At Chapman Tripp we offer winter, summer and graduate opportunities across our three offices in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. Start here, grow anywhere!
Location: Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington
Area of expertise: Competition & regulatory, Construction & majority projects, Corporate & commercial, Environment, Planning & resource management, Finance, Financial services regulation, Litigation & dispute resolution, Private client & trusts, Property & Estate, Tax, Te Waka Ture.
Staff: 57 partners, 235+ lawyers, 135+ Business services
Contact: Janki Parmar
As one of New Zealand’s largest partnerships, we have the technology, resources and structures in place for you to do your best work.
About the firm
You will be hard pushed to find a group of more passionate and devoted lawyers. We count ourselves lucky to be part of a progressive firm that is at the forefront of law in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our reputation for hard work and getting results keeps us on our toes and motivates us to continue to do things better and smarter.
This year Chapman Tripp celebrates its 150th anniversary. This significant milestone marks a century and a half of excellence in the legal profession, handling the largest, most complex, and high-value transactions, projects, and disputes for our clients. We have not only made a positive impact on our clients but also our communities by offering funding, legal expertise, and volunteer time to make a meaningful difference across New Zealand.
The firm’s 2024 highlights include:
- Advising on three of the winning deals at the 2024 New Zealand Law Awards.
- Being recognised as the New Zealand Law Firm of the Year at the KangaNews Awards; our ninth consecutive win.
- Having three Partners recognised in NZ Lawyer’s Elite Women list.
- Having two Partners recognised in NZ Lawyer’s Most Influential Lawyers report.
- Having three Senior Associates recognised as Rising Stars by NZ Lawyer.
- Achieving Rainbow Tick reaccreditation, demonstrating our ongoing dedication to providing an inclusive environment, where our people can be their authentic self.
- Being amongst New Zealand’s first law firms to sign up to the Pride Pledge Gender Affirmation Register.
- Being reaccredited as a Living Wage employer, enabling our people and our suppliers to afford the necessities of life and participate in their communities.
- Continuing to play an active role within the communities in which we work, through pro bono work, financial support, community involvement (volunteering) and sustainability initiatives.
Working at the firm
At Chapman Tripp, we offer you the opportunity to collaborate with smart, passionate, genuine people, working with clients on New Zealand’s most interesting and complex legal transactions, projects and disputes. As one of New Zealand’s largest partnerships, we have the technology, resources and structures in place for you to do your best work. In addition to the financial rewards you would expect from a leading law firm we also offer a number of great benefits.
Our clients are diverse, working across different sectors and industries; and include major banks, financial institutions, investment funds, iwi, local and central government agencies, and New Zealand’s most significant corporates. Clients including AMP, BNZ, Chorus, Fonterra, Mercury, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Treasury Westpac and Vector choose to work with us because we are known for providing clear, pragmatic and context specific advice. We also represent many international clients and have strong referral relationships with international firms.
We invest in our people and community. Our values enable us to think and act in ways that challenge the perceptions of a traditional law firm and underpin the relationships we have with our clients and with each other.
Opportunities for students
Our Clerks undertake real work, participate in training sessions, enjoy social activities such as sports events, volunteering and lunches, and get a feel for our firm.
They are teamed up with a buddy and a supervisor to make sure they have all the support needed.
While our Clerks are busy getting stuck into the work and meeting clients, we also provide fun experiences along the way, including volunteer work and a number of firm and social events – from team sports and dinners, to an orientation day.
Throughout their time in the firm, our Clerks build working relationships, receive great training and most of all, get involved in in-depth, meaningful work.
As you start your career at Chapman Tripp, we want to help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed. Our induction programme covers important information that you will need to know early on and helps set you up for your time in the firm.
Winter Clerkship
Our Winter Clerkship is a great opportunity to experience life at Chapman Tripp and figure out if working in a corporate law firm is for you. We take on approximately 10 Winter Clerks each year across our offices. At the end of the programme, you may be invited back to join our Summer Clerk programme.
Summer clerkship
Our 12-week Summer Clerk programme is a great way for students to immerse themselves in life at Chapman Tripp! We keep our intake to approximately 20 Summer Clerks across our three offices, ensuring all of our Summer Clerks receive real-work, and have the potential to be offered a Law Clerkship at the end of the programme.
Our Summer Clerks rotate through two teams over the course of their clerkship. Before the programme begins, we provide information about each team, so Summer Clerks have all the details they need to make an informed decision about their rotation preferences. At the end of the programme, you may be offered a law clerkship.
