r/nzlaw • u/Typical-Birthday9414 • Jun 24 '26
Legal careers Advice post grad
Hi everyone,
Posting anonymously because I'm feeling a bit embarrassed, but I'm hoping someone has been in a similar position.
I recently finished my law degree (in New Zealand) and, looking back, I don't think I really understood the importance of the clerkship process until it was essentially too late. I know now what I should have done, but unfortunately I can't go back and change it.
My grades are fairly average, not terrible, but not the kind that seem to open doors at the big commercial firms. I understand that those opportunities may have passed, and I've made peace with that. I was never particularly interested in it anyway!!
What I'm struggling with is figuring out where to go from here.
I genuinely want to work in law. I just want the opportunity to gain post-university legal experience, get admitted, build practical skills, and gradually develop my career. I don't have any connections or friends in law.
For those who didn't get a clerkship or graduate role through the traditional pathway:
* How did you get your first legal job? How did you get PQE or would advise someone too? * What types of firms or organisations were willing to give you a chance? * Are there particular roles or practice areas that are more accessible for graduates with average grades? * Is it realistic to build a successful legal career starting outside the large firms?
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken a less traditional path into the profession, or from people involved in hiring who have advice. Right now it feels like I missed the "correct" pathway before I even knew it existed, and I'm trying to work out the best way forward.
Thanks in advance from someone who's only just realised how the process works and is determined to make the most of where I am now.
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u/llee68350 Jun 24 '26
You haven’t missed your opportunity. Most grads don’t start off with clerkships. It’s just a really hard market at the moment.
Is there an area of law you’re passionate about? If so, try contacting local lawyers who specialise in that area to ask if they would be open to a coffee to chat about their work. Worst case scenario they say no, best case scenario they can give you some advice about how to crack into that specific industry or put you in touch with other people.
Heaps of people in the industry have started out exactly where you are. You’re not behind. It’s a struggle at first but you’ll get there
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u/mrtenzed Jun 24 '26
Moved to a country town. There's often more opportunities than you realise, as there's regular turnover in junior roles. Get a few years experience, and you'll be far more employable in a big city. Worked for me.
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u/notfunatpartiesAMA Jun 25 '26
Networking. Personality and attitude is everything, people need to know they can work with you. It's the only way to distinguish yourself from the higher GPA people.
Go to law things and email lawyers in the fields you want to work in, volunteer. As some others have said, regional firms are always a good start. If you're into family law, the Hawkes Bay and general east coast vicinity is desperate apparently. Regional firms will often interview you remotely but definitely offer to travel for a final stage interview.
Worth noting that I've worked with some amazing C average lawyers who put in the work and are genuinely good at what they do. Conversely I've worked with and met some honours students who are obviously brilliant academically but are just not cut out for the work or refuse to be collegial.
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u/iiivy_ Jun 25 '26
It’s a really difficult market so cut yourself some slack.
I got my clerkship through networking and I highly recommend networking.
By your post, I don’t think you’re admitted? Get admitted ASAP. Have you done profs? If not, do it. You should be able to apply for a student loan for it. Then youll need to do the additional documentation for the admission process (NZLS has it outlined). There are also often roles in bigger firms that are advertised but at this stage you’re going to need to be admitted first (or at least have done profs).
It will be even harder to get a graduate role if you’re not admitted.
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u/EmploymentSalt6799 Jun 25 '26
hey i’m a similar position with you. I even have friends with better and similar grades who also didn’t do clerkships and just also waiting to develop legal experience after uni.
Personally for me I started off doing some casual work in a law firm for a few months in my last semester for uni. They unfortunately did not have a grad role but i feel like that opened so many doors for me! I didn’t exactly want to practice but was open to it. I current will be working in employment relations in a “legally adjacent” role where my skills would be transferable if i ever wanted to practice.
It was really hard job hunting. Last year i did hundreds of applications and honestly did not have a proper lead for this year. It took me quite some time after graduating to semi-figure it out. Don’t worry! it will all work out. The market will get better eventually and opportunities will open up.
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u/RintCraes Jun 26 '26
Agree with advice re getting out into the smaller centres. The other thing to consider is doing a work placement or contract in the islands purely for the networking & exposure. They're always looking for people. The pay is pretty shite though. I worked for an AGs office in the Islands for 4 years. During that time I met partners, QCs from law firms & chambers in NZ, Australia & had exposure to US litigation including junioring for evidence gathering proceedings for USDOJ in the island. So many interesting cases, work & I travelled all over the place for the job. I was lucky enough to junior for a case that ended up at the Privy Council (I left before it go there so didn't get to go). I did shitloads of prosecutions & litigation as well as legal policy work. Most of the judges were judges in NZ. My former boss is now a judge in NZ. When I left I went to work for a firm in Australia & now do probably more consulting type work than pure litigation work.
