis on positive growth and learning is invaluable. My partner, buddy and team are always willing to answer my questions. I also love that MinterEllison’s focus on sustainable ways of working means I’m able to pursue my interests outside of work, such as road running.

Have you been on any secondments?

I’ve been on two secondments since joining MinterEllison. As a paralegal, I spent time in the Freedom of Information Team at the Department of Human Services. Prior to joining MinterEllison, I had worked at the Department in a number of teams, and this secondment helped me to build my relationships, in addition to developing my legal skills in a fascinating area of law. As a graduate, I attended a virtual secondment at the National Disability Insurance Agency to assist with case management.

What advice would you give to someone who is applying to MinterEllison’s clerkship program?

If you’re keen to apply to MinterEllison, my advice would be to identify three to five key attributes that set you apart from other candidates, and how those attributes would be beneficial in creating lasting impacts for our clients. Many of the people applying to MinterEllison have exceptional grades, some legal experience and co-curricular activities. Instead, go further and think about what you have learnt and gained through those experiences and other experiences that might be more ‘outside the box’, and how you can use and build on them at MinterEllison.

For me, I left school after Year 10 to pursue riding horses at a national level, before having a ‘light bulb’ moment that I wanted to pursue a career as a lawyer.

This meant returning to school to complete Year 12 as a 21 year old, back in a school uniform, before studying law as a mature age student. Sharing this story allowed me to demonstrate my genuine interest and desire in practising law.