lawyers/barristers?

[Shana F]

Are there any lawyers/attorneys/barristers (whatever you call it wherever you're from) who have moved to NZ and started practicing? I've been a practicing attorney two years here in the US and it looks like I will be starting from scratch. Not necessarily a bad thing to have a little break as it will be a good time to start a family, but overwhelming all the same.

I know I need to submit an application to the NZ Law Society ... any advice or stories about what I can expect after that?

[checkout]

I was trying to find out info too. You may want to check the link below, I dont know how much help it would provide though.

http://www.nz-lawsoc.org.nz/oslpractisenzlaw.asp

[Shana F]

Yes, that's the only link I've been able to find ... it's kind of shocking to think we need to pay more than $1000 NZ just so they'll tell us what we need to do.

I talked to one American who moved to NZ shortly after graduating law school and she said they were going to require that she take about one year of NZ courses in order to practice, but that was a few years ago.

Right now I'm thinking I'll probably take some other job on arrival, then perhaps go back to school once we're settled (although if I found something else, who knows?)

Is there anything a foreign lawyer can do in a NZ law office short of practicing? I was thinking perhaps I could work as a paralegal (I think they're called legal executives in NZ) but it looks like that is a fairly regulated practice in NZ so I'm not sure if I need to go to school for that, too.

On a side note, have any foreign lawyers had luck going into other professions? I'm kind of interested in human resources or marketing, and this would be a good time to try something new, but I have absolutely no practical experience in these areas.

[lindreth]

Shana, I'm an american lawyer too and also wondering about the transition to NZ practice. Have you been able to get any further information? My initial impression from reading the NZLS website was that there might be one test to take - it sounded similar to my state's requirement for a professionalism course. I had the impression that years of experience could cancel out the requirements for additional schooling, but I could be wrong. I am hoping my 7 years of practice will be sufficient. It sure would be good to know ahead of time what is required! but you're right, they seem to want the fee first!

[b&k]

Despite NZ law being based on same common law as the UK, the NZ Law Society does not consider a UK qualifcation as equivalent as a NZ law qualification and you will have to sit several university law exams to gain equivalency (regardless of your length of practice).

If you have done a GDL, your situation is even worse. This is not even considered degree-level (as it is in the UK) and you will have to take about 2 years of further university study.

This practice is ridiculous since the opposite is not true - a NZ lawyer can take one 3 hour conversion exam and start practicing immediately in the UK.

However, there is a workaround :-) Australia does consider UK qualifications as equivalent and lawyers who are practicing in Oz can automatically practice in NZ. This is what the international law firms do to get lawyers into NZ.

So, if you're a UK-based lawyer and want to work in NZ, stop off in Australia first and do a few months work on a work permit. Don't know if this will work if you're the US.

[SarahEDH]

hi Shana and Lindreth,

Another US attorney here. I transitioned out of law practice and into contracts management/administration, focusing in procurement although there's work on the sales side too. Employers seem to like having someone with a JD (even from the US) to do their contracts drafting/review/negotiation. Your title won't be "solicitor" but neither will you have to get re-certified as an NZ lawyer. Let's see, other advantages . . . no long law firm hours or court appearances, much less stress, decent salary all the same . . . it's pretty cool.

Btw, don't overlook the IT job websites -- I see contract manager roles there pretty frequently.

hth,
Sarah

[SarahEDH]

almost forgot -- you'll see some overlap in what the term "contract manager" means. Some NZ employers use it to describe a role that we would call "project manager", but others do use to describe a person specialising in handling agreements. You can tell the difference pretty quickly in most job ads --

[lindreth]

Sarah, thanks for the tip! did you have experience in contract law before accepting your position in contracts management? Or was the JD sufficient even without contract-specific experience? I do primarily tort litigation now - but am very open to doing something else.
lindsay (one half of lindreth)

[PeteS]

Yes, that's the only link I've been able to find ... it's kind of shocking to think we need to pay more than $1000 NZ just so they'll tell us what we need to do.

Why so suprised? They are Lawyers after all.......

[SarahEDH]

hi Lindsay, good point. I did focus on transactional law (mostly procurement) while practicing so I had exposure to different agreement types and in the tech sector specifically. Probably all attys carry the basic toolkit of document review, analysis, drafting, negotiation, etc., and I think that's what gets your resume pulled from the pile, if you can highlight those areas in your CV.

From my limited experience in NZ, I do think that just like in the U.S., larger firms need a cadre of legally-oriented specialists to manage the majority of in-house contracts work. Only the most complex & risky issues get kicked up to the "real" Legal group, due to cost, so there is a demand for trained folks who think like lawyers.

Feel free to PM me if I can provide more info -- I could go on and on, but don't want to ramble too long --

Sarah