Insider’s Guide to

Law School

Editor’s Note
Hannah Wilson
The 2010 edition of the Insider’s Guide builds on the
hard work of the 2009 Executive who launched the
first edition of this publiation in September last year.
The purpose of this guide is to pass on to first and
second year students information about the LLB and
opportunities open to law students. The idea is to utilise
the institutional knowledge of past and current senior
students to help younger students make the most of
their time at law school. Many thank must go to the
contributors to this publication. Without your thoughts,
advice, and practical knowledge this could not be a true
Insiders’ Guide. With this 2010 edition it is hoped the
publication of the Indiers’ Guide will be cemented as an
important function of the VUWLSS. If there is something
you think is missing from this publication we want to
know. We want to include material which will be of
real use to our readers. If you have any suggestions for
articles we will include it in 2011.
Acknowledgments
Kitty Higbee, Jamie Eng, Amelia Keene, Sam McMullan,
Polly Higbee, Julia Caldwell, Jeremy Keene, Kathy Scott
Dowell, Genevieve Taylor, Henry Clayton, Caleb Hensman,
Nicholas Chan, Greg Robins, Oliver Searle, Claudia
Geiringer, Nicky Saker, Pauline Castle, Kate Yesberg, Jane
Pring, Nick Chapman, Kat Helms, Marcelo Rodriguez
Ferrere, Gordon Stewart, Tony Smith, Jess Kerr, Yogesh
Patel, Ed McGimpsey, Bernadette Scanlan, Rupert
Abraham, Anna Smith, Kate Stone, Anne O’Driscoll, Olivia
Krakosky, Lydia Nobbs, Adam Edwards, Emma Geard.
Contact Us
Email: vuwlss@gmail.com
Facebook: Just search VUWLSS and join our Facebook
group
Website: www.vuwlss.org.nz
Location: G16, Faculty of Law, VUW
Contents
Welcome: Presented by VUWLSS 2010
4.......... 2010 VUWLSS Welcome
5.......... 2010 VUWLSS Member’s Cards
6.......... 2010 VUWLSS Exec
8.......... 2010 Events
First Year: On the Frontier
10....... How to approach First Year Law | Henry Clayton
10 ...... Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) Program 2010
11........ 100-Level Law: A Guide
12....... The Secret Tunnel of GB GO7
13....... The Socratic Method | Amelia Keene
Your LLB: Making you think
14....... Mature Student’s Guide
15....... Kelburn to Pipitea:
First Year Law to Law School Law
16....... Claudia Geringer’s Ten Step Guide
to Sitting Law Exams | Claudia Geringer
18....... 300-Level Law
18....... LLB (Hons): What it is and how to get there.
19....... Lord Denning: A Tribute
Social Endeavours: University Life in Wellington
20....... Wellington Café Culture
20....... Wellington Nightlife
21....... Dining Out: Restaurants in Wellington
22....... Cracking the Corporate Dress Code:
Shopping and Style in Wellington
Extra Curricular: Getting Involved
24....... Introduction to Competitions
24....... A Guide to 2010 VUWLSS Competitions
25....... A Guide to Mooting | Oliver Searle
26....... Negotiation | Kate Stone
26....... Client Interviewing | Adam Edwards
27....... Witness Examination | Yogehs Patel
28....... Community Law Centre
28....... Law Review V. Law Revue
28....... The Law in Schools Project
28....... Arbitrators’ and Mediators’
Institute of New Zealand
Careers: Feeding your family with an LLB
30....... Why an LLB doesn’t mean you have to be a lawyer
31....... Eternal Student: The LLM | Jessica Kerr
32....... Summer Loving:
A Complete Guide to Summer Legal Jobs
34....... Clerking for Judges | Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere
Welcome
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010 3
 Welcome to Law at Victoria
Standing on the front steps of the Law School you look out to the House of Representatives
and the Beehive. Look to the right and you can make out the High Court, with the Court of
Appeal a stone’s throw behind. To your left, the newly opened Supreme Court. The picture
that’s emerging is that we’re not short of inspiration here. If the iconic Old Government
Buildings weren’t enough, Vic Students rub shoulders with the best and brightest of law,
politics and academia on a day to day basis, even if they don’t realise it. Seen a couple of
friendly looking chaps walking out towards the courts? It could very well be Justices Blanchard
and Wilson off to deliver a constitutionally significant Bill of Rights judgement. And if it’s not
them, it may well be Sir Ivor Richardson and Sir Kenneth Kieth off for a coffee.

Perhaps more important than the legal celebrities walking around is the fact that the Law
School is at the centre of nationally – and internationally – important debate and dialogue
about the public issues that affect us all on a daily basis. The School hosts guest lectures,
conferences and other forums that really count, almost all of which are open to students.

Vic law students inherit a proud history. Victoria graduates have disproportionately often
been appointed justices of the Court of Appeal and Solicitors-General, with Lord Cooke of
Thorndon – one of the Faculty’s most significant alumni – widely regarded as New Zealand’s
most distinguished jurist. They have also punched above their weight on the international
stage. In between stints as a lecturer and diplomat, Ken Keith (now Sir Kenneth) acted for
New Zealand in the International Court of Justice Nuclear Tests Cases in 1973, 1974 and 1995.
When making his closing remarks in the 1995 litigation against France he wondered how long
it would be before he returned to the ICJ. It turned out that the answer was 11 years, when
he was sworn in as a judge, the first New Zealander to be elected a permanent member of the
Court.

Perhaps as important as the Law School’s proud history is the history of students being Vic law students
students. With the Faculty Club (these days called the LSS) directing the tom-foolery. The Law
Ball dates back to the ‘30s and stein evenings (these days T-Shirt night) to the ‘50s. These
inherit a proud history.
days the social calendar is fuller and more varied, but you get the feeling that the old guard of
trouble makers would’ve approved.

So, the moral of the story? This place gives you some pretty serious opportunities; get amongst
it and you never know where law at Vic might end up taking you.
Welcome

4 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Victoria University of Wellington 2010
Law Students Society VUWLSS
Welcome to the Victoria University of Wellington Law Students Society
(VUWLSS). The VUWLSS is your student representative body at law school. The
society has two main purposes. First, it is a representative voice for students at
law school. Second, it is a society committed to making the Victoria University
law school experience more rewarding and valuable. The society works hard to
maintain a strong relationship with faculty. This relationship gives the society
the unique ability to voice student concerns in the appropriate areas. VUWLSS is
In association with Simpson
involved in a wide array of activities around law school designed to enhance the
Grierson we are proud to present
law school experience. Society involvement ranges from social events like t-shirt
the VUWLSS 2010 Member’s Card.
night and the annual law ball, through to more educational activities such as The card offers holders a fantastic
competitions, guest lecturers and mentoring schemes. range of products and services
The VUWLSS wishes all law students a happy and successful year. both law and non-law related.

Students who wish to contact the VUWLSS are encouraged to drop by the The cards retail for $5. The
VUWLSS office on the ground floor of Old Government Building. membership card is dynamic and
flexible and will offer students an
increasing number of rewards as
VUWLSS President for 2010: the year progresses.
Just below the clock which adorns the magnificent façade of Old Government Buildings are the Offers are subject to change.
words “tempus fugit” or “time flies”. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if a large number of law Please see www.vuwlss.org.nz for
students at some point during the course of their LLB, feel that Dante’s foreboding warning, details.
“abandon all hope ye who enter here” may be somewhat more appropriate. Struggling through
the greyness of Wellington’s wind and rain, feeling the burden of course materials they think to VUWLSS Events
themselves abandon all hope, all hope of a maintaining a social life and enjoying your weekends, Pre-emption for VUWLSS events.
all hope of holding on to some sense of childish innocence and naivety about the way the world
works. This is an undeniably pessimistic way to start this welcome to law school and indeed Waterloo Bar & Grill
I sincerely hope that I have not completely destroyed any small ounce of optimism you had $4 wine and spirits and $3.50
pints.
about studying law with a single paragraph. The reality is that while at times (although very
Free fries on Fridays with the first
infrequently) such a negative, pessimistic warning may seem appropriate for the hallowed doors drink purchased.
of law school, the quality of your experience here is very much within your control.
The Law Students’ Society is here to aid you in your endeavours to combat the pain and misery Working Style
that might otherwise be law school. It works tireless to present social events to enable you to let Invitation to Working Style/
your hair down and get amongst it (or put your hair up and get all sophisticated for the classier VUWLSS evenings where VUWLSS
events) - the Law Ball, the Chapman Tripp T-Shirt Night, the Quiz Night, the Bell Gully Student members will be granted a 10%
v Staff cricket match, the Patron’s Lecture, Cocktail Night, the Leavers’ Dinner and of course the discount.
inaugural VUWLSS Law Camp to name but a few. Additionally, it offers educational opportunities
to hone your legal skills through the law school competitions and to widen your horizons through Green Cabs
events like the VUWLSS Talk Series and the Chapman Tripp Women in Law evening. 10% discount on taxi fares for
VUWLSS members.
The aim of VUWLSS in 2010 is to build on the success that it has had in recent years and to
ensure that all of Victoria’s law students know who VUWLSS is and what it is able to do for them Check www.vuwlss.org.nz
to make their time at law school more enjoyable and rewarding. I strongly encourage you to for deal updates.
make the most of these opportunities – come to the events, listen to the lectures, participate in
the competitions. It’s easy to find out what VUWLSS is up to and what’s happening next. Just
pick up a wallplanner, keep an eye out for posters around law school, join the Facebook page,
check the website (www.vuwlss.org.nz), join the mailing list, visit the VUWLSS office on the
ground floor of Old Government Buildings or simply ask out someone who looks like they might
be in the know.

