Recently a group of our senior students had the opportunity to attend a presentation on ‘Becoming a Lawyer’ at HOBEC. We are grateful to Dean Thompson, a partner in the firm and Alby McClelland, a recent Law graduate who works as a Solicitor at HOBEC for giving us both a valuable presentation and the opportunity to ask questions.

Particularly thought provoking was the section on the attributes needed to be a good lawyer:

• Good communication skills

• Logical/common sense/ pragmatic

• Ability to strategise and problem solve

• Good at time management

• Good listener

• Humble - to be able to accept defeat

• Confident (including public speaking)

• Ethical and honest

• Ability to relate to different people

• Good judgement skills

Student feedback from the event:

Very informative and also interactive lighthearted presentation. I like how it talked about a variety of different types of laws and also made it realistic rather than trying to be overly convincing. Overall was an awesome thing to go along to for anyone who wants an insight into law and the opportunities that can potentially come with it - Tess Esterman

I think it was a great law presentation and was worth attending, it gave me insight into what my career could look like outside of finishing university in Law. It is something students should go to if they are thinking about law for the future - Georgia Stewart

I clearly remember the educational and employment prospects for Law. For example if you were unsure about wanting to do Law, then taking it for your first year was really helpful. Also Dean emphasised that we should not take ‘easy’ Law papers, but rather challenge ourselves instead. Also I appreciated the insights provided on the variety of Law careers I could get into. The presentation really helped me think about my possible future in law - Phoenix Turei

I really appreciated the honesty of the presenters and the in-depth analysis of the various types of Law. I wasn’t aware that specialising in Estates could be an option - Morgan Barrimore

Anyone who missed out this time should watch the notices to learn when a second presentation will be offered. It will be sometime in Term 3.