Background | Areas of Practice | Major Past Cases | Clerkship Review
As a law student, it can be hard to know where to start when trying to assess law firms. That’s why Mallesons has created ‘The Real Deal’. By liking the Mallesons ‘Real Deal’ page, you can find out about the opportunities for clerks and grads and get an inside view into what life is like at the firm, including our people, offices, structure and what makes Mallesons different. Fans of the page can also find details on all our programs and participate in live discussions and competitions. We encourage you to visit the page and connect with real people who are ready to share their experiences and answer your questions.
Click here to view the page www.mallesons.com/facebook
Address:
Mallesons Stephen Jaques
13/F, Gloucester Tower
The Landmark
15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Contact:
Khalia Harding
People & Development Consultant
Phone: +852 3443 1092
Email: khalia.harding@mallesons.com
Website: www.mallesons.com/careers
A truly international presence
Mallesons Stephen Jaques is Australia’s most successful commercial law firm, with a strong focus on major corporations and financial institutions in Australia and Asia. We have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and London — and about 2000 partners and staff, including more than 1000 lawyers.
Our main hub in Asia is Hong Kong. Today, Mallesons is one of Hong Kong’s 10 largest commercial law firms, and frequently used by Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
With our increased presence and commitment to Hong Kong and mainland China, our reputation and credentials have grown. In the region, we have a strong base of local and international clients, and we are increasingly servicing our Australian clients offshore. In addition, we regularly complete transactions in other jurisdictions in Asia such as Korea, Singapore, India and Malaysia. This allows our lawyers to develop a breadth and depth of expertise across these jurisdictions.
We have advised on some of the most significant and innovative transactions of recent times. Additionally, our Australia and Asia practice areas provide challenging opportunities for our lawyers to be involved in cross-border work in all our office locations.
“Mallesons wipes the floor with its competitors when it comes to large scale transactions for pre-eminent clients…”
— Chambers Global Guide 2008
Areas of Practice
Mallesons’ lawyers work across a range of commercial legal disciplines. Internally, legal teams are organised into the following groups:
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Banking & Finance
- Dispute Resolution
- Competition
- Intellectual Property & Technology
- Property, Construction & Environment
- Tax
What do we look for?
It’s exciting. From the outset, you’re given responsibility, autonomy and client contact and you’re also made to feel like an integral part of the team.
If you relish the prospect of being involved in cutting edge legal work, learning from experts at the top of their game and working in a fast paced environment, you’re just the sort of person we’d like as a Mallesons clerk or graduate.
We’d expect you have to performed well at university and demonstrate a real interest in commercial law in Australia and Asia. And we’d hope you would be excited by the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, develop new skills and work closely with really switched on people who take great pride in delivering first class legal expertise.
It’s not just exam results though that make you a good candidate for Mallesons – we’re also interested in your life experiences, your interests outside work and the issues you are passionate about.
Our graduates tell us Mallesons is an exciting place to work – our people are friendly, approachable and down to earth and we’re looking for similarly minded people who will be proud to work for and represent our firm.
The qualities we value are commitment, passion, teamwork and the ability to think laterally. Our clients expect not only superior legal knowledge, but excellence in the application of that knowledge to their often complex legal needs.
Mallesons is a work environment that will challenge your mind and capabilities, but also offers the support of a strong team culture to help you succeed.
If this sounds like you, why not talk to one of our graduate resourcing consultants or contact us by visiting our website, www.mallesons.com/careers
Graduates intake for Hong Kong office per year:
- Around 20 vacation clerks (3- 5 clerks each for June, July and August (summer), as well as December, January and February (winter)
- 3 – 9 Trainee Solicitors
How to apply: Via our online application system at www.mallesons.com/careers
Please submit a cover letter and academic transcript with your application. All files uploaded should be in Word or PDF format.
Prominent cases
Deep vein thrombosis litigation (acting for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority), Telstra/C7 litigation (acting for Telstra) , Law Institute of Victoria : dispute with Legal Ombudsman (acting for the Law Institute).