So get amongst it, be active and combat the stress and pressure that might otherwise be law
school. With a little bit of involvement you’ll see that time really does fly.
Welcome

See you around law school,

Nick Chapman President 2010 | VUWLSS | www.vuwlss.org.nz

Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010 5

 VUWLSS
Executive
Yogesh Patel
Administrative Vice-President
Yogesh is in his fifth year of his LLB/BCA
(Hons). Originally hailing from Palmerston
North, Yogesh managed to gain the book-
  2008 and was inspired to run for office,
keeping and minute recording skills required
to be Administrative Vice President from
slaving away at corner-shop convenience
stores for below minimum wage. He is a
keen debater, hockey player, FCOM tutor, and
dabbles in golf, squash and tennis. Yogesh is
the current New Zealand and Austral-Asia
Witness Examination champion.
Yogesh has a penchant for Vitamin Water,
pate rolls from Concorde Bakery and getting
measured for new suits. He will often be
found sampling cheese boards and cocktails
at Motel or watching one of his many loved
TV series. Make sure you say hello if you see
him around as he’s always keen to hear your
thoughts on what LSS can do for you!
6 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
Nick Chapman
President
Nick is in his fifth year of an LLB/BA (Hons)
and is the President of the Victoria University
of Wellington Law Students’ Society, stepping
up from 2009 when he served as Education
Officer. If you need him, chances are he’ll be
around Law School, although normally playing
cricket in the hallways rather than doing his
readings. Introduce yourself, say hey – he’s
pretty friendly.
His priority is ensuring that VUWLSS holds
awesome social events, that it presents
excellent educational opportunities through
competitions, workshops and guest lectures
and advocacy for students. In short, he’s
committed to making sure VUWLSS is a
society students want. This year promises to
keep him busy as the 2010 VUWLSS Exec is
dedicated to running new events and building
on the old favourites.
Kate Stone
Education Officer
Kate is in her sixth year of her LLB/BA. She
completed Honours in Political Science in
one half of the Education Officer duo along
she was successfully elected as one of the
Education Officers for 2010. Kate was winner
of the Wellington Negotiation Competition
in 2009.
Kate is a frequent traveller and is slightly
obsessed with South America – making her
5th journey there over the summer. She
speaks Spanish and attempts Te Reo. She
also loves to write, paint, and run. She tutors
public law and politics papers to pay the bills.
She survives law school on long blacks from
Cellarvate and sneaky naps on the G11 couch.
She is a proud redhead and believes that
hair-ism is the new racism – join her in the
fight against discrimination on the basis of
ginge!
Ed McGimpsey
Education Vice-President
Ed is Education Vice President for 2010.
Ed, going into his fourth year at Victoria, is
working towards a LLB/BA majoring in Art
History and Political Studies. Born and raised
in Wellington he attending both Northland
Primary and Wellington College. Ed loves
Wellington and believes the city is great
place to study. Last year, as Publications
Officer, Ed was responsible for the creation
of the Insider’s Guide to Law School and the
overhaul of www.vuwlss.org.nz. This year, as
Education Vice President, Ed will have a major
role in all areas of LSS life but will maintain a
particular focus on competitions, publications
and sponsorship. If you happen to see Ed
wandering aimlessly around Law School
please don’t hesitate to stop him and share
any ideas you may have that would help the
LSS become a better organization.
Anne O’Driscoll
Education Officer
Anne is in her final year of a rather extended
period of time at law school. In 2010, she is
with Kate Stone. She is here to represent
student views on the Faculty Board and
contribute however she can to the law school
experience. You’re most likely to encounter
her as head tutor for contract or roping you
in to doing editing work form NZJPIL (help
always very much appreciated!). She is a bit
of a caffeine addict and a tad chaotic but she
is always keen to hear students’ thoughts.
If you have any suggestions for seminars or
speakers you would like to see or if you’d like
to share your views on your legal education
at VUW, go ahead and email her at odriscoll.
anne@gmail.com.
 Bernadette Scanlon
Competitions Officer
  Social Officer
You will most likely run into Bernadette,
one half of the dynamic competitions’ crew,
sitting in the law school common room
either using the wireless net, reading the
newspaper or chatting with friends. If it is
lunchtime, the topic of conversation will
most likely be how amazing Sushi B is, with
its artistic array of pure delectable goodness.
To her side would be her mammoth bag
which would bring Mary Poppins to shame.
To summarise, Bernadette is basically the
same as her namesake, the late and great
Bernie-Mac, except she is neither chocolate
coloured, a man, rich nor famous and
definitely not funny. She is uber psyched to
be working with the marvellous Rupert and
can’t wait to get you involved with the legal
competitions...whoopa!!
Celeb Hensman
Social Officer
Caleb is in his final year as a law student in
2010, having completed his politics degree
in 2009. He enjoys books, movies, and pretty
much any sport (though he only takes cricket
  was Deputy Head Girl, Chairperson of the
and rugby seriously). As the male half of the
2010 Social Bloc, Caleb anticipates this year
to be packed with more exciting events than
any in the past. So put your drinking shoes on,
strap in, and enjoy the ride.
Oh, and as an aside, Caleb doesn’t endorse the
notion that Anna Smith is head Social Officer,
in fact, he detests it (she rigged the votes, I
swear).
Rupert Abraham
Competitions Officer
Rupert is heading into his fifth (and
hopefully final) year of his law degree.
He has completed a science degree; a rare/
stupid minority who try to cope with physics
and law at the same time. But now the BSc
is done and dusted, he is looking forward
to focussing on his legal studies. He might
even try that “do your readings” thing which
lecturers love to rave about. Besides school,
Rupert lives the typical Wellington student
lifestyle: a little bit of BYO here, a bit of isn’t-
it-nice-on-the-waterfront-in-Wellington-on-
a-good-day? there and some coffees in the
middle. He is really excited to be in charge
of competitions with the wonderful Bernie.
Don’t hesitate to stop him in the corridor if
you have any questions. He says everyone
should enter the competitions at the start of
the year!
Hannah Wilson
Publications Officer
Hannah is in her fifth year of law, having
taken a ‘year off’ to complete a BCA Hons
(Public Policy) in 2009, and is taking on the
LLB Hons in 2010. Having spent the year with
wannabe bureaucrats, Hannah is keen to once
again get amongst the law school crowd by
taking on the role of LSS publications officer.
All law students are members of VUWLSS,
so it’s important everyone knows of the LSS
events and gets involved.
Hannah enjoys catching a play at Downstage,
visiting historic houses, late night studying
at midnight Espresso and the odd game of
spotlight.
You can usually find Hannah around the first
year tutors office so drop by and have a chat!
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
Anna Smith
Anna is in her fifth and final year of law
school, having completed a BA (Political
Science) in 2009. Anna spent 2009 in awe
of the world famous “Social-Bloc” of Benji
Crossley and Johnny Osborne. Anna originally
hails from the Waikato. Anna is involved in
social hockey, social netball, generally all
things at a social level.
Anna and Caleb plan to make 2010 an
unforgettable year with regard to VUWLSS
social events. While the LSS is more than
T-Shirt Night and the Ball, these are the
events students remember about their
time at Law School, and the Social officers
recognise their responsibility to the student
body to raise the game year after year! Any
ideas as to new events or improvements on
the tried and true are more than welcome.
Olivia Krakosky
First Year Representative
Olivia Krakosky is the second year
representative for 2010. Before university
she attended Naenae College where she
Student Council, a Prefect and Dux. In 2009
she began her LLB and also a BA majoring in
History and Political Science. She loves New
Zealand History and would love to focus her
BA on that. After University she aims to work
either in politics or doing something to do
with New Zealand History. She loves reading,
swimming, cycling and running. She plans
on doing a triathlon this year. She is looking
forward to working with the LSS in 2010.
7
 Events
The Law Students Society runs a number of social events throughout the year for law students.
The main social events take place during the Chapman Tripp O-Week from 8-12 March,
however, there are plenty of other social events during the year to get involved with!”

