Menu
  • All Courses
    • Accounting
    • Administration
    • Animal Care
    • Beauty
    • Bookkeeping
    • Business
    • Business Administration
    • Child Care
    • Cloud Computing
    • Community Services
    • Counselling
    • Culinary Arts
    • Dentistry
    • Design
    • Education
    • Event Management
    • Finance
    • Graphic Design
    • Health
    • Hospitality
    • Hospitality & Tourism
    • Human Resources
    • Interior Design
    • IT
    • Language
    • Leadership
    • Legal
    • Life Coaching
    • Logistics
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • Mental Health
    • MYOB
    • Natural Therapies
    • Networking
    • Nursing
    • Payroll
    • Photography
    • PRINCE2®
    • Programming
    • Project Management
    • Psychology
    • Sales
    • Security
    • Small Business
    • Training Assessment
    • Travel
    • Veterinary
    • Web Design
    • Web Development
    • Xero
  • Search Courses
  • Fees Free Courses
  • Workforce Training
  • Education Providers
  • Advertise with Us
  • Affiliates
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  1. Home
  2. Industry Insider
  3. A Guide To Starting Work In the Legal Profession Without a Degree
Career AdviceIndustry InsiderStudy TipsResources
Published 13 Aug 2019

A Guide To Starting Work In the Legal Profession Without a Degree

by Adelaide Morse

Browse All Courses

If you’re interested in law but don’t want to commit to a full legal degree, how can you find out if it’s really for you? There are many ways to get a foot in the door of law and get some legal advice before you decide if it’s for you or not.

Legal Studies


The fact is, to be a lawyer you have to go through the process of getting a degree. But a law degree is a huge commitment, both in terms of time and money. There are many legal courses that you can do that will give you a basis for learning, and can assist you in figuring out whether or not you want to pursue a longer term study commitment. A legal studies study design will hopefully also help you in further studies, as, depending on the course, you will learn a great deal about the legal system in New Zealand and possibly Australia, including:


  • The court system, including the High Court, the District Court, the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court and court decisions, as well as smaller courts such as the Youth Court, Employment Court and the Family Court
  • Civil vs. Criminal proceedings
  • The New Zealand Parliament, Privy Council, cabinet and the role of members, including the governor general
  • New Zealand legislation
  • Case law and contract law
  • Human rights and legal aid
  • The ministry of Justice and its role in New Zealand law
  • The New Zealand Legal Information Institute (NZLII)
  • Working in specific fields like forensics or criminal justice

You may also choose to complete a specific course as a basis for if you’re interested in one particular area of law. For example, the New Zealand Government has some very specific laws in regards to the Maori and other native people of New Zealand, including a Waitangi tribunal and a Maori land court – the decisions and implications of these courts are specific to New Zealand, so studying the treaty of Waitangi, while imperative to someone working in the area, is an area that may not be recognised globally. For that reason, you may choose to complete short courses even after you’ve completed a degree.


There are over


0,000

practicing lawyers in New Zealand


Working in Law


Many people choose to start working in law after completing a course as their final career or while they complete a degree. Legal aid is a popular choice, as it’s one of the ways that people can contribute to society and make a difference. There are legal aid offices all over New Zealand and Australia, but it’s important to know about relevant legislation – working for Legal Aid Victoria, for example, is very different to working for Legal Aid Auckland.

Another popular option for those studying or those having completed a course in law or legal studies is working as a receptionist for a company that a) regularly deals with matters of New Zealand legislation b) is an active law firm or c) for legal aid or other charity organisations. This is a fantastic way to get started in the industry and find out about resource management and other administration skills that are valued at any organisation, as well putting you in an environment where issues such as employment law, commercial law and contract law may be regularly discussed. It also gives you free legal related perks, such as regular access to New Zealand’s main law journal or other specific legal publications and the opportunity to make some serious connections with members of New Zealand’s law society.


In New Zealand, a lawyer makes an average salary of


$59,0

annually

In New Zealand, a legal secretary makes an average salary of


$52,0

annually


Life in Law


If you decide that you do want to pursue a career as a lawyer after completing a course, you can look forward to a career where you truly help people. Whether you work for the ministry of Justice or the Environment Court, or specialise in matter of legislation around the electoral roll or how global decisions made in similar systems such as Canada, London and Australia will affect the law of New Zealand, the work you do will help those who otherwise would be lost without you. Even if you choose not to pursue a career as a lawyer, every law related company, including the legal services board and any law firm, including top companies that deal with the SUpreme Court of New Zealand, need receptionists, personal assistants and other professionals to ensure that the company runs smoothly. If you have a knowledge of New Zealand law and legal concepts, you’ll be a highly valued worker.


