Senior Associate - Civil & Commercial Litigation
8+ Years' PQE with a track to partnership available for the right person.

The opportunity
This is a chance to step into a senior role where what you bring will be welcomed. If you are an experienced litigation lawyer ready for the next chapter, this team is worth a serious look — whether that means deeper mentorship, a clearer sense of where your career is heading, or simply better-quality work.
The firm takes a robust, disciplined, and pragmatic approach to every matter. You will be encouraged to do the same, developing as a true advocate while focusing on commercial outcomes rather than litigation for its own sake.
 
The work
The work spans commercial and civil disputes across a wide range of industries and client types, always with a focus on delivering cost-effective, practical solutions - whether for a start-up facing its first major dispute or a large organisation with complex, high-value matters at stake. You will be representing and advising clients through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and proceedings in courts and tribunals. Some of the areas you will work across include:

• Construction disputes, including contractual claims and defects
• Director duties, shareholder disputes, and corporate governance
• Property disputes, leasing, and covenant enforcement

 
Who will thrive here
You will be a New Zealand-qualified lawyer with 8 or more years of solid commercial and civil litigation experience, and you approach every matter with pragmatism - focused on outcomes for your client, not litigation as an end. You are a confident advocate in court or at the negotiating table, but equally comfortable collaborating with a team and supporting the people around you.
Mentorship matters to you - both receiving it as you continue to grow and giving it back as a senior member of the team. As for ambition, we are looking for someone with plenty of it, whether that means continued professional development, a path that could lead to partnership, or both.
If you are at a more senior level and hold an existing client base, that is genuinely welcomed. It is not a condition of this role - but the drive to grow a practice is something the firm will back wholeheartedly.
 
The culture
Expect a team that is social, supportive, and genuinely invested in each other's success. Quality work is a given - but so is looking out for the people beside you. The team encourages robust thinking without the ego, and rewards pragmatism over process for its own sake.

If you would like to know more, I would love to talk to you. Feel free to message or call.  sarah@legalpersonnel.co.nz or 02102318312 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-bartlett-9b05732b/

*If this role isn't quite for you, I have a number of other options in Property, Family, Private Client, and Corporate & Commercial - opportunities available if you have more than 3 years' experience.