I am currently in my fifth year of LLB/Criminology at the University of New South Wales, and I participated in Herbert Smith Freehills China International Business and Economic Law (‘CIBEL’) Asia-Pacific Pathway Program in May 2021.
First and foremost, I would like to thank both the UNSW CIBEL Centre and Herbert Smith Freehills for running this exceptional Program. I initially heard about this Program from my classmates, and thought I might give it a try since programs of this kind are unparalleled. The international aspect of it – which allows students to work and network in offices in both Australia and Asian countries – largely plays in line with my interest to work in a global environment.
The selection process entailed an initial written application, an English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English translation test, and a partner interview. It was overall an enjoyable process since the recruitment team in Sydney and Hong Kong are always keen to answer my (probably-too-many) queries!
During the two-week internship, I worked at Herbert Smith Freehills’ Sydney office, sitting at one of its dispute resolution teams. The interns were encouraged to take work from the team; I was assigned a very lovely buddy who was my first point of contact; and the interns attended various training and networking sessions with different teams and practice groups at the firm. Herbert Smith Freehills’ people have stood out to me as driven, welcoming, and diverse in terms of their intellectual interests and temperament. The Program has offered me a sneak peek into the high quality of matters and powerful sense of collaboration between teams – within and outside Australia, which the firm offers. It has also strengthened my interest in commercial legal problem-solving, and my desire to work in such global and intellectually driven environment after my graduation.
On that account, I highly recommend anyone to apply to this Program. Don’t hesitate just because you do not have experience working in city firms. There is a first time for everything, and the only advice I could give regarding the application process is to be yourself, demonstrate intellectual curiosity, and exhibit genuine passion to learn and grow as a top legal and commercial thinker.