March
5-7 The Inaugural VUWLSS Law Camp,
supported by Thomson Reuters.
8 O-Week BBQ
9 LSS Tennis Open
11 T-Shirt Night
12 Recovery Brunch
27 First Year Function - Post-121 Terms Test Party
28 Jackson Trophy Students v Faculty Cricket Match
August
7 Law Ball

October
15 End of Term Drinks
16 Leavers Dinner
Welcome

8 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

 Start your career at
Russell McVeagh
“Russell McVeagh is synonymous with excellence,
and even as a summer clerk you soon begin to
understand why. The firm acts for high profile
clients in situations where the stakes are
always very significant.
They have received many accolades
testifying to the quality of this work,
such as being crowned IFLR New Zealand
Law Firm of the Year 2009. Despite the
pressure that comes from representing large
clients, Russell McVeagh’s ‘work hard, play
hard’ approach seems to have struck the
right balance for its staff; reflected in The
Australia and New Zealand Graduate Careers
Survey naming Russell McVeagh as the top law
firm among New Zealand’s graduate employers
for two years running. There’s nowhere better to
begin your career than an environment where
success is prevalent and fostered in all staff
from day one.”
YOGESH PATEL (VICTORIA UNIVERSITY) SUmmER CLERk 09/10
LITIGATION & CORPORATE ADVISORY GROUP

Apply for a summer clerk position with Russell McVeagh

now and find out what everyone’s talking about.
Application packs are available from your university
for a limited time from March 10th.
For more information visit www.russellmcveagh.com
or www.summerclerk.co.nz
 How to approach first year law
Henry Clayton | 2008 VUWLSS President
First year law is not like the rest of law school. And it is even less like practicing law. First year
law is therefore not a good introduction to law in the sense that is not the best representation
of what law is like. But it is a good introduction to law because it teaches the necessary

PASS
knowledge and skills needed to understand and use law.

First year law is also not homogeneous. It is made up of three different papers which each have
a different focus and very different types of assessment. So the best way to approach first year
law is to approach each paper separately.

That said, some general guidance applies to all of first year law. So this Guide first makes some
general comments and then makes some comments about each first year law paper. Emma Geard
PASS Leader 2009

PASS (Peer Assisted Study Support)

is a program organised by the Student
Learning Support Services at Victoria.
These sessions are informal study groups
led by 200 level students who excelled
in the course the previous year. PASS is
available to students in all the 100 level
law papers and is a great opportunity
for students of any level to reinforce the
course material and develop study skills
and habits that will be useful throughout
their degree.

The sessions are like any study group,

Hannah Wilson the aim is to gain a better understanding
Everyone works and studies in different ways, of the subject material that you have
but here are five key tips to make life a little easier: learned in lectures and tutorials. The
role of a PASS leader is to facilitate and
You should always start as you mean to go on, so right from day one you should carefully guide the study group by encouraging
read your course outline. Your course outline is your guide to the paper: the weighting of active learning and sharing techniques
assessments, assignment due dates and mandatory course requirements. The easiest way to fail for studying and answering exam style
a paper is by not complying with the course outline, so take ten minutes on the first day to get questions. Asking questions in lectures
up to speed. or even tutorials can be intimidating, but
these sessions provide the participants
A quick note about tutorials: • Read your course outline. with a comfortable forum where they
first, go to tutorials. The tutorial • Work towards the assessments. can ask their peers, the leader or fellow
programme is an integral part of students, questions and work through
the course and will benefit you • Go to tutorials. any difficulties that arise in the course
enormously when it comes to • Be patient. material.
assessments. With that said, you
will only get out what you put in. Students can sign up for PASS in week
First Year

Take the time to prepare for tutorials and take an active role in the group discussion. two of the semester and sessions begin
during week three. Availability is limited
Law School is not about wrote learning, assessments are fact-based scenarios. This means you and sessions times for the 100 level law
need to focus on understanding not repetition. Practice is the only way to get better at this courses fill up quickly, but if you miss out
kind of assessment. Your tutorial prep is a good way to practice. After your tutorial have a go there are opportunities to join a group
at re-writing your answer. later in the term. PASS is not only a
great way to complement lectures and
While law school can be a competitive place, remember that two heads are always better than tutorials but it is an opportunity to make
one. Get to know your fellow class mates so you have a group of people you can bounce ideas friends at law school and set up study
off and work through tricky issues with. Look around you, you will be spending the next five groups in the future.
years with these people, so you might as well make friends!

10 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Breakdown of 100-Level Law
LAWS 121
LAWS 121 is the law paper most similar
to high school study, which is just as
well since it is the first paper at Law
School. The main focus of LAWS 121 is
getting a grounding in the basics – which
means learning and retaining a lot of
information.
In all university study, and especially in
LAWS 121, it is not enough to just retain
information – you need to understand
the information. Make sure you listen
carefully in classes and read carefully, all
the time making sure you understand the
material. Do you know why correct things
are correct and why incorrect things are
incorrect? Do you understand why one
event led to another? Can you see why
one argument is better than another? Do
you understand the relationships between
things? If you understand information,
you will probably also find it easier to
remember.
There is also a strong focus on written
expression in LAWS 121. It is not just
enough to understand and retain the
information, you also need to be able to
communicate your understanding clearly.
Law is language after all. To do well in
LAWS 121 you will need to know how to
structure a good essay or long answer.
LAWS 122
In LAWS 122 you learn how to study
cases and, crucially, how to answer
“problem questions” based on case
law. The first thing you need to learn is
case comprehension – how to read and
understand cases. Without good case
comprehension you will not get much
further. The next thing you need to learn
is how to apply case law – knowing how
a particular case fits together with other
cases to form the law and what a particular
case means for different situations.
Your ability to apply case law is assessed
by “problem questions”. Problem questions
are questions where you are given a set
of facts and asked to assess how the law
you have learned would apply to those
facts. Some people will find this type of
assessment very peculiar. It can take some
time to master, but do not be put off if you
do not have early success.
Your lecturers and tutors should teach you
good approaches to answering problem
questions. So this Guide will keep its advice
brief – structure. Structure your answers
by moving through each legal issue one by
one. This will help organise your thoughts
and make it easier for the reader to follow
your analysis. And within each issue, write
according to the ILAC/IRAC structure (you’ll
find out what this means).
Something you can do to improve both
your case comprehension and problem
question answering skills is to prepare for
class. Read cases before lectures and try
and work out what they mean. Then at
the lectures you can see where you went
wrong and (hopefully) why. Similarly,
attempt tutorial questions before the
tutorials so that at tutorials you can see
what you are doing well and where you
need to improve.
It is often said that LAWS 122 is the first
year law paper most similar to the rest of
Law School. While that may be true, those
who struggle through or do not enjoy this
paper should not be put off. While the rest
of Law School does have a heavy focus on
studying case law and being assessed using
problem questions, it is still quite different
to LAWS 122.
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
LAWS 123
LAWS 123 has the most peculiar and
unique style of assessment of all of the
first year law papers. But throughout this
paper do not lose sight of its focus on
language and argument.
LAWS 123 develops and assesses your
ability to read language critically and
use language precisely. You are required
to identify issues in interpreting the
meaning of various words and sentences
and then use language yourself to argue
what the meaning is. LAWS 123 has a
heavy focus on making arguments and
artificial assessments are designed as a
way of testing your ability to argue. The
interpretation issues posed are often not
realistic (and sometimes even ridiculous)
and a quite rigid way of resolving
interpretation issues is encouraged. But
just remember that this paper is more
about your ability to argue than the
actual issues you argue about.
Because of the peculiar style of
assessment, you really should attend
tutorials for this paper. You must take the
opportunity to practise problem questions
and have a tutor lead you through good
and bad answers. If you leave a lecture
confused, you may find that the next
tutorial you attend helps make sense of
everything again.
The rest of Law School does not look
and sound much like LAWS 123 and its
unique form of assessment. However the
essential tenants of the paper – language
and argument – are fundamental to the
law. But those who do not enjoy this
paper should certainly not be put off Law
School or a career in law.
First Year
11