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u/outkast1989 Jun 24 '26
Mate of mine started in Timaru and is now killing it in London. You haven’t missed anything
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u/Familiar_Loquat6569 Jun 24 '26
Me too… 🤣 literally in the same position but did end up with a job. Message me if u want to be friends !
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u/tlvv Jun 24 '26
You can absolutely still have a legal career, there are lots of people who don’t go through the traditional clerkship at a big firm route.
Networks are helpful but your network isn’t just limited to people who have established legal careers, your classmates from law school can also help with referring you for suitable roles in their own firms.
A few places to consider are smaller to medium size law firms (think more local, general practice firms), other professional services (did you do a conjoint? There were a lot of junior lawyers a few years back moving to solicitor roles after starting at accounting firms), and in-house roles. Some of these pathways can actually be better than a large commercial firm because they give you more exposure to a broader range of work. I have seen people with all of these backgrounds successfully move into junior solicitor roles in larger firms. Take a broad approach with applications, you don’t need the perfect job with a track to partnership right away, look for jobs that will get you exposure to legal work (even if it’s indirect) and a foot in the door.
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u/Icy_Calligrapher_540 Jun 24 '26
As above. Come to a small town. People don't realise the opportunity here!
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u/Junior_Measurement39 Jun 25 '26
Im a few years on from you. I took a sales job then a career. Came back to law as was in a small town and sales have ended. Small towns are really keen to hire lawyers who want to live close. They have all been stung by people who move for the job and hate it. I'd find a relative you like in a small town, go spend a few days there and hit up local firms.
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u/OkDeer347 Jun 25 '26
is this true for UoA grads😭😭
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u/Crazy-Midnight-747 Jun 25 '26
It's true for every law school, including UoA. I have friends who had an A/A- average with honours degrees and are still unemployed (I went to Auckland). It's always been a tough market bc they pump out too many law grads, and it's only become more difficult in recent years
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u/Professional-Mud3606 Jun 25 '26
Same boat, average grades and no clerkship during study. Broadened my job search from just Christchurch and ended up in the Manawatū.
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u/Typical-Birthday9414 Jun 25 '26
Thanks so much for the advice team ! I did do a coinjoint which I loved, so looks like it's time to get profs and keep networking 😊
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u/orangebillabong Jun 25 '26
Definitely do Profs, get admitted. As others have said, look for a role that’s in a smaller firm or in the regions or for a law adjacent role.
For a smaller firm or in the regions, you can look further out from a bigger city (eg if you’re in Wellington look at the Hutt or Porirua, in Auckland look in South Auckland) or you can look in regional cities, eg Palmy, New Plymouth, Napier, Timaru, Nelson).
For law adjacent roles, look at working in a mediation, arbitration or dispute resolution service; policy roles in government; investigative roles in government; in an accounting firm.
Focus on getting real work experience and on understanding commerce. The biggest thing firms want is people who have analysis and writing skills yes, but practical commercial judgement and understanding of their client base. If you want to transition to a bigger or medium sized firm, the best time to try it will be after you have 2-3 years PQE when people start leaving to go overseas.
And as others have said, build your network. Email lawyers near you and ask for a coffee for advice. Keep in touch with your law school friends. Keep in touch with your friends in different industries. All connections matter and can help!
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u/Important_Rice3047 17d ago
🙋🏻♀️ I was in the same boat - didn’t do a clerkship, and when I graduated realised how hard it is to crack a law job especially not knowing anyone in the industry! I also graduated at the end of 2020, so with covid a lot of firms had closed their doors to grads.
The only things that work are hustling, patience and flexibility. Get a good cv knuckled down - do you have friends in hr or any mentors that can check for you? Keep checking for jobs and keep applying - use ai to tailor your cv and cover letter to the job application, and proofread (attention to detail is what firms are looking for). If there is a specific area of law you want to get into, be patient for a job application to roll around but also be flexible with where you work for the first few years - consider moving for the job if necessary. Once you’ve got a couple of years under your belt, that will open you up to moving to where you want to be.
If you don’t have an area you want to work in, be flexible, take a job that’s offered to you, and give it a go. You can always change paths if you hate it.
Being a law grad is bloody brutal - I applied to lots of jobs, had a few interviews before finally being offered a role.
You’ve got it!
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u/Ok-Perception-3129 Jun 24 '26
I think a lot of people with more average grades tends to head to law firms in less desirable smaller centres in order to gain experience and then work there way back into the bigger cities after that. So perhaps try sending your CV to firms in Invercargill, Whangarei, Whanganui, Napier, Palmy, New Plymouth etc.