I chose MinterEllisonRuddWatts because I wanted to be a part of a corporate law firm with leading partners and lawyers. I knew it would be a great opportunity to learn from trailblazing lawyers who were highly respected in their specialisations. I was also drawn to the TMT and Litigation teams at MERW because I have a special interest in technology law. Both of these teams are making waves in the technology law space and, with the increasing amount of technology-related litigation and contracting, I knew I wanted to try them out.

My advice is to consider your long-term goals, which work particularly interests you, and which areas of law you would like to explore. MinterEllisonRuddWatts does a great job of giving summer clerks opportunities to explore different areas and make the most of the experience. Take advantage of every opportunity and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I really enjoyed the balance between challenging myself and developing skills while also having a fun and memorable summer. I enjoyed the variety of tasks because they quickly broadened my understanding of the work done in a law firm and challenged me to learn on the go. At the same time, there was plenty of time to bond with the other summer clerks.

My experience at MinterEllisonRuddWatts has helped me develop my time management skills and taught me how to identify what is most important and present it in an easy-to-understand form. I also found that my legal research skills improved through the training we received at the beginning of the summer. I have also made some great friends through the summer clerkship, who I now get to see in class and on weekends!

I really enjoyed the culture at the firm. Everyone strives for excellence in their work, no matter the task. It is a great place to learn, and everyone is constantly training to become more expert in what they do, which is very motivating. There were plenty of opportunities to learn from the partners, whether through workshops or small group sessions. Most of all, I found everyone very welcoming and, over the course of the summer clerkship, MERW really began to feel like a second family.

I chose MinterEllisonRuddWatts due to the firm’s expertise in commercial law, in addition to what I had heard about the firm’s culture. With the firm renowned for its work in areas such as dispute resolution, corporate law, and banking and finance law, along with the presence of some of New Zealand’s leading lawyers in these areas at the firm, MinterEllisonRuddWatts stood out for me. Additionally, from talking to younger solicitors and previous summer clerks I had heard of a very positive and supportive work environment at the firm which made me even more eager to choose it.

As a summer clerk, I rotated through the Litigation team and the Corporate team. My role in both teams involved assisting solicitors, associates, and partners with various matters they were working on. In the Litigation team, I was often involved in work such as legal research and preparing court documents, while in the Corporate team I did more work on drafting commercial contracts and other corporate governance documents. I greatly enjoyed the variety of work that I was involved in as a summer clerk, and no two days were the same.

I had a couple of different highlights of my summer! The opportunity to learn directly from some of the best lawyers in the country was my first highlight, and I was able to develop my legal skills in a way that helped me for the rest of my time at law school, and in my legal career. My second highlight was the firm’s culture and overall environment, which made the summer very enjoyable. Everyone at the firm was extremely supportive of all the summer clerks from Day 1, and that positive environment coupled with the festiveness around the office over the holiday season made for a very exciting and fun couple of months.

My main piece of advice would be to be yourself and to highlight your passions and talents in your application. The firm is looking for people that stand out, so make sure you emphasise the ways in which you do – whether that be your academics, sporting achievements, musical talents, or anything else you’re involved in. Also, make sure you stay organised and prepared during the application process, making use of the resources and information available both online and at your university.

The experience has complemented my studies by giving me a much more practical and well-rounded understanding of the law. Through the training and work I was given, I developed my legal research skills and gained practical experience such as drafting legal documents. It also confirmed my interest in commercial law and has given me a clearer sense of the area of law I would like to pursue.

The highlight of my summer clerkship was being given the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of interesting and varied work that challenged me. The people also made the experience particularly enjoyable. Everyone was incredibly approachable and willing to answer my questions, while also giving me opportunities to contribute to real work. I also really enjoyed getting to know the other summer clerks, and the friendships I made throughout the summer were a big part of what made the experience so memorable.

I would recommend a summer clerkship at MERW because you get the opportunity to experience what working in a commercial law firm is really like while being genuinely supported throughout the process. You are given meaningful work and the opportunity to learn from people across the firm, while also being part of a really welcoming environment.

I would describe the culture at MinterEllisonRuddWatts as friendly, supportive and collaborative. Everyone was really approachable and there was a genuine willingness to help and share knowledge, which made it a really positive environment to learn in. I think there is a good balance between working hard and enjoying being part of the firm, and that was something I really appreciated throughout my clerkship.

The best part about working at MinterEllisonRuddWatts is without a doubt the great people you get to work with and the quality of work we do. Everyone you work with, whether they are in your team or from the wider firm, is supportive and the work is both challenging and rewarding. There are countless opportunities for learning and also to contribute to the firm. I’ve especially enjoyed being able to be part of a meaningful initiative like our firm’s EDI Committee.