The grate is locked, but
one can look down to see
a ladder descending into
the darkness.
First Year
12 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
The Secret Tunnel of GB G07
Nick Chapman
With an imposing façade, sweeping staircases and kauri clad interiors, it is difficult not to be
impressed by Old Government Buildings, the home of Victoria’s Law School. Built in 1876,
it originally housed the entire Civil Service as well as Cabinet. Even today it continues to be
the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere and, the second largest in the world.
However this is not an article about the known history of the building, rather its focus is on
something much more mysterious contained within its hallowed walls, something much darker
- the secret tunnel of GB G07.
Should you venture to the most north-eastern corner of the most north-eastern room of the
ground floor, you shall find a steel grate on the floor. The grate is locked, but one can look
down to see a ladder descending into the darkness. The contents of this darkness has plagued
the mind of many a law student during the course of an uninteresting Torts lecture. And while
many of these students have been unable to resist the temptation, and snuck through the
darkness late at night towards GB G07, none have been able to solve the mystery. Stopped by
either the steel grate or the darkest depths of their fears, the tunnel remains unexplored and
the mystery remains unsolved.
However, the stories continue, passed down from one generation of law students to the next.
Indeed, should you come across a senior law student at a time of the evening when their beer
glass is empty and their morals loose, through their unintelligible slur you may discover some
of these tales. The most prominent of these rumours is that the tunnel links Old Government
Buildings with the current Parliament buildings. Beyond this the tale becomes murkier still.
Where precisely does it lead to? Directly beneath the Speaker’s chair? The Parliamentary
library? In the middle of the Cabinet table? One less known rumour is that it leads to a
man-sized safe contained in the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully. Mr
McCully has neither confirmed nor denied this rumour.
But the Parliament account is only one of many. An unnamed source has been known to claim
on numerous occasions that the endpoint is definitely the partners’ lounge at Bell Gully. One
staff member holds that if you crawl through the dust and soot for long enough you shall
eventually reach the office of Justice Tipping of the Supreme Court.
More recent years have seen the rise of an alternative hypothesis, that it is indeed not a
tunnel at all, but rather a pit of some form. Curling its way deep beyond the foundations of
Old Government Buildings and its underground lake to some specific yet even more secretive
location. Supporters of this thesis can largely be classified into two sects. The first holds
that past the darkness and trap-doors, surrounded by candles and adorned in red velvet robes
lies the body of Chief Justice Prendergast. Supporters of the second group believe that the
crypt instead contains the fourth article of the Treaty of Waitangi, the one that holds that in
exchange for giving up their land, the Maori tribes shall be given complete and undisputed
sovereignty over New South Wales.
The mystery of the tunnel of GB G07 is only one of many strange tales of OGB. Tales of the
student who lived in the attic library for weeks; the supposed ghost in the Cabinet Room, the
allegation that the library is sinking because the architect hadn’t factored in the weight of the
books. These mysteries have answers which are waiting to be uncovered. Indeed, the onus is
now on you, the bright eyed, bushy tailed, pesky yet well-meaning first years to uncover these
dark tales. Happy tunnelling.
The Socratic Method or
“How to Put Your Hand Up In Class”
Amelia Keene | 2009 VUWLSS President
It’s 9.34am and you’ve arrived late to
Contract, as usual. You slink to the back and
get a seat on one of those spare desks behind
the back row. You slouch down. This class is
just too early. It’s Contracts and Professor
David McLauchlan is already ranting about
the lies that some Judge or another told.
You’re about to start on the Sudoko when
you hear your name... it booms across the
room and your heart starts pounding. Low
profile. Low profile, you tell yourself. Your
name. YOUR NAME. Louder. Heads are turning
around the room… Do you raise your
hand?
I could be described as an expert at putting
my hand up in class. Four years of Law School
either makes you an expert mumbler of “I
haven’t done my readings”, or it makes you
a geek. Either way, if you’ve got the stamina,
you’ll still finish with a law degree. But the
point of this article is to suggest that if you
learn to love the ‘Socratic method’, you might
end up with some valuable skills as well.
But what does Socrates have to do with
Law School, anyway? Apart from finding
himself on the wrong side of the Athenian
law, the great philosopher’s teaching method
survives today in law schools across the
world. Socrates engaged in a dialogue with
his students, questioning them rather than
lecturing ‘at’ them. His purpose was to
make his students think, to expose flaws in
their reasoning, and ultimately to get to the
bottom of things in a meaningful way. This
collaborative search for truth is not unlike the
process that a really good Socratic lecturer
will engage in at a law school. While the
great schools of North America all practise
the Socratic Method, Victoria is the only
school in New Zealand to do so consistently.
For that reason, the Socratic Method is a
distinctive feature of our Law School. But
it’s also a fearsome phrase in the minds of
students; even Hollywood has depicted the
terror of the method, in the 1973 rip-snorter,
The Paper Chase. Perhaps the most vigorous
proponents of the method at Victoria – and
certainly one of the most effective – was
ex-Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who
was reputedly not averse to using a wooden
ruler to swat the desk of the ill-fated student
subject to interrogation.
But so much for legend. At Victoria in 2010
the Method doesn’t lead to too many scenes
fit for Hollywood. Today, Socrates and his
method help us to be better law students;
more engaged, critical and questioning in our
own right.
So, the first thing to remember is that you
are here because you want to be here.
Presumably you want to learn about the law,
so grab Law School by the horns and ride the
Socratic bull.
Secondly, remember that no-one likes
being put on the spot. Even the simplest
questions become impossible when there
are 200 people staring at you and a lecturer
with your name and a big black pen, ready to
cross or tick. Don’t panic. It’s fine to ask the
question to be repeated. It’s also fine to pause
and have a look through the materials. Don’t
stress. Perhaps more importantly, everyone
is in the same boat!
Third, answering questions is basically
impossible unless you do your readings.
The dialogue between an informed student
and a wise lecturer is a truly fantastic thing
to behold. But you’re not likely to get that
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
Grab law school by
the horns and ride the
Socratic bull.
connection unless you prepare for class.
Properly. Like get out a pen and annotate your
readings. Think about what they mean. It’s
fine to go to class not understanding what
you’ve read. But it defeats the purpose if you
go to class without reading at all.
The fourth and most important thing is that
if you offer the answer when you know
the answer, you’re much less likely to be
asked to answer when you don’t. The most
frustrating Socratic-style classes are the ones
where the lecturer chews through a whole-
row of law students before finding one who
can give an answer even close to what was
wanted. If you feel like you know the answer,
then put your hand up. It’ll probably come as
a welcome relief to the other students, and
the lecturer will appreciate it.
The Socratic method is scary. But it is also
valuable and I would refuse to go to a law
school that didn’t use it. It helps students
develop oral skills that are a crucial part of a
First Year
lawyer’s tool-box. It also makes lectures more
meaningful. You get to make a contribution.
The other slightly geeky thing to say is that
putting your hand up in class increases your
profile. People know who you are. Lecturers
write you references and recommend you for
research assistant or tutoring roles. Students
vote for you to go onto VUWLSS, in my case,
as President. So putting your hand up in
class is a lot more valuable than you
might think.
13
 Some advice for Mature students sit in the front of the lecture theatre. I like people to think I sit there because
it makes for better learning. The reality is my hearing and vision deteriorated after the age of

mature
25. Whatever your reason, most mature students sit near the front. Those who don’t are usually
making some sort of “statement”. I know – I tried being cool in the back row, but couldn’t hear

students
or see a damn thing!

– From a “mature” student
There is a tendency for us to see younger students, straight from school, as immature,
hedonistic, irresponsible, disrespectful kids who know nothing of life or the “real world”. There
is also the tendency to think that younger students insightful geniuses who reveal me to be
the fake that I am. Both views are wrong. Younger students are normal people. Treat them that
way.

Mature students often get bogged down in details. Attention to detail is an important skill but
the ability to discriminate is more important. Being able to quickly see what is important and
what isn’t takes practice. For the moment just ask yourself, “Will spending five hours on this
minor point get me any marks in the final exam?” Sometimes the answer will be yes. Usually,
you’ll waste good time that could be better spent learning something else. Study smarter, not
harder.

Victoria Law School encourages questions and class discussion in lectures. You’ll have
opportunities to clarify points that are unclear, but remember that lectures are an opportunity
for everyone to learn from the lecturer, not for individual discussion. Some students don’t
understand this and a good rule is - if you’re not satisfied with the response within three
exchanges, stop! See the lecturer afterward to continue the discussion. This has the bonus of
preventing everyone else in the lecture mentally willing you to shut up or drop dead.

Studying in groups is highly recommended. If you want to study with other mature students…
you’ll find us at the front.

Don’t forget you’re a student and can legitimately get a student discount for movies, coffee,
dentists, travel....

Mature students have more life experience than most students. This brings valuable real-world
knowledge to tutorials and group learning as long as any contribution is concise and relevant.
If it’s drawn out and irrelevant you’ll look like a tosser.

It is really rude to complain about the quality of the lecturer, exam, marking, tutors and course
work if you got any grade higher than a ‘B’. You might well be an under-appreciated genius
First Year

who has a better understanding of the law than the professor, but you still look like a dick to
those who are thrilled with a ‘C+’.

Mature students have added commitments like work, children and mortgages on top of their
study workload. How you manage the balancing act is up to you, but don’t be afraid to ask
friends, family, your employer or especially the Law School for help or leeway when you need it.

Make time away from study and other commitments to have some fun and get a clear head.
Your grades will benefit in the long run.