In 2016, there were


1,0

law firms in New Zealand alone


No matter what level of legal studies you complete, from a Certificate to a Masters degree, all of New Zealand, from Wellington to Christchurch and internationally, you can make a career out of your passion for helping others through the legal system.

Browse All Courses
0fe5b6129d6f3d68ae77412d4cbfd333?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Adelaide Morse

Adelaide is currently completing her Bachelor of Business at RMIT University, majoring in marketing. She enjoys travel, food and most of all, a good cup of tea at the end of the day

Want to read more?

Here's some more articles similar to this one.

Career Advice

Training for the future: Top 5 future proof jobs in New Zealand

Choosing a career path is among one of the most important decisions we’ll ever make. Eight hours a day, five days a week, all year round. That’s 35% of our conscious hours,…

b7b64c2eb58c180d7bcec9a9d2e3393b?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Ava Collins 9 Jul 2020
Resources

Want to Start Working From Home? Here’s How to Make it Happen

If you’ve always wanted to work from the comfort of your own home, there’s no time like the present. Working from home used to be much more of a challenge — before…

f2b9a0197254265af24e1e43f535ffd0?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Madalyn Trewin 27 Oct 2020
Career Advice

Then And Now: The Job Market in New Zealand Over 50 Years

Family life in the 1960s was much the same as it had been in the previous decades. The man still went out to tend to the properties, whilst the wife would stay…

29f823678c12d29d1f8f36447b0bd964?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Caitlin George 23 Jan 2019

Latest Articles

Industry Insider

“How I Built a Thriving Beauty Business”: Joelle Moke Shares Her Beauty Career Journey

Owning a thriving beauty salon or spa would be a dream come true for many people.  Imagine the fulfilment you’d get from watching your business grow as revenue streams in, and you…

b98f3ef384ecd95e24ca7e9a2e0e87e4?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Laura Squair 12 Feb 2021
Resources

Why Training is the Overlooked Skills Gap Solution Small Businesses Need

Skills gaps are arguably the most pressing issue facing business owners — large and small — in 2021. Until now, the general attitudes towards skills gaps have been blase at best. But…

5d1d02e183d2e57c09cc24f98ae80fe3?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Penny Cannata 11 Feb 2021
Career Advice

The 11 Highest Paying Jobs in New Zealand [2021 Edition]

When it comes to earning the big bucks, some jobs far outstrip others.  The average income in New Zealand sits at a modest $52,382. Meanwhile, a handful of in-demand, highly skilled roles…

ab6edc71f75966ffe45a1131a9e230c8?s=45&d=mm&r=g by Adele Cochrane

More from Blog

Career AdviceIndustry InsiderStudy TipsResources

Newsletter Sign Up

We'll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.

Popular Subjects

  • Accounting
  • Administration
  • Animal Care
  • Beauty
  • Bookkeeping
  • Business
  • Business Administration
  • Child Care
  • Cloud Computing
  • Community Services
  • Counselling
  • Culinary Arts
  • Dentistry
  • Design
  • Education
  • Event Management
  • Finance
  • Graphic Design
  • Health
  • Hospitality
  • Hospitality & Tourism
  • Human Resources
  • Interior Design
  • IT
  • Language
  • Leadership
  • Legal
  • Life Coaching
  • Logistics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Mental Health
  • MYOB
  • Natural Therapies
  • Networking
  • Nursing
  • Payroll
  • Photography
  • PRINCE2®
  • Programming
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Sales
  • Security
  • Small Business
  • Training Assessment
  • Travel
  • Veterinary
  • Web Design
  • Web Development
  • Xero
Copyright © 2018 Training.co.nz About Contact Privacy Advertise Affiliates Terms Candlefox.com Training.com.au Tafecourses.com.au Coursesonline.co.uk

This website uses cookies to provide you with the best browsing experience.

Find out more or adjust your settings.

Training.co.nz
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

Additional Cookies

This website uses the following additional cookies:

(List the cookies that you are using on the website here.)

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!