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Arnold Bloch Leibler

4.5
  • 100 - 500 employees

Arnold Bloch Leibler Graduate Programs & Internships

  • Law

The firm

Arnold Bloch Leibler is a premier Australian commercial law firm with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We provide strategic legal and commercial advice to a diverse range of Australian and international corporations, high net worth individuals and large family businesses.

Arnold Bloch Leibler has developed a reputation for its innovative, commercially focused advice and is regularly involved in some of the most important landmark transactions in the country, helping clients with their most important or difficult legal matters - when their reputation is at risk, in crisis situations or before embarking on key initiatives. From our results and client commitment to the commerciality of our advice, our aim is to set the standard.

We organise our practice groups to allow our lawyers to be generalists and our groups are split between transactions and disputes. From the client perspective, our services cover:

  • banking & finance;
  • capital markets;
  • competition;
  • corporate & commercial;
  • dispute resolution & litigation;
  • intellectual property;
  • native title & public interest law;
  • property & development;
  • reconstruction & insolvency;
  • startup & venture captial; 
  • taxation;
  • technology & intellectual property; 
  • workplace advisory; and
  • white collar crime and investigation. 

Why ABL?

We are well known for being the go-to firm when it matters. We pride ourselves on providing strategic guidance and solving complex problems related to our clients’ commercial interests, legal position, and reputation. This means that our lawyers are exposed to interesting and varied work where they can fully utilise their skills and potential. We do not try to be everything to everyone − rather, we strive for excellence in our chosen areas of expertise.

Our internal structure is also a little different from our competitors. Our lawyers are trained to be ‘generalist specialists’ – able to straddle a range of different legal matters, as opposed to only being specialised in a narrow field. Working in a broad-based practice group this way, you’ll work across the full range of matters that the group deals with.

ABL Graduate Program

At Arnold Bloch Leibler we believe success comes from investing in personal and professional growth. That’s why we’ve stepped outside the square to provide a unique in-house graduate training program.

Rather than attending an external course, as a graduate, you will learn on the ground, from our best and brightest partners and senior associates – leaders in their respective fields who provide supervised training and continuous mentoring. The Supervised Legal Training (SLT) program is designed to be practical, engaging and upskill our lawyers for practice, based on guidelines set out by the Counsel of Legal Education. If you are newly admitted, you will have the opportunity to partake in the in-house training program as it will assist with your learning and development whilst working in a commercial law firm.

If the idea of rotations makes you dizzy, our single practice group experience provides you with not only a breadth of experience but also the depth of investment in your development. You will be assigned to a practice group and a supervising partner and get you involved in a wide variety of matters throughout your graduate year. The placement means you'll be treated as a permanent member of the team and who will invest in your development - being immersed in current matters. be exposed to clients, and make a real and meaningful contribution. 

Your engagement is our focus – while we have single practice experience, we have an optional six-month rotation system where we touch base with you at your six-month review to make sure we’ve found you the right home inside the firm where you can thrive. If you’re not sure where that is, we work with you to explore the options across all of our practices.

It is important to make the right career choices. ABL is a commercial law firm that gives graduate trainees the flexibility to either become outstanding generalists, or specialists in their chosen practice area. At ABL, it is the hope that every graduate trainee will one day become a Partner.

For more information about our graduate ethos, please visit our website.

Seasonal Clerkship Program

At ABL, we have three clerkship intakes that coincide with university holidays (November/ December, January/February and June/July). We aim for around 15 clerks in each intake, so you won’t get lost in the crowd.

Essentially, our clerkship program is a condensed version of our graduate experience− you’ll be immersed in our culture, be given real work, real responsibility and real contact with partners and clients in meetings, calls, and court hearings. The program includes a mix of training sessions, interactive activities and workshops, and getting involved in meaningful work with partners, lawyers and clients across the firm. 

Our clerks (and grads) are allocated, supervisors and buddies. The buddy is your go-to support person for any questions that arise from day to day. During your clerkship, we arrange a number of extra-curricular activities such as dinners with our current Law graduates as well as lunches with other practice groups across the firm. 

A popular inclusion in our clerkship program is a day out with one of our clients. We find that this unique experience connects the dots for clerks to see and meet the people that lie at the heart of the firm’s identity. It also provides the opportunity to hear from our clients about why they have chosen ABL and what they’re looking for when they come to us for legal advice.

ABL's key values

People
At Arnold Bloch Leibler, people are central to the firm’s success. We recognise that it is only with motivated people that the firm can provide personal service and practical, commercial and cost-effective solutions to client problems.

We hire the best and the brightest and recognise and reward our people with professional development and mentoring opportunities, competitive remuneration, community involvement opportunities and a deep and true interest in accelerating individuals’ careers. We want every ABL person to be well-rounded and accomplished, and to bring their whole selves to work.

Clients & Solutions
From a client perspective, our aim is not to service our clients for all of their legal needs − rather, we position ourselves as the lawyers to go to when everything is on the line, where strategic imperatives are invoked, and when commercial thinking that’s out of the box is required. We aim to develop long-term relationships with our clients and to gain a solid understanding of their businesses and needs. This enables us to formulate unique solutions to their problems with a broader context.

