Job prospects for Deakin v. Monash law graduates? (1 Viewer)

[schoolies_08]

Hi guys,

I just completed my first year of Arts at Deakin and i want to transfer to law/arts next year at either deakin or monash. I have already received the offer from deakin and i'm assuming that my marks were high enough to get one from monash also. I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to the success graduates from both unis have at gaining positions in the mid to top tier law firms - particularly those from deakin. I love the student culture at deakin but i am concerned that the larger firms only consider monash/melbourne grads. Does anyone know from experience if this is the case? Both unis are of equal distance from my house and i have friends at both, so my main concern is really my job prospects. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Frigid]

in my very limited experience of Victorian universities, i'm told that Monash is more popular than Deakin with employers, although the gap is narrowing...

 

[dste6]

In Victoria Monash and Melbourne are considered the 1st tier, Deakin and La Trobe 2nd tier. Number one determinant of job projects will always be your own marks and CV, but all things being equal your job prospects would be better coming out of Monash.

 

[BOSnewbie]

I think you should really consider whether you're interested in working at a commercial law firm to start off with. Speak to people about it and ask them to tell you candidly what their job is like, whether they enjoy it and so on.

Now if you do decide to pursue this path, then I think if you can get into Monash, that's definitely the way to go (compared with Deakin). My experience at the top tier law firms is that 80-90% of seasonal clerks are from Melb/Monash, with the remainder from Deakin/LaTrobe/interstate.

 

[Omnidragon]

Hi guys,

but i am concerned that the larger firms only consider monash/melbourne grads.

Well they don't just only consider monash/melb hahahahaha

Usually in a round of 40 grads at a top-tier, there'd be

16 Melb
14 Monash
6 Interstate (eg Queensland Uni, ANU)
2 Latrobe
2 Deakin
0 Victoria

 

[Baiku]

Well they don't just only consider monash/melb hahahahaha

Usually in a round of 40 grads at a top-tier, there'd be

16 Melb
14 Monash
6 Interstate (eg Queensland Uni, ANU)
2 Latrobe
2 Deakin
0 Victoria

That might have been the case in a better market, but no firm is taking 40 grads at the moment.

I just completed a clerkship at a top 3 firm in Melbourne. The breakdown was:

55% uMelbourne
15% Monash
15% uTas
5% uAdelaide
5% uWA
2% La Trobe
2% Deakin

 

[schoolies_08]

That might have been the case in a better market, but no firm is taking 40 grads at the moment.

I just completed a clerkship at a top 3 firm in Melbourne. The breakdown was:

55% uMelbourne
15% Monash
15% uTas
5% uAdelaide
5% uWA
2% La Trobe
2% Deakin

Bloody hell thats a huge gap between Melbourne and Monash! Didn't think it was that significant!

 

[dste6]

Bloody hell thats a huge gap between Melbourne and Monash! Didn't think it was that significant!

Thats because it's not

 

[Frigid]

I just completed a clerkship at a top 3 firm in Melbourne. The breakdown was:

55% uMelbourne
15% Monash
15% uTas
5% uAdelaide
5% uWA
2% La Trobe
2% Deakin

I'd like to see raw numbers, rather than percentages. Assuming La Trobe and Deakin had at least 1 seasonal clerk, the numbers are:

Melb: 23
Monash: 7
Tas: 7
Adelaide: 2
UWA: 2
La Trobe: 1
Deakin: 1

That's already 43 seasonal clerks. =\

 

[dste6]

Frigid, but surely you could have 0.5 of a clerkship: just have LaTrobe and Deakin clerks alternate. Or better yet, take the torso of a LaTrobe and the legs of a Deakin clerk to create some kind of super hybrid clerk...

Also I found it quite interesting that the demand for uTas clerks is equal to that of Monash...and several fold greater than that for all 2nd tier law schools in Victoria combined. :uhhuh:

So there you have it, Baiku's account of one seemingly wacky firm is surely indicative of the current state of the legal market ...provided that he got his maths right.

