Job Description
Senior Criminal Defence Lawyer PAL4
Christchurch
Te ahuatunga a te turanga/About the Role
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 central city office located close to the Christchurch Justice & Emergency Services Precinct Building.
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.
You will have a caseload of varied criminal work - including 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 experienced administrative team - meaning you can focus on doing what you do best.
This is a challenging but truly satisfying job and our lawyers love what they do.
Mo te tima/About our Team
As a team of around 28 legal and support staff we enjoy a busy and varied workplace and we work well as a team, supporting one-another and sharing knowledge and experience.
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)
He pukenga tou/Skills and Experience
To qualify you must be passionate about criminal justice issues and:
have a PAL 4 approval level (or close to PAL 4) 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
Tono mai/How to Apply
APPLY and complete the application form, attaching your CV and cover letter. Applications close on 16 August 2020.
The salary range for this role is$120,060 - $155,372
If you have any questions, please contact **********
