We pride ourselves on being a team of specialists and innovators, who work with many of New Zealand's leading companies and government organisations.
As a summer clerk or graduate at Simpson Grierson you’ll be involved in real client work, tackling major projects alongside some of the most respected lawyers in New Zealand. You’ll also be part of a ‘people first’ culture that values diverse backgrounds and creative individuals. We’ll empower you to explore your passions and shape the way you work.
"The best kind of learning comes when you’re thrown in the deep end, but there’s always someone watching out for you. This is summer clerking at SG."
"My experience here over the summer has far exceeded my expectations. The culture sets the tone for how everyone works together, in a friendly and supportive environment, with mentors who are committed to helping you develop expertise."
"Simpson Grierson encouraged me to use my own judgment. I was able to sharpen my reasoning, thinking wider, broader, yet more concisely. My opinion was always heard and valued."
"At SG I’ve been introduced to exciting, dynamic and developing areas of the law. The support and mentorship I’ve received has fostered a passion for the law that I cannot wait to develop further."
"Simpson Grierson highly values people and individuality. This provides summer clerks with a unique opportunity to learn and grow in a welcoming environment."
To deliver great client service you need to have the best support and opportunities to succeed and grow. That's something we strive to give to all our people.
That includes everything from comprehensive wellness and support policies to 'dressing for your day', community support activities, flexible working, and our exceptional professional development programme.
It starts with our values. We put people first, are inclusive, and strive for excellence. It's that simple.
We encourage you to bring your whole-self to work as we believe that diversity enhances our business.
We were the very first business in New Zealand to be awarded the Rainbow Tick, and in 2017 we won the White Camellia Award for gender equality. At Simpson Grierson there has been a 0% pay gap between males and females for the last four years.
For us, diversity is not just about the differences that you can see, but all of the things that make us individuals - such as social backgrounds, values, religion, thinking styles, life experiences, family backgrounds and talents. That's what makes people interesting.
It doesn't matter to us what school you went to or who your parents are. To us, there is no right or wrong side of town. Your sexual orientation doesn't matter. And if you're a mature worker, we'll welcome you just the same as we would our younger starters.
We take our responsibility to the communities we live in seriously, and our summer clerks and grads have the opportunity to play a key role in this.
Our particular focus is to work with youth, helping them develop their full potential. We are proud to partner with the following organisations:
We also support a large number of other charitable organisations – many on a pro bono basis. For more details, take a look at our pro bono page.
Anti-bullying and harassment
The safety, comfort and wellbeing of our people is an absolute priority for Simpson Grierson. Bullying and harassment is never acceptable in any form, and everyone is encouraged to speak up and confidently bring forward their concerns, through any of our internal or third party avenues, knowing that we will support them and take the matter seriously.
Wellness
Our wellbeing programme has been in place for 12 years and has a strong emphasis on mental health. The programme focuses on reducing stigma, raising awareness and creating a mentally healthy workplace. We also have EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) where staff and their immediate family can access free and confidential counselling 24/7.
Professional development programme
Join lawyers from across the firm in our wide range of masterclasses, seminars and workshops on topical and tricky legal issues. These sessions allow you to deep dive into new areas of law and hear how our experts navigate those areas. As well as the technical legal training, our summer clerk and graduate programmes also involves a ton of training in technology, personal brand, business writing, file management, and other useful skills you need to be successful in your career.
For us, applying environmental principles to our day-to-day activities means continually finding practical ways to minimise the negative impact our business practices can have on the environment.
It’s an ongoing focus and we always welcome ideas from our people on new ways and initiatives to help reduce our environmental impact. In the past 12 months we have:
For more details, take a look at our environment page
We offer summer clerkships and graduate programmes in each of our Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch offices. When you apply, please select the option that is most applicable to you.
If you’re in your penultimate year of Law School, you are eligible to apply for a summer clerkship at Simpson Grierson. As a summer clerk you will rotate through two different teams, one before Christmas and one after. We're usually able to place our clerks in the teams that they’re most interested in, which means you get to explore practice areas you’re curious about.
When you join us, or come back, as a Simpson Grierson graduate you will have the opportunity to rotate through two teams. Each rotation is 6 months long, which allows you to really experience the nuts and bolts of our legal practice. We'll do our best to place you in the teams that you're passionate about, but will also encourage you to take a risk, try something new and potentially realise you love an area of law you knew nothing about before. Our People & Culture team will coach and guide you to ultimately find the best fit.
We know that you take your career seriously so we have a wide network of people to support you at the start of your career. We have a very comprehensive two-year training programme that has been described externally as 'leaps ahead' of our competition.
Features include
You will experience two rotations as a summer clerk and two 6-month rotations as a graduate. That’s four rotations in total to help you discover the area of law you’re most passionate about.
Structured around four different departments, our specialist teams range across many areas of law:
Our banking and finance practice is a leader in its field. We’ve advised on some of the market’s most complex and significant financing transactions, and pride ourselves on driving successful outcomes for our clients. We regularly act for major financial institutions, investment banks, leading listed and unlisted companies, sponsors, private equity houses, fund managers, mezzanine lenders, trustee companies, and local government bodies.
Our large corporate and commercial group has an extensive track record, ranging from everyday deals to many of the landmark transactions in New Zealand’s corporate history. Our expertise also includes leading teams in areas such as Intellectual Property, Technology, and Sports, Entertainment & Events Law.
We have the leading commercial litigation practice in the New Zealand market. Our commercial litigation department regularly conducts significant and large-scale cases in all New Zealand courts, and has a reputation for adopting a pragmatic approach to litigation.
We have the largest infrastructure group in New Zealand, covering the full spectrum of property and infrastructure activities. Our work includes planning, property acquisition and development, financing, procurement, construction, and dispute resolution. We also have the largest public law practice of any law firm in New Zealand, and are the market leader in environmental law and resource management.
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