Senior Associate - Environment

At NZ's Law firm of the Year 2024, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, we pride ourselves on our great culture. We love what we do and are passionate about delivering excellent work to our clients. Join a team whose knowledge of environment, planning, and resource management law is second to none! Members of the Environment team are involved in a wide variety of environmental law and resource management work. If you are seeking a role with variety, this will provide that in spades. From project consenting and complex litigation to advising on climate change issues and corporate transactions. The variety and scope of the work means 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 advice on new legislation;
• Undertaking all specialist environmental litigation within the firm;
• Advising on the operation of 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;
• Advising on sustainability and ESG policies and initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.

The team advises 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. This team were the primary legal advisers to the former government on its reform of the resource management system. To be successful in the role you will have:

• At least 7 years' legal experience from another leading law firm;
• A strong background in environmental and resource management law, ideally including some litigation experience in this field;
• Hold a New Zealand practising certificate / the right to practice law in New Zealand;
• An ability 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 experience supporting and mentoring junior solicitors;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

This Senior Associate opportunity represents a key role within this high-performing and supportive team; the successful candidate will provide support to the partners, as well as mentoring and leadership to the talented and great to work with senior, intermediate, and junior solicitors in the team. About us MinterEllisonRuddWatts is a top-tier New Zealand law firm with a proud 130-year history. We were named New Zealand's Law Firm of the Year 2024 by Chambers Partners, Asia Pacific. Our vision is to be the firm of choice for leading clients and exceptional people. While we're known as technically excellent, we're also valued advisers that listen and understand our clients' business before delivering the best commercial solution. Every day we strive to live our value of Waka Eke Noa (respect individuality, work as one). We celebrate and invest in our team and are committed to creating a diverse workforce where all of our staff feel included, empowered, and encouraged to be their unique, authentic selves. We understand the power that diversity creates, and our collaborative culture and desire to see our people thrive is what sets us apart. We're proud to be a New Zealand law firm with a global outlook and reach. We have offices in Auckland and Wellington, and connections to an international network through the MinterEllison Legal Group, a leading firm in the Asia-Pacific. How to Apply We encourage expressions of interest from a diverse applicant pool, including applicants interested in discussing flexible work options. Please click 'Apply Now' to register your profile with us and apply for this job. #J-18808-Ljbffr