Law Clerkship
Generally, our Law Clerks are our previous Summer Clerks, however we occasionally hire people who haven’t worked with us before.
We make sure our Law Clerks have all the training and support needed to have the best start to their legal careers. We enrol our Law Clerks in a bespoke Professional Legal Studies Course (Profs) with the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. This full-time classroom-based course helps them develop the practical, day-to-day skills they will need as an entry-level lawyer. After completing Profs, Law Clerks will be eligible to apply for admission as a legal practitioner in New Zealand.
We cover the cost of Profs and pay your full salary while you’re completing the course. Rather than juggling work and study at the same time, our Law Clerks complete their Profs course onsite from late-January to April, then join the firm full time in April.
Throughout Profs, our Law Clerks spend time with their teams, attending training sessions and team events for a seamless transition once they join us. After profs, our Law Clerks have weekly in-house technical and skills training sessions, to help them develop the necessary skills and settle into their day-to-day roles.
Clemens Goh
Junior Solicitor
What inspired you to pursue a career in law, and when did you first realise this was the path you wanted to take?
I have always been intrigued by the way that law shapes the many dimensions of our lives and wanted to better understand it. My curiosity, along with strong encouragement from my parents led me down my BCom/LLB and as time passed at school, my interest in commercial law grew and I eventually ended up on this path.
Can you share something interesting about yourself that people might not expect or know about you?
Prior to embarking on my tertiary education at the University of Auckland, I was a tank commander in the Singapore Army when completing my national service which was pretty cool.
What advice would you give to someone considering a clerkship at Chapman Tripp?
Apply now and approach the clerkship process with an open mind and eagerness to learn. A clerkship at Chapman Tripp represents an invaluable learning opportunity which I found to be thoroughly enriching and gave me a new perspective on the legal profession. I found myself pursuing my legal studies afterwards with renewed motivation and an appreciation for what was taught.
How would you describe the work culture at Chapman Tripp, and in what ways has the firm supported your wellness and development?
Work culture at Chapman Tripp is incredibly collaborative, inclusive, and supportive. From the beginning, you feel like part of the team. There is consistent engagement from everyone and a strong emphasis on learning and professional growth. Besides that, Chapman Tripp has generous wellbeing perks, including a wellbeing card for wellness expenses given to every employee.
What were some of your favourite papers in law school, and how did they prepare you for your role as a solicitor?
Some of my favourite papers included Law and Society, Contract Law, Secured Credit and Competition Law. As a solicitor at a commercial firm like Chapman Tripp, in terms of substance, Contract Law was most relevant generally and Secured Credit for my practice area specifically. But as a whole, my main takeaways were in skills developed such as a strong foundation in critical thinking and legal analysis.
What was the most challenging part of your transition from law school to practicing law, and how did you overcome it?
One of the more challenging parts of the transition was the move from theoretical knowledge to practical application. At school, the emphasis is on application of black letter law and legal principles in essays or problem questions which are often quite lengthy. In practice, there is an added commercial element that calls for quick and practical solutions where succinctness is preferred.
Describe a typical day in your life as a junior solicitor. What are some of the tasks you find most rewarding or challenging?
As a junior, every single day is different, and every new matter provides an opportunity to learn from my many learned colleagues and pick up new skills along the way. Drafting legal documents is both challenging in terms of the precision and attention to detail required and intensely rewarding especially the feeling of accomplishment when clauses are tied in well together.
Who has been the most influential mentor or figure in your legal career so far, and what valuable lesson did they impart?
My most influential mentor has been my supervising partner since my winter clerkship days till now. The most valuable lesson he imparted is to be adaptable and tenacious.
What skills do you believe are essential for a junior solicitor to succeed and thrive in the legal profession?
Essential skills include an attention to detail, strong communication, and the ability to think on your feet. But the key to thrive and succeed is adopting a growth mindset and striving for continuous learning often though setbacks. Moreover, in a fast-paced profession like law, it is beneficial to learn through observation and through osmosis from the people around.
How do you manage to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a junior solicitor, and what strategies have you found most effective?
Setting boundaries and prioritising time for personal activities has helped me in maintaining a sustainable work-life balance. Chapman Tripp’s flexibility and support in this regard has also helped me juggle my responsibilities effectively. I found that being able to pursue my hobbies and keep healthy has enabled me to perform better at work.