14 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010


Congratulations. You made it. If you’re
reading this, you must have figured out
whether a goldfish is an animal, and know
the intimate details of the footballer’s lives.
You’ve made the progression down the hill,
and it’s time now to swap the Quad for the
Cafe, and embark upon legal immersion.
There’s no shame in feeling a twinge of
pride and excitement as you walk through
those majestic gates under the watchful
eye of Peter Fraser – in fact, wholeheartedly
embrace it.
This article is supposed to give you some idea
of what to expect when you turn up with
pencils sharpened on your first day. So here
we go. There is no ultimate combination of
the four second year courses, so stop asking
everyone about it. If you haven’t learnt yet,
make sure you squeeze together the spiral
bindings on your course notes otherwise
they’ll have had it by week three – this is
of particular importance this year as Law
School lecturers seem to have a fondness for
dividing course notes into several sub editions
released in strategic stages throughout the
year. Lectures start at half past down here.
Spare yourself the walk of shame across the
front of the lecture on the o’clock.
As for behaviour in lectures themselves, I
learnt the hard way that writing your name
messily on the seating chart won’t relieve you
of Socrates’ curse. In fact you’ll probably be
targeted. Appearing to be deep in academic
discussion with your neighbour is much more
Kelburn
to Pipitea
effective. I would also recommend sitting
with a few of your friends, but get to know
some other people too – and definitely try
and go for a row in the middle of the lecture
theatre. If the lecture gets boring you can
just look at the latest YouTube clips, as one
of the Laptop gang is bound to be looking at
them in the rows in front of you. The rolling
office chairs can fluctuate in number per row,
but they make up for this inconvenience in
pure awesome units. A final academic related
point – tutors are gold. Get a good one. You
can tell who they are, they’re the ones always
in vintage T-shirt Night garb.
The pigeons do
not mind the law
students.
Law School encourages its protégées to get
as involved in law related things as possible,
and I would definitely recommend giving
mooting / client interviewing etc a go. You
might even get a glimpse of the Gods of the
Law School who have spent sleepless chunks
of their lives across the ditch memorising
Australian tax law and winning prizes for it. If
you are participating, speak s-l-o-w-l-y and
keep Denny Crane references to an absolute
minimum. You can’t really go wrong, judges
are always telling porkies anyway.
Second years know the Occi does $3 eggs
on toast that can be comfortably finished
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
before a 9:30am lecture, and will probably
have finished at least one Egg Loyalty Card
by the time the year is through. You should
also try sandwiches from both Mr Pie and
Concord Cafe (Mr Pie has the advantage of
using real chicken as opposed to processed
slices, although Concord is marginally closer
if you’re running between classes). Sweet
Fanny Anne’s is always good. Culinary
highlight of the year is definitely the biannual
LSS barbeque – lectures are always so much
funnier afterwards for some reason.
Look, there are lots of tips and tricks I could
write about but there’s something intangibly
lovely about being in the largest wooden
building in the Southern Hemisphere every
day. On its good days, Law School truly is the
delight of everyone. The Law students study
and the judges watch. The lawn area is well
rolled and mown. The pigeons do not mind
the law students. The library lift has a quaint
charm to it. You can’t help feeling happily
studious carrying the brick that is Torts in
New Zealand on the bus up to Kelburn (and
Your LLB
feeling just a bit superior to the commerce
student sitting next to you). And who doesn’t
wish Denning was their Granddad? Keep your
head, drink lots of coffee and study hard. Yes,
that could well have been Tipping J that you
saw. And I too think the Supreme Court is
coming along nicely.
xoxo
Law Girl
15
 clue to what the lecturer expects And when you’ve finished reading
Claudia’s from each answer. For example, the problem through slowly and

10
if a lecture has only allocated 10 carefully …
step guide to sitting marks out of 100 to a question,
he or she is probably expecting a
… read it through the same way

problem-based law exams

at least one more time before
relatively brief answer to it. (If so, you start writing. On the second
it will be important to get straight reading, you will know what
Editor’s Note: Claudia Geiringer is a Senior Lecturer to the point!) the task is that the lecturer is
at VUW School of Law. She is particularly active in Stick to your allotted time. If you ultimately asking of you. The
the field of Public Law and rights jurisprudence. This run out of time on one question, relevance of facts that did not
guide, although written with Public Law exams in leave it and start on the next seem significant to you the first
mind, has sound information for law students at all one. If you have spare time at the time you read the problem may
levels of their degree. end, you can always go back and now be apparent to you.
complete your answer.
I calculated the other day that during my prolonged 5. Try to read the lecturer’s
period as a tertiary student I probably sat in excess 4. Read every word mind
of 50 exams. Sad, isn’t it? If nothing else, I have When we read, say, a newspaper, When I was a student, whenever
had plenty of opportunity to refine my technique. we tend to read by general I read an exam question I would
Since becoming a university lecturer, I have also had impression. Our eyes skip quickly try to put myself in the lecturer’s
plenty of opportunity to observe from the “other side” over whole phrases, sentences or shoes and to guess why they
common mistakes that students make when answering paragraphs. When we read this had written the problem in a
way, it is easy to make mistakes particular way. I still think this is
exam questions. I would estimate that most students
about the detail. Your brain can a really good way to approach the
could improve their grades by around 20% just by play tricks on you. It decides what problem.
tightening up their exam technique. it expects to see (based on the For better or worse, lecturers put
information it has already taken a lot of effort into designing exam
So here it is: my attempt at a ten-step guide to exam in) and substitutes it for what is problems. Although there will be
technique. It is specifically aimed at answering legal actually written. some red herrings, most of the
problems, although some of it may apply equally to This is not the way to read a law facts are there for a reason. They
other kinds of exam questions. exam. When you read a law exam are there because the lecturer
you must take in every word and thinks that they raise issues in
register its significance. If you terms of the application of the
The ten rules your own fact situations and
attempt to apply the law to them. find this difficult, one way to relevant legal or constitutional
Preparation: improve your concentration is tests or principles.
Sometimes, it’s only when you try
to apply the law in practice that to follow along the line you are As you read through the problem,
1. There is no such thing as you work out where the gaps in reading with a pen. This slows you see if you can read the lecturer’s
an open book exam your understanding are. down and increases the chances mind and identify the reasons
Any time spent in an exam that you will register each word. he or she has included particular
And when it comes to the
rifling through your notes is time Another (and complementary) facts in the problem. What
examination, make sure you
you could spend answering the technique is to take a highlighter arguments do you think the
demonstrate this understanding.
question. In a problem-based law with you and to highlight key lecturer is hoping you might
For example, when setting out a
exam you need to concentrate phrases as you read. Make notes make? Make a note of them.
legal test, it is bad form to simply
all your energies on applying the as you go as to the potential
recite to the lecturer the headings Here is an example from the
legal (or constitutional) rules and arguments you might want to
that appeared on a powerpoint second tutorial problem. It
principles to the facts. To do this, make (see, below, under Rule 5).
slide. The lecturer wants to know concerned the applicability of
you need to come into the exam that you understand each step of As you read, you should think imperial legislation. Questions
Your LLB

knowing the law like the back of
your hand.
Prepare for every exam as if it
were closed book.
2. Don’t just memorise –
understand
You can’t apply law that you don’t
really understand. So concentrate
your energies on trying to
understand the way the law
works rather than memorising it.
Once you understand something,
memorising it is easy. If you don’t
understand, seek help – from your
peers, from your tutors or from
the lecturer.
One way to test your
understanding when you are
studying is to come up with
the test; not that you are capable
of copying down the powerpoint.
Demonstrate that you understand
everything you write down.
Scoping the question:
3. Divy up your time
Because law exams tend to be
pressured, one of the keys to
doing well is apportioning your
time carefully.
As soon as you get into the
exam, work out how much each
question is worth and how much
time you should therefore spend
on it. (For example, if a two-hour
exam contains two questions
worth 50% each, you should
spend one hour on each question).
Use the mark allocation as a
about all the parameters of the
question that has been asked. For
example:
What tasks has the lecturer asked
you to perform?
Are there issues the lecturer has
specifically asked you not to
address?
Are you being asked to write from
a particular perspective (eg, to
write a submission for one party
or to give a judge’s opinion)?
Is the lecturer asking you to apply
the legal/constitutional rules and
principles as they currently are in
New Zealand? (You can presume
this unless told otherwise). Or
is he or she telling you to apply
some other test that you have
learned about in class?
1.a and 1.b contained different
dates at which the event was
supposed to have occurred: 1987
and 2006. The minute you saw
those dates you should have been
trying to think through their
significance – why would the
legal or constitutional position
be different at one date from the
other? The answer, of course, is
that the law governing reception
of imperial legislation into New
Zealand law changed in 1988
with the enactment of the
Imperial Laws Application Act
1988. The first question required
you to identify and apply the pre-
1988 framework and the second
question required you to apply the
post-1988 framework.

