Ben Clarke

Internship Dates:
June 2011

Where do you call Home? 
Adelaide, South Australia

Where are you now? 
Adelaide, South Australia

Where have you been in between?  
Since doing an Internship at Thomas Philip, I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world for both work and leisure. In particular, I have travelled to Switzerland to undertake a Human Rights Exchange Program and London for work experience with a barrister. I have also travelled to Europe several times, South America, New Zealand and Japan. As I write this, I am currently planning my next trip to North America!

Career progression since TP? 
I strongly believe I was able to use my internship with TP to catapult my career. I remember applying for various legal positions before my trip to Malaysia to no avail, but after undergoing my internship I gained a lot more interest from prospective employers. This led me to work for a number of Barristers at home in Adelaide, Piper Alderman (mid-tier commercial firm in their litigation team), the Director of Public Prosecutions and I now currently work for Minter Ellison, Australia’s largest law firm. I have been at Minters for more than 4 years now, specialising in Workers Compensation Insurance where it is my role to represent ReturnToWorkSA (formerly WorkCoverSA) and its claims agents. This requires me to attend Court on a daily basis and provide advice on various issues arising from the relevant Acts and Regulations. 

Personal highlights?
Most of my personal highlights involve travelling overseas. I think I discovered my love for travel following my Malaysia trip and since then, I haven’t been able to get rid of the travel bug. 

Interests? 
Besides travelling, I love playing Australian Rules Football (Go the Hawks!), going to the river and the beach, snowboarding and hanging out with mates/ family. 

The future…..?  
At the moment, I’m really happy in my current role at Minters. I work with great people and I find the work very interesting. I’ve always considered moving overseas for 6 months/ 1 year to work, but I am just waiting for the right time and the right opportunity. Watch this space!

Reflections on your time in Kuala Lumpur and at Thomas Philip?
Some of the highlights of my internship and my trip to Malaysia were being able to immerse myself in a completely different culture and stepping out of my comfort zone. As you may recall, this was my first overseas trip where I travelled by myself and it was certainly nerve wracking to begin with. This didn’t last long though because everyone at TP was so welcoming and supportive. 

I would also just like to take this opportunity to thank Mathew and Peter Habel, as well as everyone else at TP, for giving me the opportunity to undergo such an amazing experience. I honestly don’t know where my career would be if it wasn’t for discovering TP online and being offered such an incredible opportunity.