2026 Law Clerk

About Russell McVeagh

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 | Tāmaki 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 | Māhirahira, 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 Wellington. 

Our Corporate Advisory team is widely recognised as market-leading in New Zealand and the 'go-to' for complex corporate advisory and commercial work.  You will be working directly with partners Michael Loan and Cath Shirley-Brown. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic about working on a broad range of corporate advisory and commercial matters, as well as large scale renewable energy and infrastructure matters, including joint ventures, public and private M&A, capital raisings, shareholder arrangements and project contracts.

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 have finished university studies by the end of 2025 and will 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 12 January

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 understand a little more about you in a fair and consistent way. 

1. Tell us what a typical week looks like for you? (This could include your study, work, volunteering, family | whānau, 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?

Your answers should not exceed one page total and ideally should be submitted in a PDF format. 

For more information or to discuss this opportunity please get in touch with our Graduate Talent Advisor, Matt Kendall.

We believe in enabling a supportive and inclusive workplace for everyone. Click here for further information about Russell McVeagh's diversity and inclusion vision and commitment.

Our firm is invested in achieving transformational change and having a positive impact – our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report captures our firm's progress on our commitment to helping to shape a sustainable and thriving Aotearoa New Zealand.  You can read our 2025 report, 'Contributing to Aotearoa New Zealand | Te Whai Koha ki Aotearoa' here.