16 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Format:
6. Leave space for late
additions
Unless you have got the most
organised mind in the world, you
will almost certainly get half way
through answering the problem
and remember something that
you should have said in the first
(or second, or third) paragraph.
One way to deal with this is to
leave every second (and opposite)
page in the exam booklet blank.
That way, if you want to add in an
extra section, you can write it on
the blank page and draw an arrow
across to where you want it to
be inserted. You will go through
more exam booklets this way, but
who cares?
Not all lecturers like it when you
do this. Personally, I think it’s
great. But if a particular lecturer
has expressed a preference that
you don’t do this, best to avoid it.
The examiner has untrammelled
legislative sovereignty after all!
Writing your answer:
7. Answer the question. And
only the question
Before you start writing, let go of
all your hopes, expectations and
predictions about what might
have been in the exam. You will
get no marks for working into
your answer information that
you thought you were going to
be (but haven’t been) asked for.
Nor will you get any marks in a
problem question for giving a
general dissertation on the state
of the law.
Every single word you write
should be relevant to answering
the question you have been asked.
Before you write each sentence,
ask yourself whether what you
are about to write assists in some
way to answer the question. Be
brutal. If it’s not directly relevant,
no matter how much time you’ve
spent learning it, leave it out. You
don’t have time to waste.
One common mistake students
make is to begin their answer
with a general and wide-ranging
discussion of the particular
area of law that is at issue. For
example, a student asked about
the reception of a particular
imperial law might be tempted to
embark on a general discussion
of the significance to imperial
law to the constitution. Be aware
– unless this discussion in some
way assists in answering the
problem you have been asked to
address, you are unlikely to get
any marks for it. Cut straight to
the chase.
Cite authorities, but only give as
much information about them as
is needed to support your answer.
Often, all you will need to do
is succinctly state the rule that
a case stands for (and perhaps
give some information about the
status of the Court). Occasionally,
it will be necessary to explain a
little of the facts giving rise to
the case (for example, if you are
trying to distinguish the case).
Generally, it is a mistake when
answering a legal problem to give
a miniature case brief for each
case you refer to.
And don’t say the same thing
twice. You’ll only get marks for it
the first time.
8. DO state the obvious
Yes, everything you write should
be relevant to the question you
are answering. But this doesn’t
mean that everything you say
has to be stupendously insightful
and original. Many of the marks
in a law exam are allocated to
the obvious and the mundane.
We want to know that you’ve
understood the basics. So build
your case from the ground up.
Be methodical. We need to
know that you understand every
step that you need to take to
solve the particular problem. No
matter how obvious it seems,
if it’s relevant to answering
the problem, let us know you
understand it.
This doesn’t mean that you
need to spend much time on
obvious points. If a point is
uncontroversial, state it as
succinctly as possible and move
on!
9. But don’t shy away from
the hard issues
But having made all the obvious
points, have the courage to
also make a stab at answering
the hard issues. Most problem
questions contain some issues
that are hard to resolve. The
application of the legal tests or
constitutional principles to the
facts that you have been given
is uncertain. There is no clear
answer.
In such cases, what conclusion
you end up with is probably not
all that important. Most of the
marks are allocated for identifying
the issue, for exhibiting an
understanding of the arguments
that can be made either way to
resolve the issue, for having a go
at making sensible arguments
on the facts about how the
issue should be resolved, and for
coming to a conclusion that is
supported by your analysis of the
law and facts.
10. Apply the law (or
constitutional principles) to
the facts. And again. And
again. And again
And this is perhaps the most
important point of all. Problem
questions are all about applying
the law (or constitutional
principles) to the facts of the
particular case. The point is to
demonstrate to the examiner
how the relevant legal tests or
constitutional principles apply to
the particular facts you have been
given.
The first aspect of this is, of
course, to identify from the
material you have studied the
legal rules, conventions and
principles that might assist in
resolving the problem. The fact
situations you are given in a law
exam will rarely be identical to
ones you have studied in class
– they will be variants. The skill
is to be able to recognise the
analogies between what you have
studied and the fact situation you
are given, and to be able reason
logically about how the rules and
principles you have studied might
therefore apply.
In order to do this you need to
integrate your discussion of the
law and the facts. In other words,
it rarely works to have one large
chunk of your answer devoted to
setting out all the relevant law
and another chunk devoted to
setting out all the relevant facts.
Generally, the best way to show
the marker that you understand
why the law is relevant to your
particular fact situation and how
to apply it to the particular facts
is to move back and forward
between the law and the facts,
identifying and then applying the
relevant legal tests, methodically,
one by one.
So, for example, if you were
considering the application of the
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
pre-1988 law governing reception
of imperial legislation, you would
begin by identifying the relevant
legal framework: section 1 of
the English Laws Act. You would
then break that section down into
elements and go through each
in turn, asking if it applies to the
facts:
Is the law in question a law of
England existing on 14 January
1840?
Is the law in question “applicable
to the circumstances of New
Zealand”?
You would explain, in turn,
whether or not the facts satisfy
this test, and if the answer is
unclear, you would explore the
arguments either way before
reaching a conclusion.
As you went through, at each step
you would also consider whether
any of the other authorities you
looked at during the course (case
law and commentaries) might
assist in applying the test. In
this case, you would decide that
the Falkner test (discussed by
Philip Joseph) assists with the
second limb of the statutory test.
You would set out the sub-tests
identified in Falkner and, again,
consider in turn whether each
sub-test is satisfied on the facts.
Some of you will have learned
about IRAC (if you haven’t don’t
worry about it). My personal
view is that IRAC can be a little
dangerous because students
sometimes think that it means
that each problem will involve
one issue, one rule, and so on.
Many problems raise several
issues, or one issue and a range
of sub-issues. So IRAC generally
Your LLB
works best if you apply it over
and over and over within any
one problem. In other words, for
each step in the legal test you are
applying, identify any issues that
are raised and the relevant rule,
apply the rule to the facts and
state your conclusion.
Oh, and one last thing. Stick to
the facts you are given. Don’t get
carried away with flights of fancy
about what might be going on
between the parties. The lecturer
wants you to discuss his or her
version of the facts; not your own.
Claudia Geiringer
Senior Lecturer,
VUW School of Law
17
 300-Level Electives
In an LLB you get to choose 12 elective papers,
in an LLB (Hons) it’s 10.
So what should you bear in mind?
What are the core papers?
The absolutely core papers are compulsory for everyone and you will have already done them.
The only exception is that you must make the effort to take Laws 334 (Ethics) to be admitted
to the bar. If you want a well-rounded LLB (the best sort) you should also seriously consider
Family Law, International Law, Business Associations (Company Law), Jurisprudence, Evidence,
Bill of Rights, and Conflict of Laws.

Should I specialise?
As we’ve hinted, the best sort of law graduate is one that has a broad base of skills and
knowledge. Make an effort to take papers across the spectrum; the Faculty Undergraduate
Handbook (available from the office) will help you do this. That said, it is absolutely legitimate
to follow your interests, whatever they may be, as long as you have covered your basics.

You might like to weave you degree so you have strengths in, say, Media Law and
Constitutional Law, or Contract Law and the law relating to major financial transactions.

Should I take ‘practical’ papers?

The law degree is, on a fundamental level, about skills in legal analysis and writing. All papers
should ground you in these skills. For that reason you should take a range of papers that
interest you and that you enjoy studying. You should also beware of preconceived notions of
which papers are not ‘practical’. These notions are very frequently wrong. Above all, find out
what papers are actually about and then decide whether the area is one that interests you.

Honours in Law Explained

At all the New Zealand law schools there are two varieties of law degree. You’ve got your
stock standard Legum Baccalaureus (Batchelor of Laws, or LLB) and then your LLB (Hons). At
Victoria, the Honours programme is open to more or less 30 students per year. Admission to
the programme is on the basis of marks at 200-level, and is by invitation. Nevertheless, if a
student has missed out on the required grade point average by a slim margin, the Honours
Your LLB

Coordinator will consider applications.

Once you have accepted an invitation into the Honours programme the structure of the degree
changes slightly. Instead of taking 12 elective papers, you will take 10 electives and two
Honours seminars in your fourth and fifth years, write an extended essay (the ‘489’) in the
fourth year and take a Masters paper in the fifth year. This means around six pieces of legal
writing between 3,000 and 15,000 words in length. Typically, the most popular component of
the Honours degree is the seminar programme, where each student in the group of 12 presents
his or her 3,000 word paper as a seminar each week. This small group format is a particularly
exciting way to learn about the law. After having a series of introductory lectures from the
professor leading the seminar, students are well equipped to debate with each other (and
even with the lecturer), leading to a lot of engagement with each other and with the issues.
Typically the seminar class will be on a relatively broad topic such as Media law, International
Economic law, or the Treaty of Waitangi, which gives students the opportunity to pursue
interesting topics about which they are passionate. While domestic Honours students make up
a large part of the honours and masters seminars, these classes also involve international LLM
students, especially those from the Pacific and from Germany. This is a particularly enjoyable
aspect of the programme, as the range of perspectives in a seminar class can lead to great
debate and discussion.

