Helpful information

Hamish Bolland

Partner – Construction & major Projects / Graduate Recruitment

“You may laugh, but I truly believe in the benefits of mindfulness and having a clear mind when I approach something difficult. I recommend a two minute exercise (that’s all!) right before your interview. Find a quiet spot to sit down with your hands relaxed in your lap. Close your eyes and take slow deep breaths in so you feel your lungs filling up. Slowly breathe out through your mouth, noticing how the air feels as it passes your lips. As you keep breathing, start to notice how you are sitting and what your body is doing – it may be how your feet are placed on the ground, how your body feels in the moment, how you are sitting in the chair or what your hands are doing. Take note of any distant sounds and the atmosphere as you sit there with your eyes closed. Keep breathing through the moment before slowly opening your eyes. Your mind should feel clearer as you begin to feel more present and in the moment – prepared to go into the interview focused and ready. Good luck!”

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Gerard Souness

Partner – Finance

“We want to get to know you as a person and ensure you are a good fit for this opportunity. Almost any interview will involve a question asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey so far.

This question is often asked at the beginning of our conversation, and while it can often be broad, it provides an opportunity for you to enthusiastically set the scene for the interview and empowers you to direct us towards the areas of your life, schooling or work experience you would like us to focus on.

We are not looking for a list of childhood hobbies or a full recital of your CV as we will have your CV on-hand in the interview. We are, however, giving you an opportunity to demonstrate any small or big achievements, why you believe you are a natural fit for the role, how you seize opportunities and your personal attributes that will help you overcome any challenges and make the most of the clerkship experience with us.”

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Te Aopare Dewes

Partner – Corporate & commercial

“The purpose of the interview is for us to get to know you – we want to hear from you about what are you passionate about, what drives you to get out of bed every day and why you are considering a career as a commercial lawyer.  Be authentically you – that is the best way to make the conversation flow.  It is also a chance for you to get to know us.  So come prepared with a couple of questions you can ask us.”

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Alex Franks

Partner – Corporate & commercial

“If the conversation goes off on a tangent, just go with it. Enjoy it. Different interviewers will be interested in different things about you. There isn’t a script.”

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Tessa Baker

Partner – Property & real Estate

“Despite the contrast to your day to day university life, try to relax and enjoy your interview. It is a chance for you to get to know about our culture and what life beyond your studies could look like. We know that you have “the smarts” so we are most interested to find out more about you as a person – what motivates you, what you are proud of and how you might see a career with Chapman Tripp for yourself. Feel free to ask us questions. Hopefully your interview will feel more like a conversation than an interview!”

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Justin Graham

Partner – Litigation & dispute resolution

“Prepare for your interview and show us who you are.  We’re a commercial law firm.  If you want to work with us, show us you understand what that means, that you know a little about what we do, and what you’d like to try.  Interviews are formal processes but we will try to help you relax and be yourself.  We are far more interested in you as a person than in overly rehearsed answers.  You don’t have to have all the answers by any means, or even truly know what you want to do in life, but if you’re thoughtful, engaging and authentic, we’ll be impressed.”

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Alana Lampitt

Partner – Environmental, planning & resource management

“I can still remember my summer clerk interviews, and the nerves and excitement that went along with them. Just remember that all the people you are interviewing with were once law students themselves going through this same process. We have been in your shoes.”

“Make sure you know your CV; know a little about Chapman Tripp and what we do; and have a few questions up your sleeve. The rest of the interview should be a conversation, so listen and engage. We love to hear stories from your school, part time jobs, university or extracurricular activities. Stories from your life and experiences give us the best window into who you are and what you can bring to Chapman Tripp. The best interviews are always those where the conversation flows and questions – both yours and ours – come up naturally.”

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Luke Ford

Partner - Finance

Give some thought to what interests you about being a lawyer, what you’ve learned so far and why you would like to join a commercial law firm. Think about what types of work we do and what you’d like to get involved in, or what new developments you’d like to help push forward. We want to get to know you and what inspires you, personally and professionally – and we expect you’ll want to know the same about us and Chapman Tripp as a firm.

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Lauren Curtayne

Partner - Corporate & commercial

“Being interviewed makes most people nervous (including me!).  Try not to let those nerves get the better of you.  We really just want to have a conversation and get to know you.

To help you prepare, ask a friend or family member to do a practice run with you.  Don’t memorise answers (because we do want it to be a conversation), but think about how you might respond to certain questions, or whether there’s anything in particular you want us to know about you.

When I’m nervous, I use the ‘rule of 3’ to keep me calm and structured.  So, for every question we ask, you might want to think of three points or three examples to your response.  For example, in response to “What are your strengths”, I might say “I’m a team player, I’m ambitious, and I’m resilient”, with an example of each.

Finally, if you have let your nerves get the better of you in the interview, don’t be afraid to pause, gather your thoughts and suggest that you sum up your response more concisely.”

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Laura Fraser

Partner - Litigation & dispute resolution

“Authenticity is really important. Every law student we meet is different and we see that as a good thing. Getting to know what matters most to you, what motivates you, and what makes you stand out from the crowd is a really important part in the process of selecting Chapman Tripp’s clerks. Successful applicants don’t just tell us what they think we want to hear – they show us what makes them tick. We’re really interested in meeting genuine people, so above all be prepared to be yourself.”

