Law

The law and protection services industry work in New Zealand includes the courts, police and other agencies involved in enforcing and administering laws or protecting people, property or resources. Major employers in the sector include: New Zealand Police, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, and other government agencies involved with immigration, customs and quarantine work.

Law graduates have many career options, both within the legal profession and outside it. Many graduates start their career working for an established firm or legal practice. Barristers work mainly in courts or tribunals, presenting evidence, making submissions on behalf of their clients and representing their interests in court proceedings. Solicitors provide general legal advice over a range of specialised areas, including the buying and selling of property, drafting wills, arranging finance, tax and company legalities, and property matters. The New Zealand Parliament and many government agencies, including the Crown Law Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, recruit law graduates for their specific expertise and general analytical skills.

Private sector companies and individuals offer a range of security, protection or investigation services and products. They work within professional guidelines and legal constraints, and are often used in preventative roles.

To practice as a lawyer you need to:

  • Complete a Bachelor of Laws degree
  • Complete a practical professional legal studies course
  • Be admitted to the High Court of New Zealand as a barrister and solicitor
  • Apply for and hold a current practising certificate issue by a district law society (renewed annually)

Ongoing training is also vital in legal occupations because of the evolving nature of the law. Lawyers, judges and other legal workers such as legal executives are expected to continue learning throughout their careers.

Due to the increase in computer-based crime and the integration of technology into many aspects of legal and protection processes, there are also opportunities for IT and computing graduates in this sector.

There are a range of roles which draw on a legal background and training, such as legal researcher, law librarian, legal secretary, case manager and legal editor.

Outlook

Increased security concerns are expected to create growth in the law and protection services industry over the next two to three years. There are also more diverse career opportunities for lawyers due to the growing complexity of the legal system and the need for specialists.

Significant stats

In 2005 there were:

  • 1,503 Legal Executives and 9,084 Barristers
  • and Solicitors in New Zealand
  • 107,950 sentences handed out by the
  • New Zealand Courts
  • 6,015 people working as Security Officers
  • in New Zealand
  • 8,583 people working as police officers
  • in New Zealand
  • The Department of Corrections operates 19 prisons, 12 Community Probation Services (CPS) offices and several other specialist services. The CPS manages 38,000 community-based sentences and orders each year

Statistics sources: 2006 New Zealand Census, New Zealand Yearbook 2006

Except where indicated, this profile is based on edited extracts from www.careers.govt.nz and “Career View: Law”, published by Career Development and Employment, Victoria University of Wellington.