18 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Why you
should have a
picture of
on your wall.
Amelia Keene
Alfred Thompson ‘Tom’ Denning, Baron, Law
Lord and Master of the Rolls, has pride of
place on my bedroom wall. Dear Denning
has watched over me during many a late
night of law study. “Why?”, you ask. I should
note at the outset that I do not intend
to substantively trace the influence that
Denning LJ had on the development of the
common law. Nor do I intend to write a
biography. Far more careful publications on
both themes already exist. Rather, I wanted
to share with other law students why I
consider Lord Denning a significant enough
judge to put his picture on my wall.
Lord Denning is perhaps most famous for
being the only judge in history who began
a judgment with the lines “In summertime
village cricket is the delight of everyone.
Nearly every village has its own cricket
grounds where the young men play and the
old men watch.” (Miller v Jackson [1977]
QB 966). For a law student, Lord Denning is
exciting. His judgments are colourful and full
of poetic descriptions. He never hesitated
to scoff loudly at the dusty relics of the
common law.
Although I never met him, I imagine that Lord
Denning was a charming gentleman with
a toffee-nose Oxfordian way of speaking,
who insisted on wearing tweed, three-piece
suits and a fob in his top right pocket.
Law students these days often choose law
because they do not want to do something
related to maths. It may be interesting to
note, then, that Lord Denning studied both
Maths and Law at Oxford. He served in the
First World War and then became a barrister
on completing his studies. He was made a
King’s Counsel in 1938. For more biographical
information on Denning, have a search for
him on Wikipedia.
For a law student,
Lord Denning is
exciting.
In the legal context, Lord Denning was
somewhat of a revolutionary and could also
be described as a naturalist. He saw justice
as the primary goal of the Court and applying
the law as rather secondary. Although Lord
Denning was originally appointed a Law Lord,
he resigned to become Master of the Rolls
in the Court of Appeal, which is why he is
referred to as Lord Denning M.R. Denning LJ
seemed to feel that he was restricted by the
House of Lords. Fewer cases were appealed
all the way to the House of Lords, so the
Court of Appeal would often remain the most
authoritative precedent.
Furthermore, in the CA there were only
three judges, rather than five. As Denning
commented at the time of his appointment
back to the Court of Appeal, the odds of
justice being done were shortened from 4 to
1, to 2 to 1.
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
Denning would almost always look, albeit
disdainfully, at the previous common law
rules. But he would rarely stop there in his
analysis. Rather, Lord Denning could be relied
on to work through the underlying logic and
justice of a case. Thus common law could
be blown out of the way in an instant if he
thought necessary. This approach infuriated
some people as it threatened the sovereignty
of Parliament. According to the principle of
parliamentary sovereignty, the Court’s role is
to interpret, rather than create the law. The
common law has always played a somewhat
murky role within parliamentary sovereignty.
Arguably Lord Denning stirred up the muck by
suggesting that judges could create law, as
opposed to merely interpret the common law
and statutes. Perhaps, he had a point.
If, after thais spiel about who Lord Denning
Your LLB
is, you still feel no closer to finding out why
his picture is blu-tacked to my wall. Rather
than re-read this peice, go and read one
of Denning’s judgments. Despite his death
a few years ago, Lord Denning remains an
inspiration. He exhibited a careful, disciplined
approach to the law. He was also a fiercely
individual judge, who clearly expressed his
dissension where necessary. One may not
agree with everything that Lord Denning
uttered in his incredible lifetime. Yet most
would agree that he is a humbling example
of a great legal tradition, of which all law
students are now part.
19
 Socially Speaking:
University Life in Wellington
Fidel’s
234 Cuba Street, Wellington
A fun little café with great ambience, superb
coffee and delicious food - try their pizza
Social Endeavours
menu! It’s situated up the top of Cuba Street
and has a great outdoor area providing the
perfect spot to hang out with friends on
those sunny Wellington days.
Caffé Italiano
229 Cuba Street, Wellington /
19 Brandon Street, Wellington
Also situated up on Cuba Street this great
little café is like stepping into another
world with their imported food and coffee
equipment. The food and coffee are amazing,
but it is the cakes and cabinet selection that
makes Café Italiano worth a visit. Monday
and Tuesday evening’s play host to perhaps
the best student deal this city has to offer
when their already reasonably priced pastas
sell at two for one.
Astoria
159 Lambton Quay,
Midland Park, Wellington
Astoria is a local haunt for most Law School
students due its central location at the lower
end of Lambton Quay. The café offers a
great location for either morning coffee or
late afternoon wine. Hosting a good cabinet
selection and worthy menu it is also worth a
visit for something more substantial. Get in
quick as it can often be hard to get a seat.
20 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
Verve
250 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Another spot close to Law School worth
checking out. Verve is connected to the
Lambton Quay CD & DVD store. The café
has a funky vibe, sweet tunes and a relaxed
feel. The cabinet hosts an inviting array of
croissants, paninis and wraps, while the
blackboard menu is filled with well priced
other options. The spicy wedges are superb
and unlike so many other places offering
spicy wedges, theirs are actually spicy.
Gotham
Chews Lane, Between Willis
and Victoria Street
Situated in the new Chews Lane development
(off Willis Street) this Batman inspired café
is worth a visit. Gotham provides a delicious
selection of cabinet food, cool raised booths
and an absolutely divine breakfast/brunch
menu on the wall. A very well priced café that
doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Parade Café
148 Oriental Parade, Wellington
Located on Oriental Bay, this famous alfresco
Wellington Café is perfect on a sunny day,
and looks out over the central city. While
its counter food is delicious, Parade Café’s
reputation stems from its breakfast and lunch
menu. The prices are reasonable, the portions
sizable, and with the finest French Toast in
Wellington, Parade Café is the ultimate spot
for Sunday morning brunch followed by a dip
in Oriental Bay.
Good Luck Bar
26 Cuba Street, Wellington
Situated underground off Cuba Street, this
Asian-inspired bar is a haven for students
who enjoy a good cocktail, great dance
music and a superb night out with friends.
The music is always very fresh, alternative
and presented by some of the best local and
international DJs.
Hope Bros
31 -35 Dixon St, Te Aro, Wellington
Located on Dixon Street, Hope Bros offers a
great spot for a drink and dance with mates
before hitting either the Courtenay Place or
Cuba Street scene. Hope Bros has a pleasant
vibe. The bar hosts a wide array of live music.
The upper floor, with its deep booths and pool
tables, offers welcome respite from the crazy
downstairs dance floor.
Lotus Room
24 Courtenay Place, Wellington
Found on Courtney Place, Lotus is a newish
club with a steep set of stairs and a
formidable line. Once you get in, the bar has
strong indoor/ outdoor flow, loud music and
bright lights. DJs pump out beats that have
a Ministry of Sound vibe. While the dance
floor is small, this never seems to worry any
of the town goers. The hugely popular Lotus is
always home to a good night out.
Matterhorn
06 Cuba Street, Wellington
Wellington’s most iconic bar is situated
in the heart of Cuba Mall. New Zealand
Bar of the Year for the past three years,
The Matterhorn has a beautiful ambiance,
good indoor and outdoor areas and a truly
unrivalled drinks list. The bar tenders are
young, knowledgeable, well trained and very
approachable. While you’re there consider
checking out the restaurant, which has
just been named Cuisine Magazine’s 2008
Restaurant of the Year. You can’t experience
Wellington without a visit to The Matterhorn.
Southern Cross
35 Abel Smith Street,
Te Aro, Wellington
Found up the top of Cuba Street, Southern
Cross, is another old Wellington icon.
Although a bit off the beaten track, Southern
Cross is worth the trek. The bar is large but
worth exploring in order to find the perfect
spot. With both an indoor and outdoor bar,
drinks are never far away. Southern Cross
Bar is a great place to start the night before
heading inwards to the bright lights of Cuba
and Courtenay.
Wagamama
The Meridian Building, 33 Customhouse
Quay, Wellington
Wagamama is the perfect restaurant for
a dinner break during long library study
sessions. Situated within five minutes from
the Law School, the waterside location makes
it the perfect place to escape your studies.
You would think that sharing a view with
Shed 5, the White House and Martin Bosleys
would inflate prices well beyond a student
budget, yet the meals are affordable, fast and
most of all, delicious.
Scopa
141 Cuba Street, Wellington
Scopa, on the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee
Street is renowned for its hot chocolates and
delicious pizza. The hot chocolate, which
is closer to hot chocolate mousse, than the
usual watery alternative is certain to boost
your calorie levels after strenuous hours
fasting in the Law Library. Their sandwiches
are also well worth the price – these are no
soggy take-away ham triangles.

Mojo
The Meridian Building, 33 Customhouse
Quay, Wellington/ PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Building, 119 The Terrace, Wellington
Coffee fiends, your favourite Wellington café
chain now does dinner. The Mojo pizza deal
on Thursdays and Fridays will get you a pizza
and two glasses of wine, or Tuatara beer for
$25. The Summit Cafe on the Terrace is a
great place to stop on your way home from
those killer 5.30 tutorials.
The Occidental
Cnr Lambton Quay & Ballance Street,
Wellington
Breakfast is vital for early morning law
lectures and why wouldn’t you with the Occi
Tinakori Bistro
328 Tinakori Road, Thorndon,
Wellington
We all know where to do cheap BYO. If it has
Oriental in the title or any sort of Kingdom
then you will be sure to find rowdy groups of
students shouting over bottles of cheap wine.
Doing BYO with a little bit of class is more
of a challenge. The Tinakori Bistro is one of
Wellington’s few restaurants to offer a first
class menu with the option of bringing your
own wine. While perhaps a more expensive
option than the usual suspects, the meals are
no greasy satay.