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Michelle Maidens

Talent & Capability Manager

“The secret to preparing for an interview, is to prepare! Research what you can about our grad programme, Chapman Tripp and the interview panel. Doing your research helps you gain a better understanding as to the kinds of questions you may get asked.”

Michelle has had numerous roles in her career, having first started in banking before specialising in a human resources. She joined Chapman Tripp nearly three years ago and spends her time researching and designing initiatives which support how we recruit, train, develop and manage our people. Michelle has a Business degree in Management from AUT and more recently completed graduate studies in Psychology at The University of Auckland.

Janki Parmar

Talent Acquisition Specialist - Graduate Program 

Interviews can seem like a daunting task and, hey, we have all been there. Chapman Tripp’s interview panellists want to learn about the real you - the stories that make you unique, your motivation, and your aspirations of where you see yourself. We remember what it is like to be in your position and hope you do the best you can during our chat. Remind yourself why this opportunity is important to you, this is your time to shine so put your best foot forward and be yourself!

Janki moved to New Zealand four years ago and is originally from London, England where she studied for a BA (Honours) in Business and Management. Janki is excited to meet graduates and be involved in the early stages of their careers.

Tim Smith

Partner – Litigation & dispute resolution

“Take the opportunity to tell us as much about yourself as possible. There are no trick questions, we just want to find out who you are and what makes you tick. And if you approach the interview in this way, you might even find that it’s an enjoyable experience!”

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Greg Wise

Partner – Property and Construction

“There are a bunch of people who have experienced our culture and work at Chapman Tripp. They may be a client, clerked with us before, or currently work at the firm. Where and when you can, try to talk to these people as they can give you great first-hand advice and information on what it is like to work at CT!”

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Leigh Kissick

Partner – Finance

“Just relax, take deep breaths and be yourself. We’ve been in your shoes and can remember what it is like walking into an interview – as an Otago graduate who grew up in Palmerston North, I was quite apprehensive about the interview process. A key piece of advice I would give is to stay calm – you’ve done a great job to get an interview and it is a chance for us to get to know more about you. We really want you to do well.”

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Tim Sherman

Partner – Corporate & commercial

“Being eager and enthusiastic in an interview goes a long way. Don’t be afraid to talk about what you find interesting and enjoyable, in law and other aspects of your life – it’ll not only help to calm your nerves, but will also give us a sense of the real you!”

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Vivian Cheng

Partner – Tax

“Be prepared but be yourself.  Think of some examples and stories that really show who you are and what you are about.  Reflect on the path that led you here, what matters to you, and what you hope to achieve for the future.  I know it is easier said than done, but please don’t be nervous – we just want to have a chat to get to know you better and we won’t bite!”

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Lucy Cooper

Partner - Competition & antitrust 

Feel free to ask us any questions that are on your mind about working in the law, and at Chapman Tripp. In the interview, you can test whether you’d like to work with us as well as the other way around!

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Janki Parmar

Talent Acquisition Specialist - Graduate Program 

Interviews can seem like a daunting task and, hey, we have all been there. Chapman Tripp’s interview panellists want to learn about the real you - the stories that make you unique, your motivation, and your aspirations of where you see yourself. We remember what it is like to be in your position and hope you do the best you can during our chat. Remind yourself why this opportunity is important to you, this is your time to shine so put your best foot forward and be yourself!

Janki moved to New Zealand four years ago and is originally from London, England where she studied for a BA (Honours) in Business and Management. Janki is excited to meet graduates and be involved in the early stages of their careers.

Sam Moodley

Talent Acquisition Specialist – Lateral Recruitment

“If you’re preparing for an online interview, make sure your technology is working properly, your background is professional, and your camera is angled for natural eye contact – and log in 2 to 3 minutes before the meeting time so you’re ready to go!”

As the Chapman Tripp Lateral Recruiter, Sam is responsible for engaging with all our qualified and non-legal candidates, and works alongside Kriezl, our Graduate Specialist. Sam has over 20 years of recruitment experience and is an Honours graduate of The University of Waikato, majoring in Human Resource Management.

Ben Williams

Partner – Environmental, planning & resource management

“We’re looking forward to meeting and getting to know you, but the interview is equally an opportunity for you to get to know us, so it’s a great idea to have a think about who your panel is, and what questions you might like to ask them specifically. It could be about the firm, our culture, the work we do – or whatever you’re keen to understand more about!”

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Nick Letham

Partner – Corporate & commercial

“Think about the skills and knowledge you’d like to build at CT. That will show you’re keen to learn and grow.”

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Janki Parmar

Talent Acquisition Specialist - Graduate Program 

Interviews can seem like a daunting task and, hey, we have all been there. Chapman Tripp’s interview panellists want to learn about the real you - the stories that make you unique, your motivation, and your aspirations of where you see yourself. We remember what it is like to be in your position and hope you do the best you can during our chat. Remind yourself why this opportunity is important to you, this is your time to shine so put your best foot forward and be yourself!

Janki moved to New Zealand four years ago and is originally from London, England where she studied for a BA (Honours) in Business and Management. Janki is excited to meet graduates and be involved in the early stages of their careers.