How to Survive Clerkship Application Season – by someone who is currently freaking out just like you

Originally posted July 22, 2017

By Lauren Solomonson, edited by Julius Torres

If you’ve clicked the link to read this you’re thinking one of two things: A) what on Earth are clerkships or B) YES I’m not alone!!!

Now here’s a GIF of Harvey Specter smiling just to calm your nerves.

So, coming from personal experience gathered by both myself (currently doing this process just the same as you) and fellow law students who have also run this gauntlet, here are some tips to help you get by and hopefully get a kick ass clerkship for this upcoming season!

1. Make a list of places to apply

There’s nothing worse than knowing you need to do something but having no idea where to start. A simple Google search will set you on the right path, or (because I feel for you right now) I’ll link you straight to the LIV complete list of 2020 signatories: Click here for life-saving joy! There’s also other relevant information on their site, including deadlines and other helpful tips! Don’t want to miss out on opportunities because you get the deadline wrong.

2. Have a clear idea about the type of firm you would want to work at

When you picture your future, do you see yourself working in a corporate firm, or a criminal one, maybe family law, or something more obscure like media law? It may seem right now that the end goal is just receiving a clerkship offer, but be careful you don’t apply to firms that don’t interest you one bit. Starting off your career in an area you’re not interested in is not a great start, and you won’t feel as committed to the work and networking opportunities if you’re heart isn’t in it 110%.

3. Get that CV in tip-top shape

By now in your career you’ve probably got a resume or CV slowly growing on your desktop. Now is the best time to take what you’ve got and try to make it better! This could mean re-wording some old job descriptions, making sure your employment dates are correct, checking that old referees are still happy to be called, or doing a total re-design. Nothing could be worse than a firm calling a referee and having them say “Alex who?”. I personally use Canva, a free online tool, to do my graphic design work for my CV (not a paid ad, just a genuine recommendation) so if you’re feeling a bit tech savvy, I’d say give it a go!

4. Draft a cover letter, and get someone to proof read it for you

We all have that one friend from high school who got straight A+s in English or Literature, now is the time to hit them up for some proofreading. It always helps to have a fresh pair of eyes look over something you’ve been intently working on, as when you’re uber-familiar with a document you can often miss things that others will pick up on. Or, if you’ve got some time, pair up with another law student whose going through the same process and proofread each other’s letters! Sometimes, slow and painful processes are made better when done with company.

5. TAKE A BREAK

The chances are, if you’ve been working five hours straight writing and re-writing applications, your brain has gone to sleep and you’re not working at your highest efficiency. Take a break, it can be 15 minutes, an hour, or take a whole day off! Your mind will reset and you’ll be refreshed ready to keep on going when you next sit down to tackle the challenge ahead of you! Whilst this is an important process, it shouldn’t be one that turns into a nightmare due to the pressure, so make sure to take care of yourself along the way.

I hope this has been helpful – please know that if you ever want some advice you can always reach out to the DLSS Geelong with questions and our committee members will do our best to get you an answer! The Faculty advisers may also be a good place to stop and chat if you have some questions or are looking for advice.

The 10 Stages of Writing an Assignment

Originally posted April 6, 2017

It is time.

ASSIGNMENT TIME.

Internal crying time.

Are you freaking out yet? Caffeine-induced shaking? Hair falling out? Dark circles under your eyes? That little voice inside your head screaming?

We get you. We’ve all been there. We too are losing our cool as the mounting pressure of assignment after assignment after assignment grows.

Here are the 10 stages of assignment writing, in GIFs, for you to relate to and reassure you that you are not alone! It’s also just some good procrastination, for you reading this and for me writing this! You’re welcome!

1. Planning time – You’ve got your topic, you’ve got your new Word Doc open, you’ve checked your referencing style, you’re ready to get cracking! There is sometimes nothing as satisfying as a blank page ready to be filled. Let the games begin!