C7 Litigation (representing Telstra): Mallesons acted for Telstra in proceedings against AAPT. Telstra claimed in excess of $100 million in charges which it claimed were owing. AAPT raised numerous cross-claims for a number of different causes of action, and asserted that it was entitled to damages totalling many hundreds of millions of dollars. Ultimately a settlement was reached. The firm also acted for Telstra in relation to its section 46 claim against Optus. Together both cases have demonstrated Mallesons’ expertise in the telecommunications litigation area. The firm is also now acting for Telstra in connection with a dispute involving the Network Seven Group of companies, News Group, PBL and others regarding the acquisition of the Australian Football League and National Rugby League broadcast and other rights in late 2000. The claims give rise to complex competition law issues.
Western Sydney Orbital: Mallesons acted for WestLink Motorway Partnership (Leighton Contractors Pty Limited, Abigroup Limited, Macquarie Infrastructure Group and Transurban) as the successful bidder for the $2.23 billion Western Sydney Orbital motorway project. It involves the construction of a 40km free flow, electronically-tolled road linking the M2, M4 and M5 tollroads in Western Sydney, Australia Multiplex Group IPO: Mallesons acted for Multiplex Limited, Mr John Roberts and Multiplex Funds Management Limited in connection with the IPO of the Multiplex Group. The transaction involved a complex restructuring of Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd, the establishment of the Multiplex Property Trust, structuring and documentation of property development projects to be acquired by the trust, establishment of financing facilities, acquisitions of third party properties, the listing of the company and the trust on the Australian Stock Exchange and the quotation of the stapled securities. A$1.2 billion was raised via a fully subscribed offer.
AMP Hybrid:Mallesons acted for the AMP Group in relation to its A$1.15 billion offer of Reset Preferred Securities (“RPS”) and the related issue of Perpetual Subordinated Bonds (“PSBs”) by AMP (UK) for an equivalent amount. The RPS are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), are treated by the Australian Prudential and Regulatory Authority (APRA) as Tier 1 capital and are convertible to AMP ordinary shares in certain circumstances and will be exchangeable into AMP preference shares (if issued) in other circumstances. The PBSs are listed in Luxembourg and are included as cover for the minimum or notional margin of solvency required of AMP’s UK subsidiaries by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
Clerkship Review
Clerk’s position: Mergers & Acquisition
Job description: Working in Mallesons Stephen Jaques (HK), an Australia-based international law firm, my involvement included:
- Attending meetings with partners and senior associates,
- Commenting, editing and proof-reading contracts, legal advices, prospectuses and verification notes,
- Drafting emails, legal advices, letters and summaries in Chinese and English ,
- Performing extensive due diligence and legal research tasks on the Law of Contracts and the relevant laws, regulations, codes, guidelines and information booklets regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts and IPOs, and
- Translating emails, letters and legal advice from English to Chinese and vice versa
Comments:
The experience of being a clerk in Mallesons is extraordinary.
In terms of external social life, the firm actively encourages us to meet clerks from other firms. While I established a bond with the clerks I worked with, I shared my Friday nights with clerks from JSM, Deacons, Lovells and others in LKF. Moreover, all clerks were brought to visit the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Monetary Authorities and Legal Aid. Friendships were established between clerks.
As for internal social life, the firm organised a Christmas Party at one of the most exclusive clubs in Hong Kong — the Aberdeen Marina Club before the Christmas holiday. The legal staff, including partners, the supporting staff and the clerks were all in swimmers despite it being winter. We had nice food served, and we had a water gun fight and some team games for fun after the meal. I felt like we were kids at a party.
Despite these wonderful social lives, it came at a price. In order to meet deadlines, I stayed overtime occasionally. Although the workload was heavy for that particular time, there is a lot of work satisfaction. My buddy treated me as part of the team, discussing the project with us and telling us all the details about the case and the client. Overall, I highly recommend Mallesons as a law firm.
