Caroline Stacey, Graduate

Caroline topped the College of Law New Zealand Professional Legal Studies Course for 2011. She graduated BCom/LLB, having previously managed a cinema complex, and joined DLA Phillips Fox in 2011 in the Litigation team.

“I’ve really enjoyed working here. I’ve had great work to do. Coming top of profs was really unexpected and really a reflection of the support I got from my team and the overall attitude of the firm. I got time to study, and people were always willing to help if I needed it.”

“Before joining the firm, I had no idea what sort of legal work I wanted to do. Litigation has worked out perfectly. I’ve done insolvency work, competition law, and also worked on a leaky building file. I’m a person who likes to find an answer if I can. That suits litigation. At some point, you have to go to Court, so you have to know what the law actually says. In April, I had the opportunity to go to the Court of Appeal. I was supporting a partner there. Probably not many other law firms would give you that opportunity; few would take a one year lawyer with them. It was amazing to be in that environment and see the level of skill required to operate at the Court of Appeal. The partner was on his feet and talking about the research I had done. That’s when the rubber hits the road. I was nervous that one of the judges would say they disagreed with it! They didn’t, and it was a great experience for me.”