
How To Become A Lawyer In New Zealand?
Did you think that New Zealand was only famous for its islands, its incredible rugby team, or its rich Maori culture? Well! There is another thing that makes New Zealand popular and that is its exceptional education system. Students from across the world come to this country just to acquire their lawyer degrees from the globally recognized universities of New Zealand. It might get overwhelming sometimes to meet the education standards of prestigious universities but for that, you can take law assignment help or assistance with your discipline.
Taking professional writing assistance is not a new thing because students have been taking do my statistics homework for me services and related forms of assistance for ages. Law is one of the most sought and reputable professions across the world and is equally popular in New Zealand.
This post is intended to highlight how to become a lawyer in New Zealand and all the information required related to it.
How to become a lawyer in New Zealand?
The New Zealand Ministry of Education’s website proclaims that a ‘child’s education is free between the ages of five and 19 at state schools (schools that are government owned and funded) if they are a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident (Peters, 2017). So, New Zealand has always been at the forefront when it comes to the educational sector. Becoming a lawyer in New Zealand is not that different from becoming a lawyer in other countries. The main process remains the same which is education, followed by acquiring certificates, and learning skills or having experience in the field.
Required qualification:
It is the law degree through which students get to have knowledge of the law and its implications. It imparts many transferrable skills to students and adds a sense of justice to them. To become a lawyer in New Zealand; a student must have the qualifications;
- Bachelor of law (LLB) is a four-year degree program that comprises eight semesters. That is divided into four parts and each part has a specific set of courses and points that must be passed with at least a grade of C plus.
- Students who want to become solicitors or barristers will have to choose law 458 legal ethics as one of their elective courses; the remaining coursework stays the same.
- To add to your knowledge even more, you can also take additional courses like a graduate certificate in Law, Graduate Diploma in Law, Master of Law, Doctor of Philosophy, and so on.
Required certificates:
After the completion of your studies or after attaining your degree; it is important to acquire the required certificates that will allow you to practice law legally in the country. The following certificates have to be acquired before being able to practice law successfully in New Zealand;
- Take a completion certificate from the New Zealand Council of Legal Education.
- Get a certificate of character from the law society of New Zealand.
- Roll into barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand.
- Have a current practicing certificate issued by the New Zealand Law Society.
Required skills:
Skills are something that is not mentioned in résumé but are analyzed at the time of the interview by the employers or while giving a certificate of practice. The skills that law graduates must possess in New Zealand are as follows;
- Analytical skills.
- Communication skills.
- Problem-solving attitude.
- Decision-making ability.
- Being ethical and keeping the privacy of the client confidential.
- Time management skills.
- Researching skills.
Besides skills; having certain experience in the field also helps like;
- Experience in general legal work.
- Experience in research work.
- Experience in the public sector.
Best law colleges in New Zealand:
New Zealand has some of the world’s best law colleges and universities. Every good law university aims to polish students’ skills and prepare them for their future days and the universities of New Zealand have the same motto. The degree acquired from these universities holds great value because of their excellent education system, and provision of ample research facilities. Some of the globally recognized law colleges or universities in New Zealand are as follows;
- The University of Auckland Law School.
- Victoria University of Wellington.
- The University of Otago.
- The University of Canterbury.
- The University of Waikato.
- The University of Canterbury, Christchurch.
Also read: Criminal Lawyer Ideas
Job prospects for law graduates in New Zealand:
Once you have attained the degree, and the certificates, and possess the above-mentioned skills; it is time to begin your hunt for a job in the field. Finding a job after attaining a law degree from the most renowned universities in New Zealand won’t b difficult. The following are some of the most common areas where you can find suitable jobs according to your expertise;
- Judiciary.
- Law reform.
- Academia; lecturer, researcher.
- Private practice as a barrister or a solicitor
- Public service as a prosecutor or a defense attorney.
- Mediation.
- Government jobs like; policy work, resource management, parliamentary drafting, etc.
- Private companies as legal counsel, tax or property consultant, regulation, compliance, or human resources.
Common types of lawyers in New Zealand:
The two types of lawyers that are most popular and most in demand in New Zealand are;
- Solicitors.
- Barristers.
It is the solicitors who provide specialist legal advice to the clients on different areas of law. Solicitors are responsible for defending the client’s interest. On the other hand; barristers are hired by solicitors to represent their client’s cases in court. Basically; the job of a barrister is to plead the case on behalf of the client as well as the client’s solicitor.
The average pay of lawyers in New Zealand:
According to a survey; the average pay of;
- Lawyer in New Zealand is 84,047 New Zealand dollars per year.
- Solicitor in New Zealand is 103,690 New Zealand dollars per year.
- Law partner in New Zealand is 108,903 New Zealand dollars per year.
The beginning pay in general might start from 70,753 New Zealand dollars but the most experienced of lawyers might obtain as much as 123,178 New Zealand dollars per year.
Responsibilities of lawyers in New Zealand:
The responsibilities of law graduates can vary according to the kind of his job. However; on a general level, the responsibilities or duties of lawyers in New Zealand are as follows;
- Give legal advice to clients including families, business owners, individuals, and so on.
- Study the details of the law and do research according to the case’s legal documents.
- Handle client’s funds.
- Prepare legal documents like wills, affidavits, etc.
- Prepares contracts for property dealing.
- Protect the interests and rights of the client.
- Discuss the objectives with the client and the procedure you are going to use to achieve those objectives.
- Ensure the confidentiality of the client and his case.
Conclusion:
Being a lawyer is a huge responsibility as you have to do justice with your degree and the oath that you take at the time of graduation. New Zealand is known for its exceptional educational standards and the courses that they teach there are accepted across the world including the coursework of law. Hopefully; the above-mentioned post will help New Zealand based as well as students from across the world all about becoming a lawyer in New Zealand.
Bibliography
Bestassignmentwriters. (2019, Sep 14th). List of Top 8 law universities UK. https://bestassignmentwriter.co.uk/blog/list-of-top-8-law-universities-uk/.
Peters, N. W. (2017). Sell, sell, sell or learn, learn, learn? The EdTech market in New Zealand’s education system – privatisation by stealth? Open Review of Educational Research, 4 (1), 164-176.