How are the teams structured?
There are five divisions (each with a number of sub-teams) across our two offices:
- Banking and Financial Services;
- Corporate, which includes Competition; Intellectual Property, IT, IP, International Trade and Tax;
- Litigation, including Employment;
- Real Estate, including Environment; and
- Construction, including Energy.
Each division is headed by a Division Leader, who is one of the partners in that division. Within each division there are a number of sub teams. During your clerkship, you will work with several partners and senior lawyers, as well as having a junior solicitor assigned to you as your buddy.
Find out more on Our Programmes page.
How many teams will I get to work in over the summer?
You will get the chance to rotate through two teams over the summer, one each side of the Christmas break. At the end of each rotation you will get feedback on your performance and an opportunity to tell us about your experience in each team. Prior to your start date, you will be asked to let us know which practice areas you are most interested in and you would like to work in over the summer. Wherever possible, we do our best to accommodate your preferences.
What if I don’t know where I want to rotate?
That’s the great thing about being a summer clerk; it gives you a chance to try out a couple of different teams. If you really can’t decide, we’re happy to discuss this with you at the time and make a decision together. Successful candidates will also be invited into our offices to meet some more of our team, learn about our business, and have a look at our working environment. This will also give you a chance to ask questions and hear more about our teams.
Do I rotate if I return as a law clerk?
No, our law clerks don’t rotate. When we offer law clerk positions, this will be for a position in a specific team so you will know which practice area you will be working in when you join us permanently after finishing University. Before deciding which team to place you in, we ask you to provide your team preferences and we make every effort to accommodate these. If you then want to change divisions at a later stage, we will again do our best to accommodate this.
Do all of your summer clerks get offered a law clerk position?
We are committed to recruiting a number of summer clerks so that we can offer all summer clerks a law clerk position with us, providing both their individual performance and market conditions support this. While our summer clerks are not guaranteed a law clerk position for the following year, they remain our primary source of talent when filling our graduate roles for the following year. The clerkship is an opportunity for you to experience life in a top tier corporate law firm as well as enabling us to see what a great future law clerk you would make.
What does induction involve? What training do summer clerks get?
Our summer clerks spend their first week in an induction programme. Induction sessions include IT training, introductions to our different divisions and practice areas, Q&A sessions with previous summer clerks, workshops on enhancing research and delegation skills – basically everything you need to know to have a successful and fun summer clerking experience with us. You will also be given plenty of time to get to know the other summer clerks, your buddy and your new team.
During the course of your clerkship you will attend several training sessions with external providers including sessions to learn plain English writing, proofing and editing, effective listening, and developing presentation skills. All of these sessions will give you the tools you need to transition from university student to legal professional. You will also attend your team’s training sessions to learn more about the practice area you are working in.
What social activities can I expect over the clerkship?
There are lots of great opportunities during the summer to get to know everybody in our firm, as well as your fellow summer clerks. Christmas is a fun time to be in our firm and social activities over the summer include Friday night drinks, sports tournaments, Social Club lunches and other events, team building events, Christmas parties, team social events, and various quizzes and competitions. There’s definitely plenty going on!
Do I get a break over the holiday period?
Yes, our summer clerks enjoy a three‑week paid break over the holiday period. This typically begins on or around Christmas Eve and runs through early to mid‑January. It’s an opportunity to fully switch off, enjoy time with friends and whānau, and come back refreshed for the remainder of the programme.