Melbourne Graduate Program (Feb 2026)

What We Offer:

• Real and Complex Work: from day one, you'll work on real, challenging, and high-profile matters, gaining exposure to blue-chip clients whilst collaborating with a high-performing team.
• Career Progression: with the lowest ratio of solicitors to partners of any Australian law firm, you'll have clear career progression pathways and the opportunity to take on more responsibility, sooner.
• Further Study: full financial support for the completion of your Supervised Legal Training (SLT) with the College of Law.
• Career development: 180-day planning sessions are run with our P&D team to assist in having robust career discussions and planning. We also run internal development programs tailored for each stage of your progression as a lawyer.
• Mentorship & Feedback: you'll receive ongoing guidance from your supervising Partner and mentor.
• Other leave: permanent full-time and part-time employees of are entitled to 26 weeks paid parental leave. There is also other leave such as annual, personal, family and domestic violence, compassionate and study leave.
• Work-Life Balance: enjoy one of the lowest billable targets in the industry.
• Networking Opportunities: Engage with your colleagues through social events, firm-wide celebrations, and networking opportunities from Graduates through to Partners.
• Flexible working arrangements: while we encourage you to be in the office as much as possible in the beginning, to get to know your team and feel comfortable with the culture, our lawyers have a policy of minimum 3 days in the office.
• Pro Bono Secondments: get involved in meaningful community work through our pro bono secondment program.
• Customised Induction Program: our comprehensive induction program will assist in familiarising you with our systems, processes and give real insight into our practice groups and life at HWLE.

About the Melbourne Program:

Our carefully tailored Graduate Program runs for 12 months commencing in February 2026, where you will experience x3 4-month rotations in different practice groups. You will assist with real, challenging, and high-profile matters from day one, interacting with our clients early in your career. This is made possible by having the lowest ratio of Solicitors to Partners than any other Australian law firm. It also has the added benefit of giving you clear career development and progression opportunities.

Who We Are Looking For:

We seek final-year law students or recent graduates who embody our down-to-earth, no-fuss culture. If you are self-motivated, eager to learn, adaptable, and have excellent communication skills, you will thrive at HWLE.

Who can apply:

Applications are open to those who meet the following criteria:

• You are in your final year of study (finishing in 2025) or have graduated within the past two years.
• You are studying/have studied Law at an Australian (or NZ) university.
• You are an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.

Why HWLE?

At HWL Ebsworth, we invest in our people from the beginning of their careers. A dynamic and forward-thinking firm, our meritocratic structure supports career growth from graduate to partnership. We have over 1600 people, including 270+ partners, across offices in every Australian state and territory. Our mix of clientele provides junior staff with unparalleled opportunities to take on responsibility and work on a variety of matters, from small businesses through to ASX listed companies.

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

HWL Ebsworth strives to create an inclusive environment where our people want and feel comfortable to bring their entire selves to work. Varied perspectives contribute to our collective success so whatever your background, we'd love to hear from you and encourage you to apply. If you have reasonable accessibility requirements that will enable you to participate equitably in our recruitment process, please reach out to your relevant HR contact for a confidential discussion