Principal Legal Counsel

Fisher Funds Wellington, Wellington, NZ
24 NZ$

Published 2026-03-02

Description

About the Role If you're a senior lawyer who enjoys working at pace, thinking strategically, and being embedded in the heart of the business, this is an opportunity to play a meaningful role in high-impact decision‐making.
We're looking for a Principal Legal Counsel to join our in‐house Legal team and act as a trusted sounding board to leaders across Fisher Funds.
You will operate across a broad mix of regulatory, strategic, and commercial matters, partnering closely with senior leadership to navigate important issues and shape strategic decisions.
You'll also be joining a friendly, inclusive, and down‐to‐earth office environment where people value collaboration, and balance.
Key Responsibilities Interesting Work with Real Impact Provide pragmatic, commercially sound legal advice that helps leaders move forward with clarity and confidence.
Lead complex, novel and high‐risk legal matters — the kind that require judgement, influence, and creative problem solving.
Translate legal and regulatory complexity into clear, practical options that support risk‐based decision making.
Protect Fisher Funds' interests and reputation, knowing when to escalation and when to enable informed risk‐taking.
Shaping How Legal Shows Up Contribute to planning, prioritisation, and workflow across the Legal team to ensure effort is focused where it matters most.
Step in as delegate for the GM Legal on forums, steering committees, and projects when required.
Drive continuous improvement — refining legal processes, templates, systems, and ways of working to increase impact and efficiency.
Leadership Through Influence Be a senior role model in the Legal and wider Office of the General Counsel team, demonstrating sound judgement, integrity, and professionalism.
Lead legal input on cross‐functional projects, bringing people together to land practical, solutions‐focused outcomes.
Contribute ideas, challenge constructively, and help lift the overall quality and consistency of legal advice across the business.
Relationships That Matter Build trusted, authentic relationships with senior leaders and key stakeholders across Fisher Funds.
Work closely with external legal advisers to ensure advice is practical, value‐driven, and aligned to business needs.
Collaborate across teams to support enterprise‐wide initiatives and shared outcomes.
Skills & Experience You'll bring strong legal foundations, plus the confidence to use them well: A Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and current practising certificate (or ability to hold one).
Significant post‐qualification experience (7+ years), ideally in a complex, regulated environment.
Experience operating at a senior level in‐house and/or in private practice, advising on complex and strategically significant matters.
A track record of leading major matters, transactions or projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
Financial services experience (including the Financial Markets Conduct Act and FMC licence obligations) is highly desirable.
A clear, plain‐English communicator who can adapt their style for executives, peers, and project teams alike.
About Fisher Funds Fisher Funds is one of New Zealand's largest specialist wealth management companies, operating for 25 years.
We're on a mission to help Kiwis realise their ambitions by making investing accessible and enjoyable.
Today, we support nearly 500,000 Kiwis across Kiwi Saver and Managed Funds, with over $24 billion in funds under management.
Our in‐house investment team is one of the largest and most experienced in New Zealand, investing across a diverse range of portfolios around the world.
We're equally proud of our award‐winning client services team, who bring care, clarity, and consistency to every client interaction.
Above all, this is a place where people are proud of the work they do and the difference it makes.
We take our responsibility seriously — but we do it together, with ambition, generosity, and a shared commitment to doing things well.
Why Fisher Funds? Here's what makes Fisher Funds a great place to build your career: Wellbeing comes first Your health and wellbeing genuinely matter to us.
Alongside Southern Cross Health Insurance and life insurance coverage, we're committed to flexible, sustainable ways of working that support real work‐life balance.
We trust our people to manage their time well and believe great work happens when people feel supported, energised, and able to bring their whole selves to work.
Room to grow We back our people to keep learning.
You'll have access to professional development opportunities that help you stretch, evolve, and reach your potential — whatever that looks like for you.
Time that actually means something Alongside a generous parental leave package, we offer community leave so you can give back in ways that matter to you, plus birthday leave so you can celebrate with the people who matter most.
A culture you'll want to be part of Our teams are collaborative, inclusive, and genuinely supportive.
We value new ideas, encourage curiosity, and believe work can be high‐performing and fun.
You'll be surrounded by smart people who care about what they do — and about each other.
For successful candidates, Fisher Funds conducts mandatory background screening in accordance with current legislation (including police and credit checks as part of our interview process).

Location

Wellington
Wellington
New Zealand
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Attributes

Job type Full time
Contract type Permanent
Salary type Hourly
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Fisher Funds
Fisher Funds
59 active jobs
Registered 2023-06-02
New Zealand

Fisher Funds is a privately owned New Zealand specialist investment manager managing more than $6 billion for over 250,000 investors. We offer a full range of growth and income investment solutions including a KiwiSaver Scheme. Our disciplined investment approach is unique and we are proud to have some of New Zealand’s most experienced investment professionals in our investment team.
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What people ask?

As a Legal Counsel in Wellington, your key responsibilities will include providing legal advice, reviewing contracts, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations. You'll work closely with organisations to identify and mitigate legal risks, and develop strategies to achieve business objectives.

To become a Legal Counsel in Wellington, you'll typically need a law degree from a recognised university, as well as admission to the New Zealand bar. Many employers also require a minimum of 2-3 years of experience in a legal role, and a strong understanding of the local legal landscape.

The average salary for a Legal Counsel in Wellington can vary depending on factors such as experience, industry, and organisation size. However, according to recent data, the average salary for a Legal Counsel in Wellington is around $120,000 - $150,000 per annum, plus benefits and bonuses.

As a Legal Counsel in Wellington, you can expect a range of career growth opportunities, including progression to senior legal roles, specialisation in a particular area of law, or movement into related fields such as compliance or risk management. With experience and a strong network, you can also consider starting your own legal practice or consulting firm.

To succeed as a Legal Counsel in Wellington, you'll need a strong understanding of the law, excellent communication and analytical skills, and the ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels. You'll also need to be proactive, adaptable, and able to think strategically, with a strong focus on delivering results and achieving business objectives.

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