Summer Law Clerk
About us
For over 25 years, Catalyst has worked with government, enterprise and non-profit organisations to create software solutions with limitless possibilities. We specialise in systems that provide full data sovereignty and are free from licensing costs and vendor lock-in - we do this through the power of open source and the freedom it gives for innovation.
With sister-companies in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, we’re a company that is recognised globally for our open source expertise, pushing the conventional technology boundaries and creating award-winning software solutions.
A career at Catalyst gives you the opportunity to work on high-profile projects, collaborate with industry experts, and continuously grow personally and professionally. We’re on our own journey to align ourselves better with te ao Māori and our team is filled with open source enthusiasts who share our values of openness, freedom, collaboration and respect.
About the role
We’re seeking for a late-stage law student to join our Wellington based Legal team. This is a fixed-term internship role, over the University summer period. Ideally you will be someone that is eager to learn, is up for a challenge, and enjoys working as part of a busy close-knit team. An existing interest in the technology sector is a bonus, but not essential (you’ll learn a lot on the job!). The role is primarily focused on Catalyst’s NZ companies Catalyst.Net Ltd, a software services business, and Catalyst Cloud, a public cloud business.
You’ll be working closely with our Legal Counsel and Group General Counsel and will be given opportunities to flex both your legal and commercial brain. The legal team adds value to the business beyond providing high quality legal advice. This includes collaborating on the development of new products, protecting the value of the business, keeping on top of evolving client expectations, and helping to develop the legal and commercial acumen of the wider business.
The legal team’s key areas of work broadly fall into:
- Commercial advice (software development and service agreements, IP commercialisation, supplier arrangements, procurement responses, alliances – collaborations and commercial partnerships);
- Technology law (data, technology and IP licensing, user terms, privacy and other compliance matters, coordination with other specialists);
- General corporate advice (board governance and compliance advice, finance and insurance arrangements); and ad hoc support to Catalyst’s offshore subsidiaries.
About you
The successful applicant will have the following skills and qualities:
- Attention to detail
- Comfortable working fairly independently
- Willingness to learn about our relationship with tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and how we can integrate tikanga and te ao Māori into our work, is essential to success in the role
- knowledge of general legal terminology and legal principles
- Interest in the technology sector, commercial and corporate law
- Clear, concise and effective communication style
Why you’ll love working at Catalyst
Catalyst is a team of committed, enthusiastic, talented, and passionate people with a strong set of proudly-held values around open source software. If you haven’t yet been introduced to the world of open source, let us show you! We champion open source technology because we know it gives people more freedom to innovate and grow. We believe open source values enable the world to be a better place.
We give back to the community by hosting and sponsoring a wide range of meet ups, conferences and other community events including our Open Source Scholarship & Internships.
We work hard every day to provide solutions and benefits for our clients, and we like to do that for the talented and creative individuals who work here too. In addition to your salary, Catalyst provide a range of perks and benefits, designed to help you enjoy working here and keeping well at the same time.
Most importantly, being a good employer is really important to us. We make sure everyone has the support they need to develop their skills, further their career, and seek new opportunities around the business if they’re keen for a change.
Our hiring processes reflect our diversity policy which you can read in full here: https://www.catalyst.net.nz/diversity-and-inclusion-policy
Read about our team's blog post here -
Meet Christine Loughnan, General Counsel
Discover how open source drives innovation in the legal team
Applications for this role will take you to the advertisers site.
