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#7 of 17 in Law
We are banded as a graduate cohort for 3 years, so whilst still learning, we will all be viewed as a collective. In our first year in the Auckland office, we rotate throughout either employment, property, commercial, and litigation for 3 months, which gives us a really good opportunity to get an understanding on the type of work that is done in each team, as well as build connections and get to know all members of the team which is really great. We're also put in seating arrangements where we get to all range of lawyers (ie junior solicitors and senior associates), and I've found DC's promotional messaging of working at a firm where the partners know your name is a very true sentiment.
Like many law firms, people are typically promoted to senior solicitor after 3 or so years in a solicitor role. The things we have been told (so far) that are relevant to when you are promoted are: number of years of experience, whether budgets for billable hours and fees are generally being met, and feedback from the team about whether the standard of work is at the correct level. From my experience so far, it seems like DC is generally really willing to let people grow here and gives them opportunities to succeed, so in that sense it definitely provides opportunities to fulfil career aspirations.
I think the initial career progression for grads is clear, because there is a structured graduate programme from years 0-3 onwards. Beyond this, I am still about unsure about how career progression would look here, and seems to be more case-by-case. I think there are good opportunities to learn across different areas and be exposed to different parts of the law at an early stage, which is important to me as a grad.
There seems to be a very clear career progression that works around PQE (how long you've been working and gaining experience) and how you are performing in your role. There are clear expectations for each level as well, which makes it easy to see what you can do to progress to the next level. I think there are many opportunities available for advancing, and you can discuss your aspirations with the supervising partners so they can support you in moving up.