Law f irm offers $25k sweetener

A NELSON law firm is offering $25,000 home deposits to successful job candidates in a bid to attract quality staff from outside the region.

C & F Legal listed the job vacancies for two senior lawyers online on Tuesday, with perks including a car park, gym membership and a $25,000 deposit on a home in Nelson.

The novel approach was designed to attract the cream of the legal crop from outside the region, associate director Andrew Shaw said.

‘‘The package or the offer is designed to attract senior lawyers who may have tunnel vision that their career in law can only progress or occur in the larger city centres.’’

The jobs, which pay between $90,000 and $110,000, are for senior solicitors in the commercial and property department or the litigation department of the firm.

The home deposits would be paid any time after the candidates had worked for the firm for six months and upon confirmation of a house purchased in Nelson for personal use.

The deal binds the employee to the firm for five years, and if they leave before then, they have to pay back the $25,000.

Shaw said they were looking for ‘‘ambitious people’’ who were prepared to commit to the firm and to Nelson. The offer could be tempting for lawyers living in Auckland or other cities who were struggling to buy a house, he said.

‘‘To my knowledge, it hasn’t been done before. For us, we’re a firm that likes to think outside the box and we thought how can we gain the attention of these quality candidates that we know are out there.’’

Shaw said he had imagined his career would unfold in a high-rise tower in a big city, but he moved to Nelson about five years ago and never looked back.

‘‘The moment you realise that Nelson provides the same opportunity as the larger centres is the lightbulb moment.’’