Our Culture

We actively encourage diversity at Russell McVeagh. We are committed to the success of our staff regardless of gender, age, disability, cultural background, sexual and gender identities or political and religious views. Our recruitment process is fair and robust while our promotion structure ensures that there are no hidden glass ceilings in the firm.

Since 2014 our firm has also been undertaking a study into diversity and inclusion to ensure that the support we offer our staff meets their needs.

We are also proud to have been awarded Rainbow Tick certification in June 2016 after a six month audit process. We are committed to continuing to work on making our environment a welcoming place for all of our employees to feel comfortable enough bringing their authentic selves to work. The Rainbow Tick programme is a continual quality improvement programme designed to help an organisation ensure it is a safe and welcoming workplace for employees of diverse gender identity and sexual orientation. Becoming certified involved an audit of relevant documents and the use of two focus groups which took place in the first part of 2016. The focus groups involved one with a self-selected group of Rainbow employees and the other with a group of staff from the general population and from a range of departments, with staff from both Auckland and Wellington offices taking part in this process. The audit findings were then assessed against current international best practice in this field. 

Our Code of Conduct sets out the expectations for all employees, contractors, consultants and partners at Russell McVeagh, and confirms our commitment to maintaining a workplace where everyone can thrive. The Code is framed around our firm's four core values – Respect, Curiosity, Excellence and Tenacity – and outlines who we are and what is important to us.

At Russell McVeagh, we believe in hiring the best talent. We offer a range of benefits to help our people both at work and with their work-life balance.
 
We aim to pay people at the top end of the market and review salaries regularly to ensure we maintain this position. In addition, we offer a variety of other benefits, including:

• Health and wellbeing policy and initiatives including free, confidential and independent counselling services;
• An extensive Learning and Development programme;
• Exceptional performance awards;
• Access to a number of workplace support services including an emergency nanny service;
• An attractive bonus scheme for senior lawyers;
• Long service leave, paid parental leave and an extra day of paid leave for Dominion Day;
• An annual solicitor’s allowance for solicitors with more than four years' experience;
• Phone allowance;
• Discounted premiums for Southern Cross medical insurance;
• Regular social events;
• Access to fantastic resources, including cutting-edge technology and one of New Zealand’s top legal libraries; and
• A variety of gifts and celebrations.

Russell McVeagh aims to support all employees to be the best they can be in their professional and personal lives. There are numerous options in place to support employees and their individual needs. Flexible working arrangements are possible for a variety of reasons, including family commitments, involvement in professional sport and continuing education. We also encourage our staff to take regular holidays and the firm closes for approximately three weeks over the Christmas/New Year break. Our IT systems are such that staff may work from home when necessary (depending on their role), and are able to receive reasonable reimbursements for use of their Smartphones if used for work purposes.