Our EDI Committee is made up of partners and staff representatives, consisting of a range of both legal and non-legal staff at varying levels. Its purpose is to create opportunities for diverse people to feel valued and to excel at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. The committee ensures that there is an ongoing focus on diversity at MinterEllisonRuddWatts in every sense of the word. Their remit overlaps with the firm’s wider sustainability goals, which are designed to prepare the firm for the future.

Diversity and inclusion are things that I am passionate about and think are highly important not only at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, but also in the legal sector. I think it is extremely important to recognise that while progress has been made, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Improving diversity and inclusion needs to be an ongoing commitment in our industry. I wanted to add value to the Committee and help tackle those issues by bringing the perspective of someone affected by some of the issues that are the target of EDI efforts.

I’ve only been on the Committee for a short while, but I’ve been surprised at the amount I’ve learnt – in terms of not only the various initiatives that are tabled but also the issues that staff have raised as points of discussion for our meetings and seeing how our firm responds to these. It’s an area I really care about and I’m looking forward to making a meaningful contribution to these important efforts.

I have always held MinterEllisonRuddWatts in extremely high regard because of the incredible work they do both in the commercial law field and in the communities of Aotearoa New Zealand. It was clear to me prior to applying that the firm has a strong culture of achieving excellence and success for their clients, yet also places great emphasis on encouraging and supporting their own people. Together, this makes them a truly phenomenal firm and it was the combination of these things that made me pursue MinterEllisonRuddWatts for my internship.

I interned in the Dispute Resolution team and my role as an intern involved assisting solicitors, associates, special counsel and partners with various tasks they were working on. This meant the work I did ranged from legal research to preparing court documents, with a whole lot in between. My role as an intern was one of great variety and, truthfully, I never really knew what task I’d end up doing on any given day. Overall, I believe the intern role is one of learning; learning new ways of thinking, learning new skills, and learning about different areas of the law and how they operate. It is a role I’m incredibly grateful to have had.

I have two highlights. Firstly, the learning aspect. The internship provides an incredibly unique experience to learn directly from some of the best legal minds in the country. It has been incredible learning skills that I will use for the rest of my legal career. The second highlight is undoubtedly the people. MinterEllisonRuddWatts has such an extraordinary culture of community and the people at the firm are so invested in you. As an intern, we were provided with a ‘solicitor buddy’ and a ‘responsible partner’ who we report to. I have found this to be such a helpful experience, which has made the transition to working in a law firm a whole lot less daunting and a whole lot more fun. I have loved working alongside so many amazing people and learning so much from them.

On a specific level, the work experience at MinterEllisonRuddWatts has significantly developed crucial law school skills of legal research, writing case briefs, drafting legal documents – and more. However, on a more general level it has also really helped keep me motivated for university study. Towards the end of a degree, it can be hard to find the motivation to keep giving study 100%, as you start to feel ready to enter the workforce. However, gaining the work experience at MinterEllisonRuddWatts has given me a taste for what the real world will feel like and galvanised me to study even harder! It has really confirmed my desire to pursue a career in commercial law and affirmed to me that I’m doing the right thing.

My role as an intern in the Corporate (M&A) team was to assist the team with any work they had and complete a private equity project I was assigned. This meant throughout the internship I always had something to do, which was great as it showed that the firm wanted to provide a meaningful experience to its interns. One of the highlights of being part of the Corporate (M&A) team is the diverse nature of the work. My responsibilities ranged from reviewing contractual documents such as Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPA), drafting director resolutions, to preparing research memos. There is never a dull moment and everyone is super approachable and always willing to help.

I could name countless things, but if I were to single out two it would be the people and the quality of work you get given. Everyone in the team and the firm are all super approachable and supportive, making the transition from law school to a big law firm much less intimidating. As for the work, I was lucky to be involved in transactions with some of New Zealand’s leading companies and multinational corporations. This provided a practical, hands-on experience that was both rewarding and insightful.

While law school lays the groundwork for our foundational understanding of the law it often diverges from the practical realities of the profession. An internship at MinterEllisonRuddWatts bridges this gap. It provides a supportive and welcoming environment where you can confidently apply what you learnt in law school to real-world scenarios, and also learn skills that are not taught in law school. This hands-on experience not only enhances your skills but also prepares you for a successful career in law.

I chose MinterEllisonRuddWatts because it was a place where I felt that I was able to be authentic and genuine during the interview process. I felt understood and seen and was able to laugh and relax with my interviewing partners. I didn’t need to be anything other than what I am, which is something that I highly value.

