Junior Lawyer

Te Haeata / The Opportunity Have been admitted to the NZ Bar? Eligible for a NZ Law Society practising certificate? Have a strong desire to develop your career in the specialist area of criminal advocacy? Want to learn from the best? This is a truly exciting opportunity. Job Description Public Defence Service – Manukau The Public Defence Service (PDS) is well known for its comprehensive professional development programme in criminal litigation and is considered an excellent training ground and full of opportunities for a successful legal career. To be considered for this position, a copy of your academic transcript must accompany your application. Junior Lawyer We are looking for a motivated junior lawyer who wants to progress their career to the next level. Ō Pūkenga / Skills And Experience To be successful you must: Be admitted to the New Zealand Bar or will be within two months of application. Be passionate about criminal justice issues. Love working in a team environment. You will be developing an ability to build credibility with judges, peers and others in the legal community. As an important member of a close‑knit team you will enjoy exchanging ideas and brainstorming. You will have empathy and the ability to relate to a wide range of people. This is a challenging but truly satisfying job. Mō mātou / About us At Te Tāhū o te Ture – the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand. 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. The Public Defence Service (PDS) provides 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. Joining Te Tāhū o Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions. Ngā painga o tēnei wāhi mahi / What's great about working here Benefits We offer you a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and help make the Ministry a great place to be. These include: 4.4 weeks holiday leave flexible work hours where possible an online professional development portal access to a variety of inclusive and proactive networks See our full range of benefits here. Utu ā-tau / Salary The remuneration band for this role is $67,015 to $89,934 – while the appointing salary will be based on skills and experience, we are willing to pay higher in the band to attract strong candidates into this role. Applications close on 12 August 2026 Follow us on LinkedIn #J-18808-Ljbffr