Senior Associate - Environment (Fixed Term)

We are seeking a senior lawyer with a strong background in environmental and resource management law to join our team on a fixed term basis from October to August 2027. We are flexible on our requirements including part-time or full-time hours and in-person or remote working arrangements. If you are open and available to work with us on a short term basis then we would love to hear from you.

About our firm

MinterEllisonRuddWatts is a leading New Zealand law firm with a proud 130-year history and was named New Zealand Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards.

Known for our technical excellence and commercial approach, we partner with leading clients to deliver practical solutions to complex challenges. Guided by our value of Waka Eke Noa, we foster an inclusive, collaborative culture where our people are empowered to thrive.

With offices in Auckland and Wellington and strong Asia-Pacific connections through the MinterEllison Legal Group, we offer the best of a top-tier New Zealand firm with the reach of an international network.

About the team

Our Environment Team is headed up by market-leading Partners Bianca Tree and Stephanie de Groot. This Tier 1 team love what they do and are passionate about delivering excellent work to their clients.

The team advises a wide variety of environmental law and resource management work to a diverse range of top corporate, central government and private clients across numerous sectors including commercial property, energy, infrastructure, industrial, healthcare, forestry and aged care. They were also the primary legal advisers to the former government on its reform of the resource management system.

From project consenting and complex litigation to advising on climate change issues and corporate transactions, the variety and scope of the work mean the team gets the opportunity to consistently grow their skillset, while being supported and developing along the way.  Their work includes:

• consenting major projects, such as marine farms, quarries, retail centres and hospitals and assisting with the project management aspects of those projects too;
• working collaboratively with the firm's property, corporate and banking and financial services teams to advise on the environmental implications of property and corporate transactions;
• assisting with planning submissions on draft national policies and district plans;
• all forms of environmental and regulatory compliance, including advising on incident response, compliance, monitoring and potential enforcement;
• being ahead of policy and regulatory reform, including giving and advice on new legislation;
• undertaking all specialist environmental litigation within the firm;
• advising on the operation of the New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme, often in the context of large forestry transactions;
• considering the risks and opportunities associated with climate change and approaches to climate related disclosures; and
• advising on sustainability and ESG policies and initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

About you

This senior opportunity represents a key role within the team; providing support to the partners during a particularly busy time, as well as mentoring others.

We are ideally looking for someone with a minimum of 7 years PQE in environmental and resource management law. Some litigation experience in this field is desired.

We will require you to work autonomously on files and have strong technical, written and analytical skills. The ability to work collaboratively and as a part of a high performing team with excellent communication and interpersonal skills is also important.

How to Apply

Please click 'Apply' to register your profile with us and apply for this job. All applications are treated in confidence.

For further information please contact Donna Douglas, HR Manager on [email protected].