Meet your panel
Our interview panels across our three offices are looking forward to meeting the successful applicants.
Click through below to read their interview advice.

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.”






“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.”

As the Chapman Tripp Graduate recruiter, Kriezl is passionate about the graduate space, especially meeting and engaging with a wide array of students from all walks of life and helping them see their potential to grow and develop. Kriezl studied at the University of Auckland, completing her BA double majoring in Psychology and Management and Employment Relations.

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.

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.






As the Chapman Tripp Graduate recruiter, Kriezl is passionate about the graduate space, especially around meeting and engaging with a wide array of students from all walks of life and helping them see their potential to grow and develop. Kriezl studied at the University of Auckland, completing her BA double majoring in Psychology and Management and Employment Relations.

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.

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.



As the Chapman Tripp Graduate recruiter, Kriezl is passionate about the graduate space, especially around meeting and engaging with a wide array of students from all walks of life and helping them see their potential to grow and develop. Kriezl studied at the University of Auckland, completing her BA double majoring in Psychology and Management and Employment Relations.

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.
Hear from Gerard on the interview panel
Finance and Graduate Recruitment Partner, Gerard Souness discusses some of the key things he is looking for from candidates throughout the interview process and shares his interview tips and tricks.
Hear from Corporate Partner, Rachel Dunne
Beginning her journey as a Summer Clerk, Rachel is now thriving as a Partner in our Auckland Corporate & Commercial team. As a previous Graduate Recruitment Partner, she discusses the ins and outs of the entire graduate recruitment process.
Advice from our juniors
Many of our juniors have been where you are today, so we asked them to talk a bit about what helpful information and stories they could share with you. They talk about their own experiences with interviews and work at the firm, as well as some helpful advice and insights – have a watch to hear what they have to say.
What is commercial law?
Solicitor Maxine Vercoe provides some insights into one of our interview questions: “What is commercial law?”
Frequently asked questions
Have you got any questions for us? Hopefully our Frequently Asked Questions below will help answer some of those! If we haven’t quite covered your question, please get in touch with us.
What does it take to be a successful applicant
Applicants who are enthusiastic, have a strong motivation for a career in commercial law, good communication skills, a strong academic record and are all-round achievers do well in our programmes.
Which programme is right for me?
If you will be ready to start as a Law Clerk in February 2024, then you’re eligible to apply for our 2022/2023 Summer Clerk programme. If you’re a bit earlier on in your studies and you’ll be ready to start as a Law Clerk in February 2024, then you’re eligible to apply for our 2022 Winter Clerk programme.
How many applications does Chapman Tripp receive?
In the past few years we’ve received around 400 applications for our Summer Clerk programme and around 200 applications for our Winter Clerk programme.
How many Winter and Summer Clerks does Chapman Tripp take on?
We typically take on around 5-10 Winter Clerks and around 20 Summer Clerks across our three offices. We keep our intakes small which means that our clerks don’t compete and they all have the opportunity to get stuck into real work.
If I get on the Summer Clerk programme am I assured a Law Clerk position?
Law Clerk offers are made at the end of the programme and are based on the individual performance of each Summer Clerk, as well as team requirements.
Does Chapman Tripp recruit for Law Clerks outside of its Winter and Summer Clerk programmes?
Our Winter and Summer Clerk programmes act as a pipeline for our Law Clerk intake each year. Occasionally, there are Law Clerk vacancies outside of the programmes. When this occurs, the vacancies will be advertised on the Chapman Tripp website, relevant social media channels and via the universities.
Do you actually read everyone's application or do they go through a computer system?
We can assure you we read everyone’s application thoroughly!
What does Chapman Tripp look for when reviewing an application?
We’re interested in a lot of things. A few examples of what we look at include (1) your motivation for a career in commercial law; (2) your academic and personal achievements at school and university; (3) if you’ve taken on any roles of responsibility or leadership; (4) what you’re interested in outside of study; and (5) what makes you you!
Does Chapman Tripp have a preference regarding the school I went to or what university I go to?
No. We treat everyone’s application equally.
If I know someone at the firm or a client will that give me a head start?
No. We treat everyone’s application equally.
Does it matter what I'm studying?
All our applicants need to be studying towards a Bachelor of Laws. However, it doesn’t matter if you’re studying towards that on its own, doing a conjoint with another degree, if you’re doing Honours, if you’ve already graduated with another degree and taken up law afterwards, taken a gap year, or started university straight after school.
Do I need to have A+ grades?
No you don’t. We’re looking for well-rounded students who can show they’ve applied themselves at school and university and have achieved good marks. If there’s a particular mark that isn’t quite consistent with the rest of your grades or if you have extenuating circumstances that have affected your grades, make sure you explain the reason behind that in your application.
Do only my law grades matter?
Our application process only asks you to input your law grades but we do read your application in its entirety, including your academic transcript.
What if I work two jobs or have family commitments and don't have time for extra-curricular activities?
Tell us about your work and your family – we want to hear what you do with your time and why it’s important to you. That could include anything from playing sport, looking after family members, working a part-time job to pay off your student loan, being part of an orchestra, sports team or band, inventing things, being a member of a community or youth group, volunteering at a charity and anything and everything else you do!
Does it matter how old I am?
Not at all. Our programmes are open to any law students no matter what age you are.
Should I read up about Chapman Tripp?
Yes, it will help if you know about the firm when you’re filling out the application so that you understand the culture here, what type of work we do and what it’s like to be a part of Chapman Tripp. If you come along to an interview, we expect you to have done your research and ask us relevant questions as well.
How will I know if I have an interview?
We’ll give you a call or an email to let you know. For summer clerk applicants, we’ll be in touch in early to mid-April. For Winter clerk applicants can expect to hear from us mid to late-April 2022.
Who will I be interviewing with?
You’ll sit down with two of our partners and a member of our People and Culture team. You’ll be able to meet your interviewers at the pre-interview networking function and we’ll also make sure there’s one of our junior lawyers to sit with you before your interview, just in case you have any last-minute questions. When you receive your invite to interview email, we will let you know who you will be interviewing with. Check out the panels and the advice they have to give.
Do I need to prepare for the interview?
Definitely! The interview is an opportunity for you to share with us why you want to be a part of Chapman Tripp – and for you to get to know us better too. Know your CV inside out, be prepared to talk about your work and personal experiences (even tricky ones) and come ready to ask us a few questions. Sitting down with a family member or friend and thinking about what types of questions you might encounter and practising what you might say is a good way to prepare.
How will I know if I've been offered a position?
One of the partners you interviewed with will give you a call to give you the great news and then someone from our People and Culture team will be in touch with the finer details.
What if I receive offers from different law firms, how do I choose?
You should ask lots of questions, attend the firms’ events and trust your instinct. The firm you end up choosing should be the one you feel comfortable with, the one where you connect with the people, and the firm you consider will give you the best start to your career.
Who do I contact if I have any questions?
Feel free to contact us for any further questions and one of our friendly People & Culture members will be in touch.