2. Research time – Hmmmm… Can’t find anything good in your notes? Time to hit up our good friend Google! And if that doesn’t work, might be time to open that $150 text book for the first time!

3. Drafting time – You write one sentence. Then another. Then maybe a few more. Things are starting to progress, good for you! Keep it up! You’re feeling good and are starting to feel like you really understand what the question is asking.

4. Procrastination time – Uh oh. You opened Facebook and began a downward spiral into the world of Reddit and Netflix. One minute it was 4:37pm and now it’s 9:23pm, you forgot to eat dinner, and haven’t looked at your assignment for hours!

5. Coffee time – We can do this. Let’s fire up with a coffee (or three) and push through for a few more hours! Definitely. Yes. Ok. Come on let’s get the next 1000 words done!! At 11:00pm. Coffee. Yay. Caffeine. Oh boy… Your brain is officially a scrambled mess!

6. Crying time – All hope is lost. You don’t know how you’re going to meet that 3000 word limit, especially when it excludes footnotes. The world is slowly melting around you, you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel (but that might be because it’s now 2:14am).

7. Nap time – You need a break, nothing good happens at 3:47am. You put on your comfy pants, slip into bed, and all is well again. You’re snug as a pug (see what I did there???), and fall asleep in a flash. Your brain is thankful for the break! Never forget to take care of yourself.

8. Life gets in the way –  It can’t be helped! You get called in to work one job, work a double shift at your second job, and then go out to trivia night with friends. A few days pass and you don’t open your assignment, but that’s totally OK!

9. Last minute push to finish – You realise your assignment is due on the 12, not the 16th! Woops! You grab your laptop, a block of Cadbury, and head to the Deakin library to smash out the last bit of your assignment! The end is near!

10. Submitting time – You did it!!!!!!!! You made it to the end, salvation has arrived! You press that ‘submit’ button with vigour and say farewell to that assignment!

YOU ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT, YOU ROCK!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaand you remember you have another essay due in a weeks time – Time to repeat the process!

Deakin Law Clinic - What the Unit Guide Doesn't Tell You

By Daphne Chan

What is Deakin Law Clinic?

Deakin Law Clinic (‘The Clinic’) is a community legal centre run by experienced practitioners in association with the Deakin Law School. The Clinic is based in Deakin Downtown which is minutes away from Southern Cross Station. The Clinic offers law students opportunities to develop their legal, analytical and communications skills by working alongside their fellow students under the supervision of a qualified legal practitioners. There are five practice areas students can enrol in within the Clinic:

· Civil and Commercial Law

· Criminal Law

· Employment Law

· Family Law

· Venture Law

Application

About a year ago, I decided to submit an online application for a position for the Criminal Law Clinic and Commercial Clinic for Trimester 3. I had no idea what to expect when I first applied, all the information I knew was from the Handbook. Filling in the form was straightforward; the hard part comes next.

*Note that if you are applying for any of the Clinic stated above you must:

· Enrol or remain enrolled in MLL235 Legal Practice & Ethics or had passed MLL235 in your previous trimesters.

Day 1 at the Deakin Law Clinic

A few months later, I was offered a position (which I accepted) and was invited to attend induction. The induction for the Clinic is a mandatory event that everyone needs to attend.

As an overly prepared person, I decided to bring my laptop, my notebook, a pen, basically everything you need as a human being. Because Business Attire was the attire requested, so I needed to fit all these ridiculous items into my handbag, which I might say, it was very heavy. My arm hurts after that. Mind you, I was travelling from Geelong to Melbourne with my heavy handbag!

Tip # 1! You do not need to bring your laptop! The Clinic provides you with a computer and a notepad with a file during the introduction. I would say just bring yourself and a pen (maybe a notebook if you are paranoid) to the induction, there is no need to bring any other things.

During the Induction, the supervisors will explain the preliminary details about the Clinic and your duties as a student working in the Clinic. You will then be brought to the Clinic where you are seated with your own computer/laptop and provided a file that consist your own IT login details. Your username will be dlc_00. Congratulations! You are officially a number in a system! Good Luck memorizing your password too!

