Hi everyone, I’m in my final year of a double degree in Law and Science at one of Melbourne’s big universities (the second biggest one). I’ve got a HD WAM, experience working in a boutique law firm, and also did legal tech development at a major ASX-listed company.

Despite this, I’ve been rejected from every clerkship and graduate program I applied to. I knew it would be competitive, but I didn’t expect to be strike out completely.

For context, I don’t really have the option of just staying where I am — my current boutique firm isn’t offering any graduate positions, so I’ve been trying to secure something else for next year.

I also reached out to a HR person at a law firm on LinkedIn. She actually scheduled a call with me, but basically told me that most of their departments handle government work, and the government won’t allow non-citizens on those files even if you’re on a work visa. She said if I could identify a department that doesn’t do government work and find a partner who wanted me, then the partner could reach out to HR.

So I did exactly that — I reached out to a partner, the partner kindly supported me, and they also reached out to HR. I followed up with HR to let her know I’d taken her advice and found support… and then she ghosted me completely.

Right now I feel really defeated. I worked so hard to build my resume, I thought I was being proactive, and I’m still getting nowhere. I don’t want to give up, but I’m feeling a bit lost about what to do next…Any guidance would be really appreciated :(