MC’s unique Winter Internship Programme focuses on developing you as a lawyer – taking what you’re learning in lectures and putting it to the test.

Location: Auckland and Wellington.

Areas of expertise: We serve as the Office of the Crown Solicitor at Auckland, and have done for more than 100 years. But most of our work now comes from litigation beyond the Crown warrant. We’re a blended firm, with our litigators doing Crown prosecutions and every other kind of litigation and legal work.   

Staff: 160 Lawyers

Contact: To find out more, contact  recruitment@mc.co.nz or visit our website.

Opportunities for students

During your time with us you’ll meet everyone at MC and immerse yourself in a team where you’ll do meaningful work and learn from the best in the business.

From mid-July until mid-October, you’ll be part-time in one of our teams, doing meaningful legal work and diving deeper into what it means to join MC. Winter is our busiest time, so you’ll be getting real work experience, with training, support and a dedicated buddy. You’ll get to see how we work together and support each other to get results for our clients and the community we serve.

Working at the firm

If litigation is your thing, there’s really only one major firm for you.

At MC, you’ll be working with clients and appearing in court in your first year. But, don’t worry – no firm invests as much in litigation training. You’ll be taught by Aotearoa New Zealand’s top litigators in our MC Training Courtroom – an exact replica of an Auckland High Courtroom, the only one of its type in Australasia. 

We have an average age of 33, half of MC’s partners and over 40% of our workforce identify as women and our people increasingly reflect our clients and communities in terms of background, experience and thoughts.

At MC, we’re about collaboration, honesty, accountability, excellence, supporting each other and doing the right thing every day. You’ll find everyone at MC is approachable, friendly and casual while also being hard-working and professional.

Winner of a Gold Best Award for Workplace Environment, and a 6 Star Green rating, MC Centre is among the world’s first law offices to receive international recognition through WELL Platinum certification that our workspaces enhance holistic health and wellbeing for everyone who works at MC.

Plus we have free barista coffee for our team all day!

Sound good? Get in touch. 

Meet Nithya Narayanan

Graduate, MC

“As the office of the Auckland Crown Solicitor, MC occupies a unique position in New Zealand’s legal landscape.”

What kind of work have you been involved with at MC?

As a new solicitor in the Crown Specialist team I primarily draft written submissions for – and appear on – matters across the criminal spectrum including sentencings, pre-trial hearings, and bail applications. Since being admitted I have been allocated criminal files of my own, which involves being responsible for files from the point they are transferred from the Police to the Crown. This typically includes undertaking a preliminary file review, assessing whether prosecution should continue, identifying any pre-trial issues, liaising with defence counsel, and seeing the file through to its conclusion (whether that be by trial, or resolution).

Occasionally I have also worked with other teams on projects of a more commercial nature, including assisting our commercial litigation team with a large-scale discovery project.

What is unique about working at MC? 

  
As the office of the Auckland Crown Solicitor, MC occupies a unique position in New Zealand’s legal landscape. Following approximately a year in the Crown Specialist group, new graduates usually shift into “blended” teams where we are given the opportunity to retain a criminal practice while also undertaking work for another team (for example, commercial litigation, regulatory prosecutions, or proceeds of crime). This gives juniors the rare opportunity to develop versatility, and to acquire skills across different areas of the law. MC juniors also get into court far faster than most other new solicitors, which is great for those wanting to pursue a career in advocacy (and even for those who don’t – spending time in court is a fantastic way to develop self-confidence and good communication more generally!).

What career steps have you taken to get to this point?   

There aren’t really particular boxes MC expects you to have ticked before you apply. Having said that, I found it helpful to have spent some time interning at various workplaces while at university to figure out what I did and didn’t enjoy. I interned at MC in 2021. Prior to that I summer clerked at a large commercial law firm, and following MC I was a summer intern at the Public Defence Service. I enjoyed my time clerking in criminal law environments and the ability to retain a criminal law practice was fairly significant in my decision to return to MC.

What has been your favourite experience at MC?   

It’s difficult to pick just one! A homicide case was prosecuted by two lawyers in my team in June 2023. I was given the opportunity to do a first cut of sentencing submissions for two of the defendants, and to observe various parts of the trial and sentencing hearings. It’s often quite surreal to be involved with cases that are making headlines, and to see first-hand the care, attention and time that goes into preparing these cases for trial. Since my admission in September 2023, I have also had the opportunity to appear as junior counsel in a pre-trial appeal in the divisional Court of Appeal.

Did anything surprise you while working at MC?

