Legal Careers for Graduates
We don’t do standard clerkships. Aspirational lawyers don’t want to spend their summer printing off reams of documents! Our unique Pathways Program for final year law students is the best way to build your legal skills and commercial acumen. It’s your opportunity to dive into large-scale litigation, be mentored by some of the best minds in the business and kickstart your career with a firm that values behaviours that build relationships, excellence, and a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.
You’ll join WK as a paralegal, working casually during your last semester or final year of your law degree. You’ll support a champion team of lawyers who are tasked with ensuring you develop the necessary skills to put you at the front of the queue for a graduate position. Wotton Kearney supports and funds all graduates who are completing their Practical Legal Training. They are provided with paid study leave throughout the year, educational fee assistance and individualised support provided from their seniors, buddies, and peers.
Through Pathways we’ll get to know you and do our best to match your interests, under-graduate degree, other work experiences and preferences into the teams you work with during Pathways. You’ll be doing real work for real clients alongside senior lawyers and partners who are among the best in the business.
If you’re the type of person we’re looking, you have many options. You might think a clerkship is right for you. And it might be. What we offer is something different but, like a clerkship, it’s a direct path to a graduate offer.
What we’re looking for?
You’ve got to want to be a litigator. No point considering us if that’s not in your plan. We aim to be the best and to help every lawyer become their best. That means you need to want that too.
The pathway to becoming the best takes endless curiosity, a commitment to being a life-long learner and to being the type of person clients, colleagues and peers know they can trust. Legal expertise matters a lot but so too does the ability to form and maintain positive relationships and not just with your colleagues and clients but also with your peers, opponents and the broader community.
What to expect from WK?
When you join us, you’re joining a community that’s much bigger than WK; it’s a relationship ecosystem of our people, clients, industry groups, professional bodies and the community. It’s all inter-connected, inter-related and of equal importance.
If we offer you a start at WK, that means we think you’re an exceptional talent and we want to help you fulfil your potential. We are invested in your success. We want you to learn from the best and become the best. The way we help make that happen is by:
- Matching the range, variety and complexity of work to your evolving skillset and interests.
- Enabling client interaction from the outset.
- Setting clear expectations and support to help you meet them.
- Ongoing encouragement and practical, timely and actionable feedback.
- Educating you on everything from insurance law to skills training to mental health and wellness.
- Giving you a “buddy” to help guide you through your first months and beyond.
- Providing flexibility about the how, what, when and where of working.
- Placing a big emphasis on people being comfortable being themselves at work.
- Encouraging you to get involved on community and pro bono initiatives that address tough issues such as inequality (in its many forms), climate change and human rights.
- Together, we’ll help you build the foundations needed to become a great litigator, a lawyer our clients want on their side and the type of workmate everyone enjoys working with.
Who’s eligible for the Pathways Program?
To be successful you must be in the final year of your undergraduate law degree, and either a citizen or permanent resident of Australia with full working rights.
View Brochure
Insuring your future with Wotton Kearney
Are you looking to kick start your legal career in the best possible way?
Are you interested in insurance law or keen to learn more about what we do?
Wotton Kearney (WK) is New Zealand’s largest dedicated insurance law and dispute resolution practice. Founded in 2002, our story began modestly in Sydney with two partners, four lawyers, and boundless ambition.
Today, that pioneering spirit has propelled us to new heights. We’ve grown into a dynamic force of over 700 professionals, including 85+ partners, spanning 10 offices across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. In New Zealand we have offices in Auckland | Tāmaki Makaurau, Christchurch | Ōtautahi, and Wellington | Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Our focus on insurance makes us the home to many of our industry’s most talented legal experts and the law firm of choice for some of the largest insurers, brokers, and industry participants.
Our experience extends across a broad range of industry sectors including construction, energy and mining, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, property, public sector, retail, SME, sports/leisure, technology and transport.
As a team of 100, what sets us apart is our culture. We’re not your typical law firm – we’re easy-going, have a focus on high-performance, and are experiencing a lot of growth.
Hear from some of our recent graduates on what it’s like working at WK:
 |
“The opportunity to learn from the best and most down-to-earth insurance and litigation lawyers in the business”
Pia Kitchin Gordon – Solicitor |
 |
“The teaching. I am continuously impressed by the effort put into developing my legal skills during my time at WK. The culture at the firm is extremely welcoming, with plenty of social events and celebrations that really tie the firm together to create a sense of community”
Finn Speirs – Solicitor |
Our graduate programme
Our Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch offices are inviting applications from final year law students to join our dedicated team in early 2026. To be considered for a position, you will need to have completed your law degree and be ready to commence full time employment by 1 February 2026. You may complete Professional Studies (fees covered by WK) after your commencement date.
We’re looking for candidates who are ambitious, have a strong academic record and a genuine interest in insurance litigation. A can-do attitude and excellent written and oral communication skills are a must, and you will need to be confident in engaging and working with a wide range of people.
What we have to offer
To become a great place to work means that we need to support you to achieve your career and personal goals. We do this by:
- giving you exposure to complex, interesting and cutting-edge matters you can sink your teeth into. You’ll work alongside experts in their field
- supporting you to keep up to date with the latest developments in the legal and insurance industries via internal and external conferences and workshops
- providing access to leading facilitators to help you build other valuable skills, like communicating with and managing others
- providing three-tiered mentoring support via a dedicated Kaitiaki (supervising partner), senior mentor and buddy
- providing practical technical training which includes Insurance 101 training sessions; report writing, discovery and more
- providing opportunities to experience life inside a client’s business through secondments that offer amazing client insights
- supporting you to become a member of the professional associations that open up doors to industry networks that open other doors
Lastly, it matters to us that you feel recognised for what you bring to the team. We take time out to wind down and we celebrate achievements, big or small, professional, or personal.
Here are some ways we say thanks:
- Competitive remuneration package
- Education Assistance programme which includes study leave and payment of Professional course fees
- Rotational structure to allow you to gain experience in different practice areas
- Three-tiered mentoring support
- Structured training programmes
- Flexible work arrangements
- Secondment opportunities
- Generous leave provisions, including birthday leave!
- Monthly ‘hei toa’ recognition awards
- Involvement in our Community Footprint Pro Bono & CSR Program
- Fantastic and regular social events throughout the year
- Access to well-being initiatives, including health insurance
- And more!
Applying for a graduate position
Applications for our 2026 NZ Graduate Programme are now closed.
Keen to find out more?
Take a look at our Careers Brochure below to learn more about our graduate programme, who we are, and what we do.
Feel free to contact our friendly NZ People & Culture team at p+cnz@wottonkearney.com if you have any queries.
View Brochure
Australian’s Pathways Programme
Applications for WK’s 2025 Pathways Program will open in September.
For assistance, or if you have any questions please contact: pathways@wottonkearney.com
NZ Graduate Programme
Applications for our 2026 NZ Graduate Programme are now closed.
For assistance, or if you have any questions please contact: p+cnz@wottonkearney.com
Careers at Wotton Kearney