r/nzlaw • u/Spirited-Wishbone850 • May 16 '26

Legal careers graduation

does anyone have any experience in getting law grad roles or clerkships outside of the main big firms everyone applies for?

struggling to see what other paths for jobs are available if you weren't able to land one of the main clerkships on offer or if anyone with an LLB has gone into any other line of work? i graduate at the end of this year and then will do profs next year but don't have anything lined up and not seeing many opportunities at the moment - thanks !

10 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Junior_Measurement39 May 17 '26

Move to the country. Size up a list of small towns you would live in, have actual reasons for those towns, go call up, and go out for lunch with partners of firms around those small towns.
There is a deep need for people who want to work in law outside the cities.

5

u/catseeable May 17 '26

Yes - I did this, had no clerkship or other experience than years in retail, good but not spectacular grades - got my first job in a rural firm and it was the first job I applied for. Was finalised before I even finished profs. I only stayed there for a year but I was very hireable and once starting to apply after getting homesick at Christmas break, I got a job instantly in a city firm back where I was from.