I was surprised by how fast juniors are actually encouraged to do solo appearances at court! There is very high level of trust placed in juniors; the learning curve is steep but the work is always rewarding. My first appearance was a sentencing hearing for a large-scale complex matter. As juniors we do bails “lists” in the District Court where we may appear on five to six (less or more, depending on the size of the list) matters in a day. Sometimes we are exercising our independent judgment as to whether bail should be opposed or not. I expected to be in court occasionally but there are weeks where I have been in court every single day, which I really enjoy! There is also a high-level of support provided to junior prosecutors – if I ever feel unsure making a call I know there is always a partner or other senior member of the team available to be a sounding board.

What do you enjoy about working at MC?    

I enjoy the flexibility! Work is often offered to graduates in the form of a group email so that people with capacity can pick up the work. This is a good system because you end up working with people across the firm and form enduring relationships beyond just your immediate team. It also means that you have slightly more control over your workflow, and the type of work you end up doing, than you would otherwise. As an introvert I also find that I enjoy the culture at MC, which I would say sits somewhere in between a boutique firm and a traditional large law firm. We have a large number of talented staff with practice areas across the spectrum, so you are constantly learning from the best. At the same time, the office has a very low-key, plant-filled, casual dress vibe! There isn’t any pressure to always be visibly working at your desk. Some days I come to work craving some solitude and find that I’m able to escape to one of the sun-filled concentration spaces to get in a few hours of work in silence. I really enjoy the ability to work using my own style -and at my own pace – in a relaxed and non-judgmental environment.

What is your advice to other students who would like to work with MC?

Try and leave your pre-conceived notions about litigation at the door! You don’t have to have a Type-A personality to do court work. Everyone faces the same learning curve and everyone brings different strengths to the business of lawyering. Don’t feel pressure to have a 10-year plan – or to swear fealty to life in court – before you apply here, or anywhere else. Don’t overthink whether you have to have done particular papers at university to work at MC. I never did Evidence or Criminal Procedure at university but now feel comfortable navigating the legislation given how frequently I use it at work! Finally, to use an old cliché, just be yourself! It takes a lot of the stress away, and you’ll get a lot more out of being here if you do.

Meet Rangi Cowley

Graduate, MC

“The work is meaningful, I’m trusted in my decision making, I feel supported by my seniors, but most importantly, I have formed genuine connections and a comprehensive support system with my colleagues.”

What kind of work have you been involved with at MC?

I’m a junior solicitor in the Crown Specialist team so the majority of my work relates to moderate to serious criminal offending. I draft written submissions on sentencings, pre-trial issues and bail matters, review files to ensure they meet the evidential threshold to prosecute, liaise closely with Police and defence counsel on files, and appear in the District Court regularly making oral submissions.

Part of my work also involves working on matters for te Ara Poutama (Department of Corrections), the NZ Teaching Council, the NZ Police, and other private clients. At the moment I’m working on a large civil litigation file doing discovery tasks.

What is unique about working at MC?   

MC has a duality of culture that is both professional, competent, and high performing, while also being casual, approachable and people-oriented.

I would consider their extensive and ongoing training to be industry leading. We are given comprehensive training on personal brand, voice training, tikanga me reo Māori, LGBTQIA diversity, oral and written advocacy, trial skills and the neuroscience of resilience to name a few.

What career steps have you taken to get to this point?   

I interned at MC, Deloitte and the Crown Solicitor’s office in Manukau before joining MC as a full-time graduate. However I believe my extra-curricular involvement as a board member of a grass-roots charity and university groups, my persistence in completing university through different life stages, volunteering, and my passion for people opened the door for me.

What has been your favourite experience at MC?   

Being trusted by my seniors and partners to do a good job even when I doubted my ability. You are thrown into daunting tasks very early on and trusted with discretion and good decision making. In hindsight I can see that I had the skills I needed to do my job, my seniors just realised it before I did.

Did anything surprise you while working at MC?    

The extent of their commitment to building community. MC have social sports teams, partner with university groups and schools, provide mentoring and scholarships, participate in the ‘Toitoi On Tour’ reading in schools programme, accommodate diversity groups, host events and encourage firm participation in wider community events. Community and connection are really important to me, so I was really happy to see those vales reflected at MC.

What do you enjoy about working at MC?    

The work is meaningful, I’m trusted in my decision making, I feel supported by my seniors, but most importantly, I have formed genuine connections and a comprehensive support system with my colleagues. People make the culture, and MC has an exceptional one because of our people.

What is your advice to other students who would like to work with MC?

Lean into the things you enjoy and make you, you. Your grades alone won’t get you a job – your character matters more.