By Jessica Watson
Lyndsay Barrett and Sandy Roberts are two bright law students from Murdoch University.
Australia’s law schools are producing too many graduates who are chasing a shrinking number of jobs.
Graduates fear the capacity of the legal profession to absorb the law students is just not there.
There is definitely worry among law students and recent graduates about the present state of the legal market and opportunities for employment and experience.
Member of the Murdoch Student Law Society Vanessa Pullella studies a double degree in Law and Commerce and said that there is an incredibly tough job market out there.
“It’s supposedly a high calibre degree, but you cannot get anything out of it, by the time we’re done, we get a bill for $60,000 and nothing else,” she said.
Sandy Roberts, another Murdoch law student, has worked a number of distinguished internships, clerkships, and volunteer work throughout her time at University yet has failed to secure a graduate position.
“It is cutthroat out there.”
Her latest rejection letter was from Legal Aid applying for a voluntary position.
The reasoning given to Miss Roberts was a large volume of exceptionally high standard students applying for the position.
She was told 146 strong applicants were competing for just seven voluntary positions offered by Legal Aid for an intern placement.
There are 35 law schools in Australia and a 36th opened in Western Australia at Curtin University this year.
The Australian Financial Review revealed the extent of oversupply of law students to be more than 12,000 graduates each year, entering a market that is comprised of 60,000 solicitors.
With the top-tier law firms taking on less clerkship and graduate positions than ever before, law students have been told to seek alternate careers.