We invite applications from law students and aspiring law students to join our high-performing team. This is a rare opportunity for students who are keen to acquire practical legal skills by working in a modern law firm.
Expressions of interest welcome.
About us
Our mission is simple:
We exist to help people simplify and solve legal problems.
We are a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, legal executives, accountants and software developers based in Perth CBD.
Our goal each day is twofold:
- to empower our clients to understand their legal problems, the options available to them and to make good decisions; and
- to help people solve their legal problems. We adopt a practical and pragmatic approach to help people reach a resolution and move on with their lives.
We do this through delivering practical, customer-focused services at fixed prices. We leverage our in-house practice management software ContactsLaw to automate the delivery of services and support our lawyers.
About the role
You will be responsible for providing responsive and high quality legal assistant and paralegal services to our team.
Day to day responsibilities may include:
- Handling incoming and outgoing mail
- Professional responses to client enquiries by phone and email
- Coordinating appointments, including bookings, document preparation and follow up tasks
- Saving and cataloguing documents to our document management system
- Editing and drafting legal documents and correspondence
- Outside clerking
We have well-established systems for delivering services, which will allow you to quickly learn our procedures and how to use our software, ContactsLaw. We will monitor your progress and work closely with you to help you develop the skills you need to hit the ground running and operate as an effective member of our team.
The practical skills that you acquire will kick-start your career in law and should place you well ahead of your peers professionally by the time that they graduate.
Who we’re looking for
A Curae Law team member is a person who:
- is compassionate, but firm when they need to be;
- never complacent;
- adopts high standards as a way of life.
To be considered for these positions you will:
- be enrolled in a law degree at a local university or have a direct pathway to the Juris Doctor (JD) ;
- have a strong ATAR, (or TER/TEE) score and above average university grades;
- be committed to a professional career as a lawyer in the private sector;
- be sufficiently self-disciplined to balance the competing demands of a responsible job, university studies and a personal life;
- keenly embrace technology as a means of enhancing the delivery of legal services.
You must be prepared to work on a part-time basis of between 3 to 4 days per week and to reduce the level of your university commitments accordingly. We may offer you additional hours during university holidays. It will take longer to complete your degree as a result, but the work you do with us will equip you with valuable practical and knowledge and skills. Our cadets’ university marks tend to improve over time as their experience at work overlaps with their studies.
You will benefit from our experience in helping cadets manage their work and study loads; however it requires considerable self-discipline on your part (eg studying on the weekends!). Our cadetships are demanding jobs that require a serious investment of time and energy.
Benefits of joining us
You will be employed under the direct supervision of our Directors, Michael Hodgkins, Lucy Dickens and Nigel Siegwart.
The many good aspects of joining our team include:
- a collegiate team environment in which a sense of humour is essential and every member is encouraged to grow professionally and personally and reach their full potential;
- challenging and interesting work where you are empowered to make a difference;
- an innovative law firm committed to doing things differently, striving for excellence and continuously learning and improving; and
- a genuine approach to flexible work.
Employment arrangements
These are permanent career positions with flexible working hours to accommodate your university studies on a reduced-load basis. You will be employed on a permanent, part-time basis (between 0.6 – 0.8 FTE) and will be entitled to annual leave and sick leave.
These positions are not vacation clerkships; nor are they designed to offer temporary student employment – we are looking for people who will stay with us for the duration of their degree and beyond as legal practitioners.
You will be paid at the Legal Services Award rate, plus superannuation. We will review your performance and remuneration regurarly and will pay you according to the value of your ability and contribution rather than your level of qualifications or years of experience.
We offer a high level of supervision, support and regular in-house training; however, we expect you to acquire practical skills quickly in your designated area of employment with a view to making a meaningful contribution.
How to apply
Applications must be made using our online form [click here].
FAQs
What happens when I graduate?
We hope that you will remain with us for many years. If you are still with us by the time you graduate we would expect to continue to employ you as a legal practitioner.
Will my career prospects be adversely affected if I delay completion of my degree?
As a cadet lawyer under our supervision you are able to undertake virtually all of the duties of an admitted lawyer except appearances in open court. The practical experience you will gain working in our professional environment will more than compensate you for the additional time it will take you to graduate.
We encourage cadets to perform well academically and to participate in extra-curricular university activities. Our alumni include winners and finalists of the UWA Opening Mooting, Trial Advocacy and Negotiation competitions. In 2017 one of our members spent the year studying in Beijing and Hong Kong on a New Colombo Plan Scholarship.
Can I undertake internships with other law firms?
It is a term of your employment contract with us that you don’t engage in any other form of employment and we don’t see such internships as consistent with the positions that we are offering. We know that it’s a tough call when you’ve had little or no industry experience, but we’re looking for people who have weighed the alternatives and worked out what environment is most likely to suit them.
More information
- Talk to one of our past or current cadets, Angus, Maya or Mandy.
- Learn more about our purpose and core values.
- Check out our websites – Flat Rate Settlements, Perth Wills Centre, Perth Probate Centre, Get Paid Debt Collection, ContactsLaw
Before you apply
- Critically review the above criteria. Is the job for you? Do you have what it takes? Have you discussed it with your partner? Your Dad? Or your dog? Are you prepared to reorganise your life to meet the demands of the position?
- Consider your existing study load and how you would restructure it if you take the job. We understand that you have to complete the university units you’ve enrolled in this semester, but you will need to undertake fewer units per semester in the future.
