From time to time, Webb Henderson’s Auckland office makes a limited number of summer clerk and/or graduate lawyer opportunities available, for people who are genuinely interested in practising in the firm’s corporate, finance, competition and TMT law specialist practice areas.
Auckland areas of expertise: Strategic legal advice for:
- corporate and finance transactions, with significant experience in M & A, capital markets, banking / finance, and infrastructure matters;
- competition, consumer and economic regulatory law; and
- telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) law.
Staff: 8 partner and 19 lawyer local team.
Contact: When opportunities arise, details are posted on the firm’s website. If you have any questions about working with Webb Henderson, please contact Victoria Fletcher.
About Webb Henderson
Webb Henderson is a Trans-Tasman specialist law firm with offices in Auckland and Sydney.
The New Zealand office specialises in strategic legal advice for:
- corporate and finance transactions, with significant experience in M & A, capital markets, banking / finance, and infrastructure matters;
- competition, consumer and economic regulatory law; and
- telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) law.
The 8 partner and 19 lawyer local team won Boutique Law Firm of the Year at the most recent New Zealand Law Awards in 2023, following on from winning the award six times in the previous ten years.
Webb Henderson is a highly energised, high performing, close and caring team, where learning opportunities, feedback and growth are constant, both personal and professional successes are celebrated and challenges supported, people are well rewarded, and every individual makes a meaningful difference to the culture and direction of the firm.
Clients and Work
The firm is proud to work with pre-eminent national and international, private and public entities, on some of New Zealand’s largest and most complex transactions and projects.
If you join Webb Henderson, you will work with all partners and staff within your preferred practice area, and directly with clients, on:
Corporate and finance practice area:
- Major corporate transactions, such as acting for privately owned family businesses, private equity firms and corporates on their most significant transactions (across the full range of transaction sizes – from $15m to more than $1bn);
- Advising on a range of important capital markets transactions, including IPOs and takeovers;
- Drafting and negotiating unique and sophisticated commercial contracts and agreements;
- Providing specialist advice on serious and complex corporate and governance issues;
- Drafting and negotiating documents involved in major infrastructure projects; and
- Advising on borrowing and lending transactions.
Competition, consumer and economic regulatory law practice area:
- Providing competition law advice on market-leading local and global corporate transactions, including in respect of clearance and authorisation processes;
- Assisting major corporates on Commerce Commission cartel investigations and leniency applications, including in respect of dawn raids and criminal cartel investigations;
- Providing specialist advice on joint venture arrangements, supply and licencing agreements and distribution structures;
- Advising on the interface between IP and competition law, including in the context of media, global platforms, health, construction and horticulture industries;
- Providing guidance to businesses with substantial market power on their interactions with customers, suppliers and competitors;
- Providing consumer law advice, including misleading and deceptive conduct, unfair contract terms, and substantiation of claims;
- Assisting clients with their role in market studies, and subsequent regulatory regimes; and
- Advising on detailed aspects of economic regulatory regimes, including in telecommunications, dairy, and electricity markets.
Telecommunications, media and technology law practice area:
- Providing TMT or privacy law advice on market-leading local and global corporate transactions;
- TMT commercial transactions, such as agreements for the construction of major telecommunications and internet infrastructure and for the supply of wholesale internet services; and
- Advising on major regulatory projects, particularly in the telecommunications and media sectors.
One of the key benefits of Webb Henderson’s working environment is that lawyers are able to work fluidly across all partners and seniors from the beginning of their careers. The firm’s fully open plan, single work space, with partners, legal and support staff sitting among one another, as well as the firm’s strong egalitarian and collaborative ethos, helps everyone quickly build strong relationships and creates exceptional learning opportunities.
Team Values and Culture
In New Zealand, six partners lead an experienced corporate and finance team, alongside two partners with extensive specialist competition and TMT law expertise.
These partners have attracted, and importantly retained, an outstanding team of lawyers at all levels. Lawyers have joined directly from law school, from other leading New Zealand firms, and returned or emigrated from major overseas firms to work at Webb Henderson. While people have varied life experiences and career paths, they are strongly connected by shared values and aspirations – their drive, work ethic and responsibility, their focus on excellence, learning and being “ahead of the curve”, their understanding and respect for one another and desire to work cohesively and enjoyably.
The glue that binds Webb Henderson’s outstanding team, clients, and work is its distinctive values based culture characterised by authenticity, integrity, empathy, generosity and humility, as well as commitment to excellence, learning, entrepreneurship and sustainability. The partners are actively committed to creating a highly inclusive, accessible, increasingly diverse, engaged and rewarding work environment. This includes encouraging and supporting the team to integrate their personal and professional lives to be able to fulfil their goals in both spheres and over time.