Pack your suitcases 09's, your going to Tas!

Now excuse me while I go refill my tank of sarcasm.

 

[flamearrows]

Frigid, but surely you could have 0.5 of a clerkship: just have LaTrobe and Deakin clerks alternate. Or better yet, take the torso of a LaTrobe and the legs of a Deakin clerk to create some kind of super hybrid clerk...

More like an unsuper hybrid clerk, know what I'm saying?

 

[dste6]

...Seriously though, my point is that it would be unwise to extrapolate job prospects and market state from a single person's experience during a single clerkship at a single law firm. Which is what seems to have been proposed:

That might have been the case in a better market, but no firm is taking 40 grads at the moment.

 

[dste6]

More like an unsuper hybrid clerk, know what I'm saying?

zing!

 

[Baiku]

I'd like to see raw numbers, rather than percentages. Assuming La Trobe and Deakin had at least 1 seasonal clerk, the numbers are:

Melb: 23
Monash: 7
Tas: 7
Adelaide: 2
UWA: 2
La Trobe: 1
Deakin: 1

That's already 43 seasonal clerks. =\

There were between 32-35 clerks at the firm - I am talking about the December cohort only (Melbourne offices take intakes in July, December and January).

I am not saying that one particular clerkship is representative of the entire industry, it's obviously not. As a Monash student I was pretty surprised to see those numbers, even if it is only at one top tier commercial firm.

Anecdotally I've heard similar from friends at the other two of the "top three" in December (being Mallesons, Freehills and Allens). There was a huge difference between the number of Melbourne and Monash students at all three.

I was pretty shocked having listened to what Monash Law Faculty have been telling prospective and current students over the past 5 years while I have been "listening".

Will post similar details when I start at another firm next week.

 

[Omnidragon]

If getting into a top tier is that important for you, going to a reputable uni is a better bet than Deakin. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably pretty whacked and if you believe them, you're probably pretty whacked and you can make sure I'll keep brainwashing my friends to ding the likes of you when you come for an interview.

But look at it from another angle, the grad salary at a top tier is 64k. The salary of someone who cleans the toilet at Krispy Kreme is probably 64k. Ah but the toilet cleaner only works 3-4 hours a day. So don't know what all this fuss about wooo look at my big law firm CV is all about these days. haha just kidding

 

[bored at work]

Melbourne and Monash are represented equally, maybe a bit more for Melbourne, Deakins is definely a step down.

However, not to say that you shouldn't go to Deakins. It may be easier to stand out there academically.

 

[hiphoppresident]

But look at it from another angle, the grad salary at a top tier is 64k. The salary of someone who cleans the toilet at Krispy Kreme is probably 64k. Ah but the toilet cleaner only works 3-4 hours a day. So don't know what all this fuss about wooo look at my big law firm CV is all about these days. haha just kidding

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

awesome

 

[HappyLawStudent]

Well they don't just only consider monash/melb hahahahaha

Usually in a round of 40 grads at a top-tier, there'd be

16 Melb
14 Monash
6 Interstate (eg Queensland Uni, ANU)
2 Latrobe
2 Deakin
0 Victoria

Where are you pulling these figures from? I know people from Victoria University at Freehills, Clutz, Corrs, DLA Phillips Fox, Blakes, and the Bar to name a few

 

[flamearrows]

Where are you pulling these figures from? I know people from Victoria University at Freehills, Clutz, Corrs, DLA Phillips Fox, Blakes, and the Bar to name a few

Freehills is the only true top-tier firm in there.

Oh, okay. Maybe Clayton Utz though they're doing their best to self-destruct. Maybe.

Anyway, no one is ever saying that it's impossible to get a top-tier job with a degree from a non-Go8 university. However, it is far, far harder.

 

[Omnidragon]

Ahhh half time... dang

USA going to get smashed... horrible ball

Oh really? From Vic Uni? Good on you... so are you doing your traineeship now or are you actually like a senior associate already seeing you finsihed in 1998. Now that I think about it, you might even be about to hit partner.