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Shape your career with Simpson Grierson
Our applications for a summer clerk or graduate role are now closed for this year.
Simpson Grierson is a great place to start your career. As a summer clerk or law graduate you’ll work alongside some of Aotearoa’s leading lawyers and have the opportunity to get involved in real client work, advise on leading commercial transactions and tackle major projects.
We’ll give you plenty of support and opportunities to shape your career.
Read our latest Seasons magazine here.
The summer clerk experience
If you’re in your penultimate year of Law School, you are eligible to apply for a summer clerkship with us.
As a summer clerk you will rotate through two different teams, one before Christmas and one after. This gives you the opportunity to experience two different areas of law and decide where you want to begin your career. In your first few days as a summer clerk, you’ll be based in our Auckland office where we will welcome you to the firm and you’ll get to network with each other over some fun activities.
A lot of our summer clerks also join us as law graduates after they complete their degree.
The graduate experience
Our law graduate cohort is a mixture of people who have summer clerked with us and students we hire into law graduate roles.
You will start by doing your professional legal studies for the first three months and will then join your team in April, where you will be placed permanently into a team and have the opportunity to get involved in meaningful client work.
You’ll get access to a comprehensive two-year training programme that has been described externally as 'leaps ahead' of our competition. None of our law graduates have fee budgets, which means you can settle into your new role without too much pressure.
As a summer clerk you will rotate through two of the eight national practice groups below. Hear from our juniors about what it’s like to work at Simpson Grierson and learn more about their teams.
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Banking & Finance |
IP/ICT |
Real Estate |
Employment |
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Planning & Environment |
Corporate & Commercial |
Construction |
Commercial Litigation |
Recruitment dates
04 March 2025
Applications open 9am
24 March 2025
Applications close 12pm
24 March 2025
Applications begin to be reviewed
28 March 2025
Candidates will be notified if they have made it to the next stage of our recruitment process
13 April 2025
Successful applicants invited for an in-person interview
01 May 2025
Wellington interviews
02 May 2025
Wellington interviews
05 May 2025
Christchurch interviews
07 May 2025
Auckland interviews
08 May 2025
Auckland interviews
19 May 2025
If successful we will make you an offer!
22 May 2025
Wellington post-offer function
26 May 2025
Auckland post-offer function
30 May 2025
Offers due 12pm
Our values underpin a supportive culture where everyone is empowered to deliver outstanding results for our clients and community.
Making sure our people feel supported and included is important to us.
We will listen to what you have to say, and we encourage you to bring your whole self to work.
Putting People First is fundamental to everything we do. We prioritise wellbeing and build healthy relationships based on mutual respect, trust and integrity.
We always strive to be At Our Best. We deliver excellent service and best outcomes for clients by developing and empowering our people.
And we are Energetic For Change. We seek out, embrace and invest in positive change that benefits our people, clients and communities.
Diversity is what helps an organisation flourish. Which is why we make sure Simpson Grierson is a place where everyone feels their voices matter, their opinions are respected, and they truly belong.
We have a wide range of employee networks to help you connect with colleagues, find support and become allies. Some of our larger networks include our Rainbow communities, Māori and Pasifika communities, Neurodiversity group, Women & Allies group, Asian Languages & Culture group, and various faith groups and cultural groups.
We also have a number of learning opportunities that build cultural competency and challenge unconscious bias.
We are committed to giving back to our community and were the first law firm in Aotearoa to have a dedicated Pro Bono Partner, Shan Wilson. Through our pro bono programme we help disadvantaged and low-income members of the community gain access to legal services.
You can find out more about what we’ve been doing in this space in our latest Pro Bono Report
Frequently Asked Questions
We recruit annually in March. There are some occasions where we recruit later in the year for graduate roles, but it depends on our business needs.
While academic results are important; we want to see the full picture of who you are. This can include details of previous work experience, achievements, volunteer or community involvement, sports, hobbies, language/s or any other transferrable skills. A top tip is to highlight aspects of your CV that make you stand out as a budding commercial lawyer of the future. Please include your contact details as well. We encourage you to submit a concise, one-to-two page CV.
We offer plenty of opportunities for connection. We’ll be attending all career fairs nationwide, so come along if you can. We also have our annual open day around March, which is a great opportunity for you to learn more about us. Email our graduate recruitment lead, Sophia Catley, with any queries.
- Come prepared - do your research about us and our people
- Be on time! Aim to arrive early in case of any unexpected delays
- This is a chance for us to get to know you beyond your CV so be prepared to delve deeper into challenges you’ve faced, times you’ve used initiative, displayed solid work ethic or shown resilience
- Showcase why you want to be a commercial lawyer in one of the best firms in the country
- This is also an opportunity for you to find out more about us, so bring along any questions you have
- Be yourself! We want to get to know the real you so let your own flair shine through
Remember: Most of us have been in your shoes at some point in our careers and we understand that nerves are only natural. We’re a friendly bunch and we’ll try our hardest to put you at ease.
We receive over 700 applications each year, which is why standing out from the crowd really helps you get noticed. Our People & Culture team review every single application first hand. This programme is really important to us, so no AI involved!
You'll hit the ground running with technology and research training, before participating in a bespoke professional development program.
Yes you can apply for more than one office although in the initial application form we do ask for your preference out of the offices you applied for. You will need to create separate applications for every office you apply for, but you can include the same information within each application.
Absolutely not. We don’t expect summer clerks or law graduates to have previous legal experience.
You need to be in your penultimate year to be considered for a summer clerkship. We like to keep consistency within our cohorts so that you build strong peer groups.
