Clerkship Testimonial Eva Chapple Rotations: Litigation & Regulatory; Intellectual Property & Technology The clerkship process is daunting and tricky. It takes a lot of time, effort and weeks worth of research, drafting and applying. Choosing DLA Piper was easy for me; it's a firm that has something to offer everyone. The DLA Piper clerkship recruitment process involved a one-on-one interview followed by a group interview and cocktail evening. The group interview was a great way to experience the culture of the firm and to meet the people working there. It was clear that not only were the candidates friendly and down to earth but so too were the lawyers. What struck me as very impressive was the welcoming and friendly environment in which DLA Piper operates. Every person I encountered was very approachable and interested in what the candidates had to say. The clerkship itself is split into two rotations. Each clerk is assigned a ‘buddy’ and a supervisor, who is normally a senior associate or partner, in the practice group they are assigned to. All of my buddies and supervisors were absolutely fantastic. I had the opportunity to work with each and every one of them closely, and formed some great working relationships. My first rotation was in the Litigation and Regulatory team, which was very exciting. Of my four weeks in this team, I spent around half my time in court or in arbitrations and conciliations. With the help of my buddy I drafted advices to clients, performed discovery, prepared documents for the Court of Appeal and drafted correspondence to lawyers for opposing parties. My second rotation was in the Intellectual Property and Technology team, which was also very fun and interesting. I worked on the transactional side of the Life Sciences team, who focus on pharmaceuticals. My time there was spent researching principles of patent law, the registration of drugs and trademark law. One of the most exciting things I was involved in was a global teleconference that included around seven lawyers and pharmaceutical representatives from the US and Australia. Not only were my rotations engaging, but DLA Piper also makes the clerkship fun and social. Every week, clerks from various firms competed against each other in friendly sporting pursuits, soccer and volleyball to name a couple. There were also regular events between the firms including a cruise, a trivia night and farewell drinks for the clerks. Overall, if you are looking for a firm that will allow you to have a hands-on experience, and to get a real taste of the legal world in a way that is exciting and offers opportunities on a global level, DLA Piper is the firm to look to." - Eva Chapple, 2012/13 Summer Clerk, Macquarie University Clerkship Guide 2013 59