As a summer clerk, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in our many practice areas and get involved in client facing work. You will enjoy learning alongside experts in their field, working with clients from the get-go and having hands-on experience with exciting and stimulating projects.
Areas of expertise: Full-service law firm including Banking and Financial Services, Corporate, Commercial, Tax, Competition, International Trade, IT, IP, Real Estate, Environment, Construction, Litigation, Employment and Insolvency.
Staff: 49 partners, and approximately 300 total staff
Contact: Vanessa Syme (HR Manager) , PO Box 105 249, Auckland City 1143. PwC Tower, 15 Customs St West, Auckland 1010
What sets us apart isn’t just the work we do – it’s how we do it.
About the firm
MinterEllisonRuddWatts is a leading full-service, legal and business advisory firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. We have excellent connections in Australia, and around the world, including as a member of the World Law Group – a global network of leading independent firms providing borderless collaboration and global expertise.
We are a New Zealand owned and operated partnership with 49 Partners and more than 180 other legal staff. Our firm’s proud Kiwi heritage dates back more than 140 years and is the foundation on which we have built an enviable reputation.
In Chambers Asia-Pacific we have five Band 1 ranked practice areas, with 46 individually ranked lawyers. We were also named New Zealand’s Law Firm of the Year at the prestigious Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2024 – for the third time since 2017. In the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific rankings we have 45 lawyers ranked across 12 practice areas.
We work to provide a seamless experience for our clients, here and around the world. As a member of the MinterEllison Legal Group, we offer our clients access to one of the largest full-service legal groups in the Asia-Pacific region – and can hand pick a team of legal experts to fit our client’s business needs.
As the business world rapidly evolves, everything we do is underpinned by a constant focus on continuous improvement and delivering innovative solutions. We are seen by the market as being progressive and forward thinking, with a constant eye on the horizon to help our clients really get the best results for their business.
As one of New Zealand’s leading law firms, we think beyond the law, applying commercial knowledge and innovative thinking to some of New Zealand’s most high-profile transactions, projects and disputes. With a deep understanding of our clients, we tackle problems from all angles, meaning we always find the best solutions.
Recent highlights for the firm
- New Zealand’s Law Firm of the Year at Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2024
- M&A Deal of the Year at the New Zealand Law Awards 2024
- Gender Diverse Organisation Leader at the Women in Governance Awards 2024
- National Firm of the Year for Gender Diversity at the Asia-Pacific Women in Business Law Awards 2023
- Named as a top employer in the NZ Lawyer 5-star Employer of Choice 2023 list
- Named New Zealand Deal Firm of the Year at the 2022 Australasian Law Awards
- Voted by clients as ‘Best Provider to Financial and Insurance Services’ in Australasia in this year’s prestigious Beaton Client Choice Awards 2022
- Partner Stacey Shortall named as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the law and the community in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday honours list
- The first law firm to publish our gender and ethnic pay gaps in a public register as part of mindthegap.co.nz
- Established Ngā Karahipi Whakaeke – the MinterEllisonRuddWatts Awards Programme to encourage greater diversity in the law profession
Working at the firm
Our people are what makes us a leading New Zealand law firm, bringing diversity of thought and deep industry experience.
We were named New Zealand’s Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2024, and the Employer of Choice at the New Zealand Law Awards 2023, reflecting our continuing efforts to create a workplace where our collaborative culture and diversity of thought work together to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.
At MinterEllisonRuddWatts we are proud to attract and develop exceptional talent. We are passionate about what we do and are always seeking to find better ways to do things. We believe that we have a fantastic bunch of people at our firm. We all share a mindset of excellence, working together, driving innovation, and thinking collaboratively, while understanding our clients’ needs and providing them with technical and commercial solutions that meet those needs.
Our unique culture creates greater collaboration across our firm and ensures we seamlessly service clients with our commercial solutions-based approach. This approach also encourages a broad career path for our people, with more opportunities to work across multiple practice areas, meaning our lawyers develop a breadth of skills that future proof their careers.
We work with a full range of clients – predominantly large corporates, banks, government entities and substantial privately-owned businesses – on some of New Zealand’s most complex and technically challenging deals and transactions. We also lead on numerous trans-Tasman transactions through our affiliation with the MinterEllison Legal Group.
Right now there is a powerful opportunity to propel a culture shift towards greater sustainability in support of people, business and the planet. We are embracing this opportunity at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. To create the sustainable future we want to see, we commit to three pillars built upon te taiao (environment), ngā tāngata (people) and ngā tikanga (practices). The three pillars see us playing our part in a low emission, circular economy; contributing to social empowerment; and using our position as strategic advisers to positively shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s future.
Underpinning everything we do is our value of waka eke noa – respect individuality, work as one. Maintaining a safe, supportive, and inclusive workplace is an ongoing priority for our firm. We are confident of our strengths but, like all businesses, we acknowledge that we are on a journey. Developing and nurturing a culture built on values of openness, honesty, equality, respect, acceptance, flexibility, wellbeing as well as health and safety, has seen us build towards our vision of being the firm of choice for exceptional people – a firm where all employees can thrive and give their best with confidence.
Opportunities for students
Make an impact. Help shape New Zealand’s future.
Does working in a top tier law firm with international offices and a down to earth culture appeal to you? Apply now to join one of MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ work experience programmes, and kick start your career.
As an intern, summer clerk or graduate, you will be given real opportunities – opportunities to grow, learn and succeed while working with some of the most experienced lawyers in New Zealand. You will receive the training and support needed to reach your goals.
You will experience first-hand the type of work you could do as a lawyer with us. We aim to empower you to kick start your career, while being challenged, and provide you with an environment of constant learning and support.
At MinterEllisonRuddWatts we are not looking for people to fit a particular mould. Academic results are just one piece of the puzzle, and we recognise the strength that diversity brings to a team. Work experience, life experience, extra-curricular activities, sporting participation, music, the arts, and travel are all important criteria to us. We want you to bring your whole self to work and share your passions with us – individual strengths and diversity is what builds our teams to be so successful.
Law students can apply for our summer clerk programme in March of their penultimate year of study. Our summer clerk programme gives law students from all over New Zealand the chance to spend their summer break from university learning what life is like inside a top tier corporate law firm. Not only does this give you the chance to experience what it feels like to be a practising lawyer and do real work for clients, but it also gives you the opportunity to learn about our clients, our business, and our unique culture. You will also meet other law students from around the country, expand your networks and make some great new friends along the way. We typically employ about 20 to 25 summer clerks each year.
We also employ new graduates, however the summer clerk programme is our main source of graduate recruits. Graduate level candidates are encouraged to apply during the summer clerk recruitment round in March each year. Graduates start work for us in January or July each year.
Auckland-based law students can get ahead of the pack through our intern programme, which provides third-year law students the opportunity to gain practical, paid legal work experience working in our Auckland office one day per week during the academic year (March – September). Find out more about our work opportunities at graduates.minterellison.co.nz