The techlaw internship programme placed several Auckland University law students with fast-growing technology companies and start-ups to get hands-on experience outside of a traditional law firm.  

We caught up with Nick Goldstein to talk about his tech law internship experience.  Nick joined Ambit AI, a company which develops platforms for conversational chatbots.  Earlier in the year, Ambit AI completed a capital raise of $1.75 million to fund international expansion – an interesting time to be at the company. 

what are you studying at university (and what year are you?)

A BCom and an LLB.  I’m majoring in Finance and Economics for my BCom.  I’m in my fourth year of study and I have two more years left. 

tell us about your experience at ambit.  what was the day to day like?

I went in and out of the office whenever needed – sometimes I would go in for up to 3 days a week. I worked on several different projects such as ESOPs, privacy work, and a variety of other small jobs, like drafting resolutions and even chasing people for signatures on a shareholders’ agreement.

One of the bigger projects I had to do was to compare different ESOPs and write up a list of advantages and disadvantages of each. I had a look at the Kindrik Partners templates and also googled around for information.  I found this fascinating and I enjoyed the drafting process.

The company culture was also very cool.  They had a regular event called ice cream on Wednesdays.  The people were nice as well – I made friends with some of the people I sat next to. 

what did you learn?

About the intersection of law and entrepreneurship.  I found it really interesting, seeing how law changes things, how it impacts on entrepreneurship and how it makes a difference to the running of a business.

I also learned about good company culture and what a good manager is like. Tim Warren was a great manager.  He was helpful and clear.  He was good at giving me a task to do and trusting me to go away and do it.

has the techlaw internship dovetailed with your law studies? Or has it been completely different?

Law school is primarily an academic endeavour and focused on theory. They teach things that often are not actually used.  I must have heard the word resolution quite a few times in class, but I never really thought about it.  I was just like, oh yeah – but I was never taught how to actually draft a resolution.  And yet – that’s the type of thing I had to do in the internship – the everyday stuff.

what would you like to do after you graduate?

I don’t know yet, there are lots of possibilities, such as working in a commercial law firm.  I would be interested in getting into the investing side of things one day and also going overseas to work.  The internship has also definitely bolstered my interested in entrepreneurship.

who would you recommend this techlaw internship to?

Everyone!  Law students with an interest in entrepreneurship in particular would find this interesting.

any tips for those considering doing the techlaw internship next year?

• Don’t worry too much if you don’t know something – just ask.
• Dive in, make the most of it.  There’s a lot you can learn.  Be proactive.
• Making sure you have the time. I’m the CEO of Velocity, the student-led entrepreneurship programme run by the University of Auckland, and I found I had to work hard to balance my responsibilities in different areas of my life.

keen to participate in next year’s techlaw programme? get in touch

We are thrilled to be collaborating with the University of Auckland to provide internships in the fast-moving tech sector to law students. If you are interested in participating in the internship or registering as a company, please go along to our internships page and drop us a line.