Job Description
Senior Criminal Defence Lawyer
Tauranga
Satisfying, interesting and intellectually challenging work
Significant time in court and running trials
Supportive, experienced and talented colleagues
We are looking for a Senior Lawyer, with a speciality in criminal advocacy, to join the team in our Tauranga office. This is a small and busy team of around 15 legal and support staff who share knowledge and experience and support each other professionally.
The Public Defence Service (PDS) is New Zealand's largest criminal law practice, providing high quality legal advice and representation in a full range of criminal cases. Aimed at helping people access justice, the PDS promotes the values of respect, integrity, service and the delivery of excellent service to its clients. In this role you are the voice of some of the most marginalised people in the criminal justice system.
To qualify you must be passionate about criminal justice issues and:
have a PAL 3 or 4 approval level and be qualified to practice law in New Zealand
have proven credibility with judges, peers and others in the legal community
be comfortable to be part of a team who support and rely on one-another
enjoy sharing legal expertise, exchanging ideas and brainstorming
have empathy and the ability to relate to a wide range of people
This is a challenging but truly satisfying job and our lawyers love what they do.
You will have a caseload of varied criminal work - this could include high profile and challenging cases, High Court and Court of Appeal appearances.
. You will also be involved in training, mentoring and supervising junior PDS lawyers. Our work comes to us via Legal Aid and we make sure that you are supported by an experience administrative team - meaning you can focus on doing what you do best.
As an employee of the PDS you will have access to a well-designed and embedded national training programme, professional development and opportunities to attend conferences, along with access to a professional supervision programme. The PDS is part of the Ministry of Justice and the wider justice sector. The ministry provides centralised business services, infrastructure and support to the work of the PDS.
There is so much more support and collegiality than anywhere else I have worked. You have so many experts around you to bounce ideas off. (Edith)
APPLY and complete the application form, attaching your CV and cover letter. Applications close on Tuesday, 25 August 2020. If you have any questions, please contact **********
