Jignesa Patel

I was born in India and moved to New Zealand at the young age of 2. I was raised in Hamilton and then moved to Auckland in 2013. I started my tertiary studies in both Arts and Law, eventually dropping Arts to focus on Law. I was lucky enough to land a Summer Clerkship at a boutique law firm, and then eventually moved to my current workplace. I currently work as a Law Clerk in the Immigration and Internet Law Team at McVeagh Fleming, and am also getting experience across other areas such as Litigation and Family Law.

Growing up I always enjoyed Social Studies, English, and History, and for me, that paved my career into Law from a very early age. My interest in these areas eventually led me into the niche areas of Immigration and Internet Law at my current workplace.

I met a now-ex-employee of McVeagh Fleming through the Women in Law Mentoring Programme whilst I was in my penultimate year of study. We caught up for hot chocolate whenever possible, where I picked her brain about how to get my foot into the door of a law firm. She guided me into my first Summer Clerkship (not at my current firm), and then eventually, to my luck, her team was hiring for a Law Clerk to help out during their busy period, and I applied amongst a number of other applicants. At the same time, I also applied for the same firm's general Summer Law Clerkship Programme.

The application process in itself was quite simple, and this was followed by two interviews. I'd be lying if I said I was prepared and ready for those interviews, my nerves and anxiety definitely got the better of me. However, they could see this and were helpful and friendly.

McVeagh Fleming has an open-door policy with all of their Partners, Board Members and Management staff. I genuinely have not yet come across anyone in those higher positions that have not spoken to me, smiled at me in the offices, or have not had a chat with me in the kitchen. The team is definitely one of the friendliest I have ever come across. I think McVeagh Fleming is a great place to start a law career, and like me, you may end up sticking around.

The team I am currently in, Immigration and Internet Law, definitely gives me variety in my day-to-day role. One hour of my day I could be working on an illegal immigrant case, the next hour I could be working on a refugee client case, and to completely spin things around, by the third hour I'm working on a defamation case or discovery for our litigation team. You definitely get variety here, and that's one of the things that I have enjoyed the most. As a junior member of the team, you are never treated any differently, and all members across the firm will approach you for assistance, giving you the range and experience in different areas of the law.

My first piece of advice to current students would be to make sure you enjoy what you're studying. If it's making you miserable, then opt for something else, because what you end up studying will pave your career, and if you don't like it now, you're likely to not enjoy it later.

My second piece of advice is to network. It might sound silly, and overused, but networking truly did get me where I am today, and I don't think I would be here now had I not thrown myself into clubs where networking was available.

Thirdly, apply for everything and anything, even if you're not sure you would even take on the role if offered. I know some applications are hefty and require a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it to just get that experience and knowledge of applying for jobs, and the different processes across different firms. Additionally, if you are called for an interview, that's useful experience in itself. It's truly valuable, because when you get to the job you really want, and the interview you really want to shine in, you'll be a pro!