Does the uni matter (1 Viewer)

[Greninja340]

Does the uni you go to matter for getting a job in commercial law

 

[YonOra]

Any employers on here that can speak to this?

 

[idkkdi]

Does the uni you go to matter for getting a job in commercial law

yes

 

[jojosiwa123]

it matters more and more these days bc law is becoming extremely oversaturated...a more well known uni means better connections, better internships etc which matter a lot when it comes to getting a decent job (most people straight out of uni get shoved into working w services like legal aid, if that).
if you want to work w a big firm dealing with commercial law you'll need to either have those connections already or go to a uni where the alumni are part of those firms basically.

 

[seremify007]

I think most firms or employers would say the official line is no it doesn't matter.

... but the historic demographics and campuses which their recruiters visit might paint a different story.

 

[anon2017]

Honestly, in most fields in Aus, the uni does not matter. Law is an exception. You can succeed no matter your uni, but it will be substantially easier for you, especially when you are beginning, if you go to a Go8 law school.

 

[RivalryofTroll]

Does the uni you go to matter for getting a job in commercial law

I don't work in HR / recruitment but I currently work as a junior lawyer at a mid tier commercial law firm and, in my penultimate year, I went through the clerkship application and interview process for the top tier firms. I also know of people working at the top tier firms.

When you refer to "commercial law", I will assume that you are referring to the top tier firms (the Big 8 - the Big 6 plus Corrs and G+T) and, to a lesser extent, the mid tier firms (including international firms with Australian offices).

The short answer to your question is your university does not play a decisive (or determinative) part in your application to the top tier firms but, statistically, the Summer Clerk and Graduate cohorts of the top tier firms might proportionately have more students from USYD and UNSW (and to a lesser extent, UTS and MQ). For example, the Summer Clerk cohort of a top tier may comprise 60% USYD/UNSW, 30% UTS/MQ and 10% others (eg ANU, WSU, UOW, UON, etc).

Unlike fields such as investment banking and top tier management consulting (MBB) which might traditionally recruit only (or primarily) UNSW/USYD (ie GO8) students, there is probably more university diversity at the commercial law firms. If you come from UTS or MQ and are a strong candidate (in terms of grades, experience and other matters), you will still have a good shot at getting a clerkship at the top tiers. If you come from WSU or ACU, it will be a big uphill battle but it is still within the realms of possibility.

If you look at the LinkedIn profiles of the current Summer/Seasonal Clerks at the top tiers, you will probably get a general idea of their recruitment statistics.

 

[strawberrye]

Agree with what RivalryofTroll has said above. I too also currently work as a junior lawyer in a mid tier firm. I think I do see a disproportionate amount of people in clerk and grad cohort from certain universities, namely UNSW, USYD, UTS, Macquarie, ANU. Having said that, I am not sure whether it is a self perpetuating cycle in that the best universities gets the most motivated/best candidates, who then actively seek to do extracurriculars and whatever else to get to where they want to be. Of course, there are exceptions and top candidates in any university, and I think ultimately although the prestige of your uni does play a roll, your experiences/motivation to get into commercial law by doing volunteering, paralegalling and other extracurriculars will play a more critical role in your application success (along with how well you get along with the interviewers of course).