I would recommend a summer clerkship at MinterEllisonRuddWatts because legal work is something that you can do anywhere. Culture, opportunities and great people is something that MinterEllisonRuddWatts has fostered, and maintained, incredibly well. The support and encouragement I received at MinterEllisonRuddWatts goes above and beyond what I expected, and it continued through my internship and law clerkship.

All of the opportunities and support that is available makes the firm a great place to work. MinterEllisonRuddWatts values professional development and fosters the ability of everyone to grow and deepen their careers. As a summer clerk I was taken along to client meetings and had the opportunity to meet all kinds of people. I have been able to talk to my responsible partner about what work I want to do more of, and they have made that happen for me and involved me whenever they can.

Being able to do two rotations was a big highlight. I had a set idea of what I wanted to do with my career but, with two rotations, I was able to explore areas of law I had not previously considered and came to find something that I loved!

The biggest highlight of my summer clerk experience was the cohort. Most of us had never met beforehand, but now I feel like I not only have an inbuilt group of friends at work, but also great colleagues to reach out to for just about anything. As the summer went on and we got several team-building events under our belt, we really became close. I’m extremely grateful to have had a great group of people to share the early part of my career with. I’m sure we all will remain good friends as we grow in our respective careers!

During my summer clerkship, I rotated through the banking team and the financial services team. Rotating through two different teams in the same general practice area gave me the opportunity to dive into all things finance and gain experience on both the transactional and advisory sides. In both teams, there was a big emphasis on problem-solving approaches that incorporated both a legal and commercial perspective. Ensuring our advice was tailor-made to the client’s business and their goals was an interesting part of the work to engage with. The creativity and critical thinking required to deliver this advice was fun to take part in and has been an incredible learning experience.

The firm’s culture is truly unparalleled. Since starting at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, I’ve felt nothing but welcomed and encouraged to excel. One of the best parts of the culture here is that everyone is keen to help whenever and wherever they can, and there is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question. This has made me feel like a contributing and valued member of my team and has made the work much more enjoyable. Although I was stressed coming into the experience and felt as if I knew nothing about the practical side of law, the team has made learning and understanding as easy as possible by always putting aside time to answer questions or explain concepts. I think the fact that I have never felt stressed at work about not knowing a concept, or needing help, sums up the awesome culture at MinterEllisonRuddWatts well.

I chose to summer clerk with MinterEllisonRuddWatts as it was clear throughout the recruitment process that this was a place that truly values their juniors and gives them heaps of opportunities and support to grow into successful lawyers. The emphasis on hands-on experience, the great culture and the opportunities for professional development set MinterEllisonRuddWatts apart for me.

There is no one quality that MinterEllisonRuddWatts is looking for in applications. It may sound a bit overdone at this point, but my number one piece of advice is to create a CV and cover letter that emphasises the things you are most proud of and best exemplify you as an individual. I remember thinking initially that no one would want to hear about sports and my other interests on my CV, but all those little things speak to your personality and help you stand out!

In both teams, my buddies and the partners would check in to make sure I always had something to do but wasn’t feeling overwhelmed. This made asking questions and getting feedback an engaging and valuable process. Also, when giving feedback, the team would always be sure to not only point out areas where I needed improvement but would explain how to get there and give examples. Having this process in place meant that I always had constructive feedback to implement going forward and made me feel like I was always contributing valuable work to the team.

I was a summer clerk in the Tax team and the Property team, and every day presented something different to work on. I completed tasks such as researching legislation and cases, writing briefs with relevant information for matters my team was working on, and summarising recent decisions or information. It was so valuable to see how the law is applied in practice, and everything I did furthered my skills in research, analysis, and legal writing.

I decided to summer clerk at MinterEllisonRuddWatts because I was aware of the wide range of practice areas they are involved in, and I knew that I would be exposed to such a huge variety of work. As a wāhine Māori, I was also really interested in working in a space that recognises and celebrates Te Aō Māori. Alongside this, being an industry leader in such a wide range of practice areas, I knew that having the opportunity to summer clerk at MinterEllisonRuddWatts meant that I would be working alongside people who could provide me with excellent mentorship, experiences, and learning.

MinterEllisonRuddWatts is such an amazing place to work for so many reasons. It is such an inclusive workplace and, while it is definitely easy to feel nervous entering a large law firm for the first time, I felt so welcome from my first day. Throughout my internship, I had many people checking in on me and making sure I was comfortable. I also found MinterEllisonRuddWatts a great place to work because of the connection they have with the wider community. I was fortunate to be involved in volunteering time for conservation on Tiritiri Matangi, and being involved with Homework Help Club – both of which were massive highlights for me! There are also so many opportunities to get to know everyone, whether that is through social club or firm lunches or events, or people just asking you how you are as they pass you by. By the end of my clerkship, I felt as though I had been at the firm for a long time just because of how many people I knew!