At ABL, we give our clients value by finding simple, practical, commercially intelligent and cost-effective solutions to what often seem to be complicated and confusing problems.

Excellence & Success
Our firm has an unswerving dedication to professionalism in everything we do and putting the client first. We aspire to the highest standard of integrity, honesty and fair treatment.

ABL is a meritocracy - we reward success and excellence. This reflects our prime business focus of partnering with clients in their success by helping them achieve their business imperatives through innovative and commercially intelligent solutions.

Community
Giving back to the community has always been one of our core values. Pro bono work is an inherent part of the firm’s DNA and we do it because it is the right thing to do. The firm is deeply committed to indigenous constitutional recognition and reconciliation.

At ABL, we proudly have a stand-alone pro bono practice group, led by partner, Peter Seidel. All lawyers at the firm are given the opportunity to get involved with pro bono work. The firm engages with many not-for-profit and charitable organisations that are active in communal, social, health, research, religious and environmental sectors. At ABL, we feel that we punch above our weight, and pro bono work is no exception.

Diversity
Our approach and longstanding deep commitment to diversity and inclusion have been, and will always be, a clear and significant aspect of the firm’s culture and a key contributor to our enduring success. Our ongoing diversity initiatives are far-reaching and include support for working parents, gender pay equity, policy information and education on a wide variety of topics, cross-cultural awareness training, and our internal Reconciliation Action Plan committee, among many more.   
 

Recruitment Process

We keep things simple in the application process - you're asked to upload your CV, academic transcript and a cover letter. 

When it comes to the interview, we only hold one round. You'll meet with two Partners and a member of our HR team for approximately half an hour. Our interviews are informal as we feel it's the best way to get to know you. We also know that we deal with incredibly impressive candidates, and we know you're assessing us too - so we like for you to feel comfortable and to be able to make a judgement on whether you can see yourself working with us. 

After your interview, we provide you with an opportunity to have a coffee with one of our graduates or junior lawyers. They have been through the process and can answer any questions you have for them.

Remuneration & Career Growth

  • Generous remuneration 
  • Continuing professional development program 
  • Professional memberships and practising certificate fees

Graduate Reviews

Overall Score
4.5
Overall score based on 18 reviews
They Score Best in…
9.1
Culture
9.3
Management
9.4
Office Work Environment
9.4
Salary
9.1
Culture
9.3
Management
9.4
Office Work Environment
9.4
Salary
What Graduates Say About Them
  • I started recently as a Graduate and I have been making meaningful contributions towards large and interesting deals from the beginning. The team culture is also great. Everyone is friendly, knows each other well, and makes an effort to work cohesively.
  • Workplace relations at our firm are not forced or artificial. Every person genuinely cares about each other and is willing to help one another out. I come to work every day happy to see my colleagues and work with them on otherwise extremely complex matters.
  • Really good graduate support, interesting work, and you don't feel like you're just another "cog in the wheel" because the graduate cohort is relatively small
  • The people at Arnold Bloch Leibler are down to earth, highly intelligent, supportive and display a genuine ethic of care towards their graduates. While the work at ABL can be challenging, it is highly intellectually stimulating and offers great reward. The matters we work on are very interesting.
  • The diverse range of people (both clients and other lawyers) that you get to work with! There's no one type of personality in the office, and everyone is very kind.
  • The firm's smaller size can mean a heavy workload as a matter is run by fewer people than might be involved at a bigger firm.
  • A lack of overseas secondment opportunities, however still go overseas independently to leading firms.
  • I feel like the firm needs to host more social events for its employees.
  • Some of the IT systems could be modernised.
  • Not much flexibility.

Jobs & Opportunities

Locations With Jobs & Opportunities
  • NSW, VIC
Hiring candidates with qualifications in
B
Business & Management
L
Law, Legal Studies & Justice
M
Medical & Health Sciences

Graduate Success Stories


  • Graduate stories
The thing I love most about my job is the people that I work with. I have been lucky to learn from senior lawyers who are experts in their field and who have accelerated my development as a banking and finance lawyer.

Genevieve Pope

  • Graduate stories
The thing I love most about my job is the people that I work with. I have been lucky to learn from senior lawyers who are experts in their field and who have accelerated my development as a banking and finance lawyer.

Genevieve Pope

  • Graduate stories
The thing I love most about my job is the people that I work with. I have been lucky to learn from senior lawyers who are experts in their field and who have accelerated my development as a banking and finance lawyer.

Genevieve Pope

  • Graduate stories
The thing I love most about my job is the people that I work with. I have been lucky to learn from senior lawyers who are experts in their field and who have accelerated my development as a banking and finance lawyer.

Genevieve Pope

A Day In The Life Of


  • Day in the life

Harriet Craig

Harriet Craig studied Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts and a Lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Harriet Craig

Harriet Craig studied Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts and a Lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Crosby Radburn

Crosby Radburn studied Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Solicitor at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Crosby Radburn

Crosby Radburn studied Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Solicitor at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Harriet Craig

Harriet Craig studied Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts and a Lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Harriet Craig

Harriet Craig studied Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts and a Lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Crosby Radburn

Crosby Radburn studied Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Solicitor at Arnold Bloch Leibler.
  • Day in the life

Crosby Radburn

Crosby Radburn studied Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Solicitor at Arnold Bloch Leibler.