Examples of the culture in action include:
- Ensuring inclusivity, equity and diversity are at the forefront of all behaviour, discussion and decision-making;
- Active, regular personal mentoring from partners and more experienced lawyers;
- Access to external professional expertise for team and individual sessions focussing on personal growth, “soft skill” and business development along with access to external conferences;
- Day-to-day development feedback and quarterly career discussions;
- Promoting healthy, sustainable careers through a range of practices including WFH, subsidised fitness, medical and income protection insurances and extended parental leave for primary and secondary carers;
- Provision of a range of supports tailored to individual circumstances as and when needed;
- Team feedback sessions to continually shape the team culture;
- Firm wide training on technical legal issues and topical matters and off-site retreats – in Fiji – at which everyone from both offices comes together to learn and contribute to the firm’s strategy and goals;
- The opportunity to learn about the “business of law”. Growth and development of the firm is discussed openly and transparently with the team in financial meetings. Everyone understands, and is invested in, the firm’s performance;
- A wide range of social events bringing the team together to have fun and share new experiences; and
- Competitive market remuneration including contractual bonuses, based on team and individual performance.
Environmental and Social Responsibility
The firm is genuinely focussed on mitigating its impact on the environment and proactively supporting a variety of socially responsible initiatives.
Examples include:
- Being a Toitū Net Carbon Zero Certified Organisation;
- Being signatories to the NZLS Gender Equitable Engagement and Instruction Policy and extending the policy to apply to the engagement of all lawyers (as opposed to barristers only);
- Being a partner to the TupuToa internship programme and providing summer internships to Maori and Pacific law students;
- Participating in a mentoring programme for University of Auckland law students with limited exposure to the legal industry;
- Regularly supporting (by giving time and financially) to a wide range of charitable appeals and events; and
- Undertaking a range of pro-bono legal engagements, where the firm’s experience and expertise can make a real difference.
Meet August Wairau
Solicitor, Webb Henderson
“It was very important to me that I found a firm that aligned with my values and that allowed me to bring my whole authentic self to work, and that is just what Webb Henderson has offered me.”
What kind of work have you been involved with at Webb Henderson?
I started at Webb Henderson as a summer clerk in 2021 and returned as a graduate in 2023. During this time, I have been exposed to a wide range of corporate matters, having had the opportunity to work on a number of M&A transactions, corporate financings, provide regulatory banking advice and advise on corporate governance matters. The most notable piece of work that I have been involved with at Webb Henderson was a multi-million-dollar M&A transaction which I helped see through to completion. I feel very privileged to have had the trust of my colleagues to draft key legal documents and communicate directly with both our clients and another law firm.
What do you enjoy about working at Webb Henderson?
The people and culture! When I started as a summer clerk, I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to gel with the team over a short period of time. However, the team at Webb Henderson went above and beyond to make me feel welcome. I felt confident returning as a graduate and slotting back into the team, as Webb Henderson included me in social events where possible during my final year at university. There are countless opportunities to mix and mingle in an informal and relaxed way as well as planned social events, a couple of memorable events being a team trip to Waiheke and attending a comedy show at the Civic.
Additionally, I have found that the working environment fosters learning and development which was very important to me and a key reason why Webb Henderson appealed to me in the first place. As a summer clerk, my buddy and responsible partner were eager to hear what professional goals I had for the summer and helped me work out a plan to achieve these goals. The firm regularly has professional development trainings, I receive meaningful feedback on every piece of work that I submit, and I am often given direct credit for my contributions in a transaction (including ringing the gong in the office on completion of a transaction). Although the environment at Webb Henderson is fast paced and the team work very hard to ensure the best outcome for their clients, it is really nice to know that everyone is down to earth and always has time to support me if I need it – this is particularly helpful to me as someone who is still learning.
It was very important to me that I found a firm that aligned with my values and that allowed me to bring my whole authentic self to work, and that is just what Webb Henderson has offered me.
What sets Webb Henderson apart from other firms?
Webb Henderson is unique in that you get involved in deals on a scale comparable to large firms, but in the dynamic environment that a boutique firm offers. Being one of only a handful of juniors at Webb Henderson, I have been exposed to a variety of matters and have had the opportunity to assist with complex corporate and commercial matters and contribute to large M&A transactions (for both domestic and international clients). I also get to work directly with colleagues at all levels including partners, which has meant that I have been able to experience a variety of personal styles of practice and learn from industry leaders.
What has surprised you about working at Webb Henderson?
