The New Zealand Law Society Legal Executive Diploma at Whitireia Community Polytechnic is the industry standard ticket for legal executive positions. The diploma also provides a skill set that can be applied to other jobs.
Whitireia graduate, Fiona Perez, decided to enrol for personal interests rather than to pursue job opportunities. Perez’s employer was happy to support her through her studies and gave her time off to attend day classes. Legal skills within a business are very useful to have.
“The course has definitely helped me,” says Perez. “I have now set up my own business, saving a lot in legal costs in the process and now I have the know-how to do things in the most efficient and effective ways and to cover all the bases.”
Perez says “A lot of the skills I learnt on this course are what I would call ‘legal life-skills’. I have gained a lot of invaluable tools to use in a number of different situations.”
Another Whitireia Diploma graduate, Fiona George, used the course to progress her career. George enrolled on the course after being a stay-at-home mum, with a one-track goal to enter the legal executive field.
She worked hard and studied part time and after graduating she was employed as a Legal Executive and PA to the Treasury Solicitor at the Treasury. “The job was great but I knew I wanted to push myself a bit further and crack into the public sector,” says George.
George has now landed a new job at Crown Law as a Legal Executive in their Treaty & International Law teams which she will begin on 1 March. It is a job which she says is “exactly where I wanted to be. This is what all the hard work has been for.”
George agrees that the course is not necessarily limited to the needs of legal executives, but rather develops skills to be used in numerous jobs and situations. “It feels pretty good to be able to help out my family and friends with things like wills, family trusts, contracts and agreements. I have a new found confidence in myself and my knowledge and can be the best I can at work and in life.”
“The course is definitely what helped me land these great jobs,” says George. “The focus was always on learning the theory and then applying it. I had tried online legal executive options before and that just didn’t work for me. I needed to be in the classroom, doing the work and seeing that in action. Everything I learnt I have applied directly to my job.”
The one year full-time or part-time New Zealand Law Society Legal Executive Diploma caters to a number of different students. From young people right out of college hoping to enter the workforce, to those returning to education after pursuing other interests and people already employed who are looking to up-skill and professionally develop. Papers on the course include Introduction to the Legal System, Introduction to Law Office Practice, Property Law and Practice, Estates Law and Practice, Litigation Law and Practice and Business Law and Practice.