When legal associate, Jacques Odendaal, decided to make a career transition he also chose to move 20,000 kilometres, relocating from Cape Town, South Africa to Auckland, New Zealand. Fortunately, throughout the entire process, Jacques had Robert Walters consultant, Rosamund More, in his corner – and on the ground in Auckland. 

“I moved from commercial litigation into the corporate space,” explains Jacques, “so the fact Rosamund had a legal background was invaluable.”

As was Rosamund’s understanding of the local market. Rosamund’s specialist expertise meant she had a strong legal network in Auckland, and she understood the needs of legal employers there, while also taking the time to learn what Jacques wanted from his career, even before he moved to New Zealand.

“Rosamund and I connected through LinkedIn back in 2020, and we stayed in touch throughout the pandemic, with Rosamund regularly touching base via phone or LinkedIn, which really speaks to her commitment,” says Jacques.

Rosamund’s passion and commitment stayed strong throughout the pandemic. Even before she’d approached any firms about Jacques’ placement – even before NZ had re-opened to travellers – Rosamund took the initiative and researched changes to NZ’s visa system so she knew exactly how the new visa process would work for Jacques and his partner – something Jacques says was “extremely helpful and proactive”.

“There was no existing opportunity for me in New Zealand; Rosamund simply made it happen”

Then, true to her word, and more than two years’ since they first contacted each other, Rosamund set everything in motion for Jacques in early 2022.

“There was no existing opportunity for me in New Zealand; Rosamund simply made it happen” says Jacques. “Rosamund asked me to put together a list of some firms I would be interested in, and Rosamund secured me interviews with two of the three I had indicated an interest! In fact, I eventually received offers from both of those firms, which was an amazing outcome.”

Jacques opted for a role with Bell Gully, and reports that he’s “extremely happy at the firm”. As for Rosamund, she and Jacques caught up for lunch within 48 hours of Jacques arrival in Auckland, and he would recommend Rosamund to any legal job seekers as their first port of call.