Being a junior, I didn’t think I would be able to make as many meaningful contributions to important legal work as I have – which of course involved a lot of learning along the way. I regularly get the opportunity to be part of client meetings as well as meetings with other law firms and industry players where I find I am usually one of very few juniors (if not the only junior) in these meetings which has been such a surreal experience and one I believe is unique to juniors in boutique firms. Watching how the partners and other industry leaders interact has been a great learning opportunity not to mention the networking opportunities it has presented.
What has been your favourite experience at Webb Henderson?
My favourite experience at Webb Henderson would have to be my admission to the bar. Webb Henderson arranged a full firm function to celebrate and invited my family to attend. On the day of my admission ceremony, a group from the firm trekked up to the High Court to congratulate me and snap a couple of pics. It was a very special occasion, made more memorable by the team at Webb Henderson.
What is your advice to other students who would like to work with Webb Henderson?
As clichéd as it sounds, remember to be yourself! While it is important to have a well-rounded CV, Webb Henderson wants to ensure that the firm finds the right fit both for you and for the team so remember to let who you are “off paper” shine through. I always think back to a quote I read that said that you miss every opportunity you don’t take, so if you are thinking about applying – do it!
Meet Hayden Rayen
Solicitor, Webb Henderson
“Webb Henderson offers a very supportive and collaborative work environment. The firm regularly acts on leading corporate transactions and this has given me an opportunity to be involved in high-quality work.”
Where do you work now?
I am currently a solicitor in Webb Henderson’s Corporate and Finance team. Webb Henderson New Zealand (the firm has offices in both Auckland and Sydney) is a specialist corporate advisory firm with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate governance, capital markets, telecommunications and technology, banking and finance, and competition law. In Sydney, the firm also has leading experts in competition and consumer law, disputes / litigation and telecommunications and media.
What kind of work have you been involved in at Webb Henderson?
Since joining Webb Henderson as a graduate two years ago, I have been involved in a range of corporate matters and transactions. I have worked on M&A transactions (for both domestic and international clients and from both a buy-side and sell-side position), advised on a range of corporate governance matters (including for large NZX-listed companies), assisted with capital markets work, and carried out extensive research on complex corporate and commercial matters. Additionally, I have been involved in the firm’s growing competition and banking and finance practice areas.
What do you enjoy most about working at Webb Henderson?
Webb Henderson offers a very supportive and collaborative work environment. The firm regularly acts on leading corporate transactions and this has given me an opportunity to be involved in high-quality work. Being given exposure to this calibre of work straight out of university is very unique.
I work with a great team. The people genuinely want to see you grow and develop. They value open communication, manage clear expectations and recognise hard work. I feel lucky to have met some good friends at Webb Henderson and we all have a great deal of respect for one another.
Finally, the firm’s values closely align with mine. An example of this is the pro-bono work I have had the opportunity to assist with for Christians Against Poverty (CAP). CAP provides a range of services with the aim of releasing individuals from debt and money problems.
What was the most challenging part of working at Webb Henderson?
When I started working at Webb Henderson as a graduate, we were still mainly working online. It was strange starting a new role and not seeing colleagues face to face (especially when I was coming in with no legal experience). However, the team made a real effort to make sure this did not inhibit my social and professional development. There were regular calls with my buddy and responsible partner, and I never felt isolated.
What makes Webb Henderson different from other firms?
The combination of a small team, high quality work and great people. As the only graduate to start in 2022 and one of only a few juniors generally, I have been given an opportunity to work on a number of interesting matters. This experience is unique to juniors in boutique firms and a key reason I chose to join Webb Henderson. Further, working directly with colleagues at all levels, including partners, is something I have really valued. The ability to work directly with and learn from industry leaders is a fantastic opportunity.
What has been your favourite experience whilst working at Webb Henderson so far?
My favourite experience would have to be attending the 2022 firm retreat in Fiji. The retreat provided an opportunity to learn more about the firm and meet our Trans-Tasman colleagues. The retreat reinforced to me that I work in a firm which helps me to develop both personally and professionally. I have also really enjoyed the firm social events such as the Christmas parties (both staff and family events), Friday night drinks and having my family invited to the firm to celebrate my admission.
Work wise, I have been involved in some very interesting matters, including two leading 2022 transactions. I was a part of the team which advised Allegro Funds on the acquisition of Gull New Zealand from Ampol Limited for a value of more than NZ$500M. Further, I assisted the team which advised Spark New Zealand on the 70% sale of its Spark TowerCo business to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan for more than NZ$900M. These were both really interesting matters to be involved in and provided me with great learning experience.
What would be your advice be to students wishing to apply to Webb Henderson?
A piece of advice from me is to make clear in your cover letter why you are interested in being a part of the team. This ensures the firm finds the right fit both for yourself and them. The firm does not expect students to have any past legal experience, however, having a proactive attitude is a key attribute which will ensure your success in the firm and the profession.