Career resources for law students

Where have New Zealand law graduates found work?  The national Graduate Destinations Survey collects exactly this information - the results are published by subject—see Law.

For a full list, see the Graduate Destinations Survey.

New Zealand

• The University of Auckland Faculty of Law career planning page
• Careers New Zealand
  On this site you will find information on "Law and legal services" in New Zealand.  You can also read profiles of the law-related occupations listed below.  Profiles on this site include job outlook and salary information.
  • Barrister
  • Corporate/government lawyer
  • Court reporter
  • Judge
  • Legal Executive
  • Legal Secretary
  • Solicitor
• New Zealand Law Society
  Information from the legal professional body. See the resources under "Career Centre".
• Auckland District Law Society
  Useful insights into the legal profession plus legal jobs online.
  
• Auckland Women Lawyers Association
• Criminal Bar Association of NZ
• Human Rights Commission
• Human Rights Foundation
• Youth Law
  Community law centre for children and young people throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.
• Global Focus Aotearoa
  Links to NGOs working in New Zealand and throughout the Pacific.
• Career View: Law (Victoria University of Wellington)

International

• Graduate Careers Australia
  Career profiles in Law.
• Legal500.com
  Information on law firms across the world (including New Zealand).
• CVmail.com.au
  CVmail is an online application system for law firms around the world.
  
• LawCareers.Net
  UK site is an online resource for future lawyers.
• Waterlow Legal - the essential legal contacts directory
  UK site, see especially their Directory of legal firms offering training contracts.
• Options with your subject
  A series from Prospects UK which looks at careers related to specific subject areas.

The following companies work in an area of law. Some have attended careers events and the annual Law Distribution Day.

• AJ Park
• Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand Inc
   
• Baldwins : BaldwinSon & Carey : Intellectual property
• Bell Gully
• Brookers Thomson Reuters
• Buddle Finlay
   
• Chapman Tripp
• Clifford Chance
• College of Law
• Crown Law Office
   
• DLA Piper [was DLA Philips Fox]
   
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
   
• Hudson Gavin Martin
   
• Institute of Professional Legal Studies
   
• James & Wells
• Justitia Mutual Association
   
• Kensington Swan
   
• LexisNexis New Zealand (formerly Butterworths New Zealand)
   
• Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand
• Mayne Wetherell
• Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
   
• New Zealand Institute of Legal Executives Inc
• New Zealand Law Librarians' Association
• New Zealand Law Society
• NZ Law: an association of independent legal practices
   
• Russell McVeagh
   
• Simpson Grierson
   
• Taylor Grant Tesiram
   
• Webb Henderson (formerly MGF Webb)
• Wilson Harle

There are many websites to monitor regularly for new job postings.  Here are two resources to help you:

• Auckland CareerHub
  First time users need to register. You will find job and internship opportunities advertised, and  information on what's happening at University Careers Services.
• Job vacancy sources
  This page gives links to other job and recruitment websites.

Read career stories from graduates in the following places:

• Career role models

• Law alumni profiles

• What can you do with a law degree?: a lawyer's guide to career alternatives inside, outside & around the law. Seattle: DecisionBooks, 2004.
• Alternative Careers: Law on the Prospects website

In April 2009, the Auckland University Law Students' Society and University Careers Services hosted a seminar on alternative careers in law.  Read more in the notes from the seminar which you can download below.