Our Selection Process

We are a very young team and we select new team members based on whether they fit within the culture of the firm. Many of us receive intensive and hands-on training from the beginning of the career. It is also because of this ‘training program’ that many of us are headhunted to larger firms who do not have resources for a structured training program similar to what we are able to provide. Therefore, in order to minimize disruption to the operation of the firm, ‘loyalty’ is a very crucial factor in our election process.

Why PLTs?

Immigration industry is a unique area of law. One could easily take a graduate diploma course and be a registered migration agent. With only approximately 7300 immigration practitioners, there isn’t enough of us. In 2018 alone, more than 800 immigration practitioners left the profession. It is one of the most stressful professions. If anyone can last in this profession for 2 years, this means that they have the ability to earn more doing their own thing. This sets immigration law differently to other areas. There aren’t paralegals and legal secretaries, simply because they can get licensed themselves. The biggest immigration companies/firms face similar issues and head-hunt our people, after building our people to be assets to the industry. A recent discovery comparing the registered migration agents in April 2019 and Feb 2018, revealed that most immigration practitioners are no longer at the same firm or in practice.

Therefore, at Agape Henry Crux, we invest heavily (time, resources and money) in the younger generation. We feel that the grooming from university harnesses a family bond (loyalty) that will allow succession planning to occur within our firm. Our Practice Group Director started his career this manner, with unpaid internship for 14 weeks. Nine years later, he heads our firm as the leader. This is a true testament to the internship program.

Legal Training Overview

Areas to Cover

1. Culture and Presentation (personal)

2. Technical Knowledge – 80% on Immigration Law and Administrative Law with the residual of 20% on Corporations Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Employment Law, Business Law, Property Law, Contract Law and Civil Litigation (an immigration lawyer is required to have relevant knowledge of these area in order to deliver immigration instructions)

3. Operations & workflow optimisation

4. Customer Service & effective communication

5. Legal Compliance & accounting

6. Branding & Converting (sales)

7. Business Development (digital & conventional)

8. Leadership and Collegiality

9. Stress & time management

hear their stories

The leaders of the firm have gone through the same program. Click here to hear their stories. Although some may perceive them to be encouraging and successful stories, please bear in mind that those that did not make it, have not share their stories. Moreover, please read those stories carefully, they are what we refer to as survivors of the aftermath.

Our Practice Group Director recounts a sad day for Agape Henry Crux, read the article he wrote of a dear colleague who became a casualty to this profession despite all the preventative measures we put in place to prevent this.

JOINING US

There are 3 intakes per calendar year. Given the limited space, applications are considered as follows:

MAKING AN APPLICATION

• Send your resume to talent.acquisition@ahclawyers.com

• Include a comprehensive essay:

  • share your understanding of the immigration industry in general, the profession at large and how you fit within the culture of Agape Henry Crux

  • provide your analysis on the high turnover of immigration practitioners

  • list the top 5 most important things in your life

  • illustrate what you envisage a day to be like as a lawyer at Agape Henry Crux

  • teach us something we don’t know that is applicable to performing better at Agape Henry Crux

  • draw your short-term plans and long-term plans (remuneration and work lifestyle)

  • warn us of what you consider to be a ‘deal-breaker’

  • describe your greatest fears and how you plan to overcome these fears

  • tell us who you revere and why

  • convince us that you have what it takes to survive the adversities this industry has to offer, including the arduous journey at Agape Henry Crux

  • be brave to tell us your weaknesses and tell us how we can help your personal and career development

  • tell us the amount of hours per day you consider to be ‘hardworking’

  • explain how the Dunning-Kruger effect applies to you

  • educate us on the challenges employers face with the millennial generation

  • define ‘loyalty’ within the context of Agape Henry Crux

  • describe the ideal working environment

  • tells us of an immigration practitioner worthy of your admiration and a synopsis of an immigration landmark case you find interesting

  • showcase your drafting skills with this essay, make it a potent and persuasive in your favour

• List down the questions you’d like to cover during an interview (if you are selected)

THE PROCESS

WHAT TO EXPECT

The first 2 weeks brings a whole new meaning to ‘isolation’. It will predominantly be reading legislation and cases. You’d crave the action observed happening around the firm. Life gets easier as your assigned squad leader shares how they survived the same journey and help you acclimatise to the new environment. A squad leader is different to a team leader. A squad leader is merely a friend at the office to do life with. Progressively, you’d be introduced to the tech systems used by us. You’d complete tutorials and learn to operate with agility under the environment of our custom-curated tech systems. By week 3, you may be invited to participate in our weekly group studies. This depends on how much foundation you gained at this stage. If you take proactive steps to offer assistance to one of our team leaders, this will mark the true commencement of your practical legal training. There are no expectations for interns to deliver work. The type of work you engage incommensurate with the effort you have demonstrated. If your legal supervisor feels that you’re ready to operate under chaos, you will be given an opportunity to integrate with a working team. As we take the well-being of graduates seriously, if there are concerns in this regard, the seniors of the firm will provide you support, which may include counseling you to consider a different work environment or area of law. Your safety and enjoyment is paramount to Agape Henry Crux. If you have requested to be fast-tracked, the intensity of the 14 weeks is known to be unbearable. Only the toughest survive the ordeal because, within the brevity of that 14 weeks, you will be exposed to an immense amount of information comparable to a 2 years PQE. At the end of the fast-track pathway, you will be given a written test. The questions are base on the cases you were exposed to during the 14 weeks. There are questions pertaining to company policy and questions related to immigration law. These questions would be similar to the type of question a client may ask at the initial consult. With the passing of this written examination, you may request a paid position. The wisdom behind this is that for those who pass, they would meet the standards under the Act and Regulations to be eligible to apply for a license provided by OMARA.