Pinsent Masons Reviews

The career pathway is graduate, to associate, to senior associate, to partner. The firm is very good at allowing and encouraging upward movement.

The firm does numerous events for social justice. There is an International Women's Day event, and a Reconciliation Action Plan committee which organises events to promote indigenous rights issues.

Company culture is very good. There doesn't feel like there is a typical hierarchy, with the partners all being very nice and approachable. Generally, most people who are in the office will all have lunch together and it is not uncommon for activities to be planned after work. I have developed a number of genuine friendships that now carry on outside of work. From a team perspective, the partners and senior lawyers are all very approachable and willing to help with questions you may have. Similarly, juniors tend to work quite closely together when completing tasks and are often given larger projects to work on together and then deliver back to senior staff.

PM is very diverse, with people from all backgrounds. We have a Diversity and Inclusion committee, as well as an LGBTQI committee. Head of Melbourne, Perth and Sydney offices are all women. By showing examples. We have many colleagues from less privileged backgrounds.

There's a lot of variation in day-to-day work, with different training sessions, team meetings, client meetings and opportunities to work collaboratively with other juniors as well as learning from seniors. A great part of the graduate program is the opportunity to work with a wide range of colleagues, which allows you to work on varied matters across different sectors.

Managers are great. The head of Australia makes time to do a graduate catch-up session every week. Supervisors also regularly check-in to see how you are developing and how you are finding the work.

The office is brand new and very impressive, with excellent facilities and equipped with standing desks. The dress code is 'dress for your day'.

The interview process was very smooth, the interviewers were friendly and not too formal. HR was responsive to any queries. I was asked relativity standard interview questions, and my interviewers took a genuine interest in my travel and asked me what I learnt from travelling. I recall being asked the question what diversity and inclusion meant to me, and I thought this was an excellent question. Take some time to research the company (both in Australia and overseas) to try and understand the type of work that the firm is involved in, what differentiates it from other firms, and think about which areas might interest you. Think about your past experiences and how the skills you've worked on could contribute to the firm.

The salary package at the firm is great for graduates, especially taking into account that the firm fully funds PLT and admission fees. The option to do global secondments even for juniors.

There are not only regular trainings that are compulsory to graduates. There is also a platform that provides trainings on legal knowledge, legal skills, professional development and soft skills. Employees can choose whichever sessions they would like to attend. It is very comprehensive and internationally-connected.

The hours are very reasonable, will depend on whether there are any urgent deadlines. Quite flexible in terms of both hours and working from home.

Our Climate Change and Sustainability Network (CCSN) are working to drive change in our offices to reduce our environmental footprint, with initiatives such as coffee cup recycling bins.