Assistant Office Public Defender - Wellington | Wellington City

Job Description

Te whiwhinga mahi/The Opportunity

The Public Defence Service (PDS) is looking to appoint an experienced lawyer with a speciality in criminal advocacy to join our team in our central Wellington office. We are a collegial and professional office with around 30 legal and support staff working in a busy environment.

Reporting directly to the Wellington Public Defender the role is integral to the office leadership team and critical to the achievement of the PDS's operational and strategic goals.

He pūkenga tou/Skills and Experience

To be successful you must be passionate about criminal justice issues and:

• have a track record of building and maintaining strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• have the ability to manage a wide range of tasks and have strong people management skills, including expertise in mentoring, coaching and training. 
• have PAL 3 or 4 legal aid listing (preferably PAL 4), or the ability to apply for one, having had significant experience in conducting a variety of criminal matters before our courts. Around half of your time will be focused on leadership and management within our office, with the balance spent representing clients as part of an interesting and challenging caseload predominantly comprised of PAL 3 and 4 criminal cases.

This is a challenging but truly satisfying job and our lawyers love what they do.  

Ko wai mātou/Who we are

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to working together for a fair and safe Aotearoa.

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 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 te 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. 

He aha ngā painga o tēnei mahi mōu/Why you will enjoy working here

We will provide you with:

• Access to a well-designed and embedded national training programme,
• Professional development and opportunities to attend conferences
• A professional supervision programme
• Flexible working options
• A laptop and mobile phone

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The appointing salary for this role will be between  $143,662 and $201,170 based on skills and experience.

 Tono mai/How to Apply

To apply, click the Apply button below to be directed to our Careers Website. You can view a detailed position description here, as well as complete an online application form by attaching your CV and cover letter.

Applications close on 16 October 2023.

If you have any questions please contact recruitment@justice.govt.nz