Tip # 2! Fill free to leave the whole file in the Clinic! There was no need to bring it home because it will be safer in the Clinic.

In the file, it will also provide you the case file that you will be working for. You will be working that case with 2 other students. It is always great socializing with them because you are now officially a team! You will see them twice a week for the next 11 weeks, ask about their day, their family, their weekend and make some friends. These might be your lifelong friends!

Tip # 3! Enjoy yourselves! Even if you hate group work, I promise that working in a team in the Clinic is a way different experience than working in a group assignment.

Workload (aka how to manage uni work with clinic)

As a crazy person, I took the liberty to enrol myself into 3 other subjects alongside the Clinic. If you must know, I was doing MLL117, MLL323, MLL418 (Intensive) and MLL416 (Criminal Law Clinic). I personally do not recommend anyone doing this at all, but it is quite manageable.

As you seen in the handbook, there is 3 assignment for MLL416:

· Assessment 1: (Individual) – Practical assessment

· Assessment 2: (Individual) – Written professional

· Assessment 3: (Individual) – Legal writing assessment

Assessment 1 is self-explanatory; the supervisor will grade you based on your performance in the Clinic.

Tip # 4! Be yourself! There is no need to try extra hard to impress the supervisors! From personal experience, I was not one to be socializing with everyone in the Clinic. As an introvert, I was afraid that this might had affected my grades because I am always under the radar. However, remember that the supervisor is there to grade you based on your performance and your work.

Assessment 2 is the main assignment that you will probably spend most of your time on. This assignment requires students to describe the activities you undertake daily while at the Clinic. I called this the ‘Reflective Journal’. In simple terms, you are required to reflect on your day and how you feel about the day and what you have done the whole day in the Clinic basically. I know that the word limit that was found in the handbook states 2,000 words. IT’S A LIEEEEE! RUNNNNNNN! If you are still reading this, let’s move on to ……

Tip # 5! It is definitely not a 2,000-word essay! I personally wrote at least 10,000 words.

Tip # 6! Do not leave this assignment last minute! I would STRONGLY ADVISE students to fill in the journal at least once a week (if you want a high mark)! Like I say, it is a hefty assignment. It is not a joke!

I would not say it is a hard assignment, just a lot of why. Every sentence you write, I would advice you to ask yourself, why, and reflect again and again. For example (for academic misconduct reason I will use my own example): I am making a sandwich. Why? Because I am hungry. Why? Because I had not had my dinner yet. Why? Because I was doing my assignment. Why? Because ….

You get the gist. But more on your feelings not food. Replace the word hungry with an emotion you’ll be fine.

Assessment 3 is a pretty easy assignment too. Basically, submit the best document that you had drafted while you are working in the Clinic. It can be a group work or an individual work.

Tip # 7! DO NOT! I REPEAT DO NOT THROW YOUR DRAFT AWAY! Even those hand written notes, DON’T YOU DARE THROW THEM AWAY! If you decided to have a certain piece to hand it in, you will need to track back all your notes, all the drafts that you had been working on. I would advice to always saved the document under the new date every time you work on it.

For example, if you are working on a letter of advice on 7 August 2020, saved the letter of advice as 07.08.2020 Letter of Advice. The next time you work on it, saved the letter of advice as 15.08.2020 (the date) Letter of Advice. This will help you find all the drafts easier when you are submitting this assignment. TRUST ME!

Other thoughts

I would say despite all this, this is hands down one of the best positive work experiences I've ever had. I encourage all law students to enrol and work in the Clinic if you have the chance.

Enrolment for trimester 3 is now open! What are you waiting for! Check out the link below to enrol now! For more information about the administration and boring but important stuff, check out the link as well!

https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/faculties/buslaw/wil-programs/law/deakin-law-clinic