2027 Law Clerk - Tax - Auckland

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 | Tamaki 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 | Mahirahira, 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 2027 Law Clerk to join our Tax team based in Auckland.

Our team provides specialised tax advice on all types of direct and indirect tax.  In this role, you will work closely with our Tax partners Fred Ward and Greg Neill who continue to act on the most significant New Zealand commercial transactions.  The team regularly advises on the tax implications of financing and capital raising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business establishment and reorganisations, investment products, employee remuneration packages, customs and excise, transfer pricing and disputes.

We offer first-class training and real opportunities to further develop your career in a supportive, collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment, working alongside New Zealand's leading lawyers.

About you

We are looking for students who are in the last year of their law degree (planning to finish university studies by the end of 2026 and be available to start in early 2027) and have:

The successful candidate will:

• Have a strong interest in commercial law;
• A strong interest in tax;
• Be analytical and have strong attention to detail;
• Have a strong academic record;
• Enjoy working collaboratively;
• Have 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:

• Market leading remuneration package;
• Support, coaching, and considered training and development programmes to assist with your transition into the workforce;
• Annual wellness subsidy, phone allowance, and talent referral bonus incentives; and
• Team charity days, sports days, annual ball, and regular team events.

How to apply

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 to understand a little more about you in a fair and consistent way. Your answers should not exceed one page in total and ideally should be submitted in a PDF format.

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

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

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.