This programme was developed in partnership with alumnus Michael Gartshore, a corporate/commercial partner at Webb Henderson.

More photos from the past events.

This programme is targeted at penultimate and final year Law students and would benefit students who have not had exposure to lawyers and are interested in learning more about the professional and commercial world. Our hopes are to demystify lawyers and law firms.

If you are selected for this programme, we will match you with three professionals who have law degrees. You will meet them individually for a coffee and a tour of their workplaces at a time that suits you both. This is your chance to ask them questions and learn from what they have achieved in their careers.

The professionals that you will meet have varied backgrounds. This includes those working for law firms (private practice), as lawyers for companies (in-house or in careers outside of the law (for example, in an accounting firm or investment bank); and specialise in different commercial areas including corporate, employment, finance, tax, property and commercial litigation. (Please note these professionals do not specialise in criminal law or other personal areas such as human rights, immigration, or family law.)

The programme concludes with a final networking event.

Webb Henderson is a specialist Trans-Tasman law firm with offices in Auckland andSydney. The firm’s people are leaders in their field and their client base is discerning. Together they work on some of New Zealand’s largest and most complex transactions and projects. Almost all of the firm’s work is undertaken with, or opposite, the large New Zealand and Australian firms.

In New Zealand 6 partners specialise in corporate, M&A, capital markets and infrastructure matters, making them commensurate in partner numbers with large firm corporate practices. To the benefit of their clients, they work closely with 2 partners specialising in adjacent practice areas – competition, consumer and economic regulatory law, and telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) law.

The local 8 partner and 26 lawyer team is proud to have won various Employer, Law Firm and Deal of the Year awards in recent years, including most recently in 2025, Top Specialist Firm and 5-Star Employer of Choice. It is also proud that its lawyers have won Rising Star and Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year awards, and partners have won Dealmaker of the Year and been ranked as Leading Partners in recent years.

Webb Henderson and Auckland Law School Coffee Mates Programme 2026 application form

The Coffee Mates Programme runs during Semester Two.

• “Definitely a highlight of my law school experience! Really grateful for the opportunity. I learnt so much and it helped improve my confidence! Thank you!”
• “It was really helpful to hear about the different pathways that people took to end up in their current roles. It was also helpful hearing from people whose law degrees took them in different directions. All three of my coffee mates offered to meet with me again in the future and that I could come to them if I have any questions about the legal profession.”
   

Kylie Chye
Career Development & Employer Engagement Manager
Email: kylie.chye@auckland.ac.nz