Hear from our people
Nick Van Royen, Solicitor
We work with some of New Zealand's largest commercial, industrial and residential property developers on aspirational projects that have a tangible impact on Auckland, Wellington and New Zealand more broadly. As a junior, you will be involved in a wide variety of exciting work which is all the more exciting as you are able to see progress when looking out of our office windows!
On a day-to-day basis, you can expect to work on:
- Real Estate Due Diligence: Our clients are in the business of acquiring and disposing of real estate assets. As part of any acquisition, our clients instruct us to undertake a due diligence exercise in respect of the land and/or buildings. Given the calibre of our clients, these assets can include high rise office buildings, retail shopping centres or large industrial warehouses. Juniors regularly assist with title reviews, LIM reviews and lease reviews to identify and advise on any potential issues to a purchaser. Juniors also assist the Corporate Advisory team with relevant property reviews for businesses which own or lease real estate.
- Construction: Our clients deliver some of New Zealand's biggest construction projects – from office blocks, student accommodation and solar and wind farms. As part of this, juniors assist with the negotiation of and preparation of construction contracts. A unique aspect of this work is gaining niche knowledge on the construction process and physically seeing your work come to life. The construction of wind and solar farms also present challenges, which require innovative solutions for our clients.
- Leasing: Our clients work with New Zealand's largest corporates to lease A-grade office space, high profile retail sites and green star industrial buildings. Juniors assist with the negotiation and preparation of leasing documents that sit behind these tenancies. Given the nature of these leases, juniors are exposed to bespoke legal drafting to cater to the very specific requirements of the landlord and tenant.
- Settlements: Juniors routinely assist with the process in which real assets are transferred from a seller to a buyer, such as the negotiation of the sale and purchase agreement, completing settlement deliverables, and ultimately effecting the change of ownership following payment by the purchaser. A rewarding part of this work is seeing the transaction in the news following settlement and celebrating with our clients on any successful acquisition or disposal.