Corporate Advisory Law Clerk Programme (Jan 2026)

Russell McVeagh is New Zealand's premier law firm committed to operating at the cutting edge of legal practice. Our award-winning team of lawyers across Auckland | Tamaki Makaurau, Wellington | Te Whanganui-a-Tara and the South Island | Te Waipounamu are internationally recognised for their thought leadership, depth of experience and ability to translate complex legal issues into client success stories.

Our values of Respect | Manaaki, Curiosity | Mahirahira, Excellence | Whai hiranga and Tenacity | Whakapau kaha reflect who we are and how we work together.

About the opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for a law graduate to join our 2026 law clerk programme in our Corporate Advisory team based in Auckland. 

Our Corporate Advisory team is widely recognised as market-leading in New Zealand and the 'go-to' for complex corporate advisory and commercial work. We work across specialities to deliver advice on a broad range of issues to both local and international clients, ranging from NZX 50 corporates to private equity and fund managers. We offer an extensive range of corporate advisory services, including merges and acquisitions, equity capital markets, IPOs, private equity, joint ventures and other commercial arrangements, investment in New Zealand by overseas entities, compliance and corporate governance, insolvency and debt restructuring, funds management and more.

As a law clerk at Russell McVeagh you will:

• Work with some of the leading lawyers in Aotearoa New Zealand, on some of the most significant cases and transactions;
• Be supported as you transition from university to your professional life, including with your professional studies and admission to the Bar; 
• Participate in a comprehensive induction programme, 12 months law clerk development programme and ongoing training;
• Have a wide network of peers and seniors to lean on; and
• Have a meaningful and enjoyable start of your career.

Law clerkship at Russell McVeagh will provide you with fantastic opportunities for growth while you are involved in a variety of interesting work in our supportive, collaborative and social environment.

About you

We are looking for students who are in the last year of their law degree (planning to finish university studies by the end of 2025 and be available to start in early 2026) and have:

• A strong interest in commercial law;
• A strong interest in Corporate Advisory as a practice area;
• A strong academic record;
• Drive, ambition, and a positive attitude;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; and
• Share our values of Respect, Curiosity, Excellence and Tenacity.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of employee benefits focused on supporting our law clerks to succeed and thrive, some of which include:

• Competitive remuneration package;
• Sign-on bonus;
• Relocation allowance if transferring cities;
• Support, coaching, and considered training and development programmes to assist with your transition into the workforce;
• Annual wellness subsidy; and
• Team charity days, sports days, annual ball, and regular team events.

Application

Applications close midday 24 March 2025.    

To begin your application with us, please upload your CV, academic transcript and written exercise submission. 

Written Exercise

We have found cover letters to often contain a wide range of information. Instead, to make it easier for you to know what to include, we just need you to answer 3 questions. This helps us to understand a little more about you in a fair and consistent way. Your answers should not exceed one page in total and ideally should be submitted in a PDF format.

1. Tell us what a typical week looks like for you? This could include your study, work, volunteering, family | whanau, community, sport, culture, anything that you typically spend time doing in a usual week. 
2. What appeals to you about working in commercial law and Russell McVeagh?
3. Russell McVeagh's values are 'Curiosity', 'Excellence', 'Tenacity' and 'Respect'. Thinking of these values, why do you believe you will make a great addition as a law clerk at Russell McVeagh?