Social Endeavours
breakfast deal? Three dollars for eggs on toast
makes eating out affordable every day.

Leuven
137 Featherston Street, Wellington
The six dollar breakfast deal during weekdays
is ideal for a Monday morning lift. Close to
the Law School and in the heart of the CBD,
this Belgian café/restaurant does fantastic
cooked breakfasts and sugar waffles for the
student wallet. While drinking before class
isn’t encouraged, do return to sample a range
of delicious fruit flavoured Belgian beers
and 2kgs of mussels for the price of one on
Sundays and Mondays.

Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010 21

 How to crack the

The university lifestyle has many special benefits, including an

informality of dress that is evident at every campus. Almost
any outfit is acceptable so long as it is clean, fashionable and
generally inoffensive. The mixture of eclectic wardrobe styles
offers a level of individuality in dress that you are not going to
get anywhere else.

Corporate dress to the outsider can seem uniform, conservative,

restricting and most of all, expensive. With internships starting
well before graduate level, law students are at the disadvantage

Where to Shop for

of having to pay corporate price tags without the full-time
salary. Trust that a well groomed, professional image is worth
spending a few dollars on. Whether you like it or not, the first
impression you make at an interview is the one that counts. You your corporate look.
want to project that you are young, professional, confident and
hardworking. Jeremy Keene
Editor’s Note: The selection of these stores has a deliberate corporate
Regardless of your individual taste in clothing, consider carefully theme. It seeks to provide a starting point for your working wardrobe.
the culture of the organization where you hope to work. There
are two levels of business attire: business professional (usually in
second to none and really do
firms where you are expected to interact with clients and project
know their trade so it pays to
the company’s image) and informal business professional (a more
listen to what they say. Crane
relaxed version of the professional look). As a hopeful lawyer, Brothers is the perfect place
your sights need to be set on the former.
Marvel Menswear to spend that summer clerking
106 Victoria Street, clothing allowance on a suit
Business professional for men is relatively straightforward - it Wellington you will be proud to wear.
means suits and ties. While this is simple, many men get it
Social Endeavours

Stocks a wide variety of New

wrong. Suits do not have to cost the world; more important is Zealand designer labels and
fit. The shoulders are the only aspect of a suit that a tailor can’t a few international brands.
alter. Spend an extra bit and get it tailored and it will turn an Really great cuts in their shirts
averagely priced suit into something you will be proud to put on. and pants and a useful place
for the blending of business
With regard to shirts and ties, do the basics right, shirts should
and casual wear. The service
fit well and flatter the body shape, take an extra minute to
is professional and the shop
ensure that your knot is neat and the tip falls at the top of your
assistants really know their
belt buckle. In terms of shirt, tie and suit patterns, if you’re not
product and are helpful in
confident then keep it simple, go with safe block colours that choosing items of clothing
work together every time. which will suit your body shape
and the ‘look’ you are going for.
Women have a few more options when it comes to business
professional attire. Essentially there are no rules. While a suit
is not mandatory, it is always a safe option and certainly good
Crane Brothers
Shop 3 99 - 105 Customhouse
to have. Stick to classic colours such as black or charcoal and
Quay Wellington
brighten up the look with a coloured shirt or structured top.
After ten very successful years
Whether or not you wear pant suits or skirts is a matter of in High Street, Auckland,
personal preference only. You can even mix and match different Crane Brothers has finally
coloured jackets with your black suit skirts and vice versa. Keep opened a Wellington store.
in mind that regardless of whether you are wearing a suit, your Crane Brothers holds, arguably,
outfit must be conservative, well tailored and thoughtfully put the position of New Zealand’s
premier suit-maker. Such a
together.
title would typically come with
price tags to match. Made-
Be wary of casual attire at work. Casual Friday has been the
most misunderstood and subsequently abused custom ever to hit to-measure suits at Crane
Brothers are priced at the same
our wardrobes. Your goal is to blend casual with urban chic in a
rate as off-the-rack. Crane
way that still projects an image of professionalism. Leave your
Brothers pricing comes due to
gold boots, low tops, jungle prints, mini skirts, tattered jeans and the belief that there “should
anything else that is in your current clubbing rotation of clothes be no additional barriers in
at home. making the decision to invest in
a well fitted suit”. The staff are
Mandatory
108 Cuba Mall, Wellington
Mandatory is a well established
Wellington menswear brand
offering a wide array of
apparel, accessories and
tailoring services. Located in
the heart of Cuba Mall the
store features a collection
that is well made, reasonably
priced and continually updating
itself. The store offers suits in
both off-the-rack and made to
measure. Both services are well
priced and produce outstanding
suits that last. 
Barkers Capital
On The Quay
226 Lambton Quay,
Wellington
Barkers is a great place to get
that new season look for a good
price. Honestly, Barkers is the
best place to get any basic item
of clothing if you don’t want to
spend an arm and a leg. Along
with their casual essentials,
they have a great selection of
more formal attire with blazers
and vests in the latest cuts.

22 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Workshop Old Bank
Chambers
Cnr Customhouse Quay and
Hunter Street, Wellington
Located in the Old Bank Arcade,
Workshop is a great place for
clean cuts and simple design
in men’s clothing. Their denim
is amazing and fits well in a
variety of cuts, colour washes
and shapes – it’s a place to find
items that go from everyday to
something more formal.
Area 51
Cnr Cuba and Dixon Streets,
Wellington
Situated on the corner of Cuba
and Dixon Street, Area 51 is
great place to get casual, good-
looking clothes from some of
the best international and local
street designers. Stockists of
Huffer, Diesel, Fred Perry and
ksubi, the shop has a great vibe
about it. Watch out for the
seasonal sales where you can find
much of the stock slashed to half
price. With well-informed and
helpful staff Area 51 is the place
to go for the latest in casual and
formal street wear.
Mi Piaci Capital
on the Quay
250 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Mi Piaci on Lambton Quay is
a really good place if you are
after high fashion and formal
dress shoes. All styles are very
European and look great worn
casually in town with jeans and
can also be buffed up for more
formal events.
Overland Capital
on the Quay
226 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Overland on Lambton Quay has a
great variety of casual and formal
mens’ footwear. You are bound
to find something here, whether
it’s a pair of casual loafers, casual
dress shoes or formal dress shoes.
There is quite a selection, with
a price range to suit a student
pocket.
Ultra Shoes
55 Manners Mall, Wellington
Found on Manners Mall, this is a
great little shoe store that stocks
many fantastic international
labels including Ben Sherman,
Julius Marlow and Camper. A
fine store to find casual and
formal men’s shoes which are
fashionable and yet aren’t all
over town. Ultra offers a student
discount on all their reasonably
priced shoes.
Cue
226 Lambton Quay
Capital on the Quay, Wellington
Cue is city chic, offering current
trends mixed with classic
corporate style. Their clothes are
designed to make you feel young,
professional and confident. Cue is
great for classic cut suits or the
latest corporate trends if you are
feeling more daring. Their fabrics
and tailoring are always of high
quality and the staff are well
versed in how to equip your first
corporate wardrobe.
Veronika Maine
35 Willis Street, Chews Lane,
Wellington
Veronika Maine is a sister store
of Cue and offers a similar range
of classic suits and corporate
attire. They stock a great range
of signature jackets, coats and
dresses in corporate styles with
a modern edge. VM is renowned
for its innovative designs, unique
detailing and interesting colour
palette. Their sizing is cut slightly
larger than Cue which makes it a
great option if you feel that you
are in-between size ranges.
Country Road
Harbour City Centre
179 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Country Road is fantastic for
corporate basics. If you are not
comfortable wearing shirts, they
stock a great range of dress
tops which can be classified as
corporate with the right outfit.
Witchery
Corner Feathertson and Hunter
Street, Wellington
The New Zealand flagship store
of this major Australian brand
has just opened on Featherston
Street. In a similar vein to
Country Road, Witchery offers
a range of on-trend, well-made
pieces that won’t ruin your credit
rating.
Unity Collection
BDO House, 101 Customhouse
Quay, Wellington
Situated on Featherston Street,
Unity Collection is easy elegance.
Although their primary market
is older, they stock a range of
well-made, well-designed pieces
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
ranging from suits to evening
wear. A lot of local designers are
stocked including, Trelise Cooper,
Deborah Sweeney and Tymone
Winter.
Andrea Moore
Old Bank Arcade, Lambton Quay
Colourful signature items which
set you apart from the black
masses is a great way to move
into the corporate code without
feeling conformist. Andrea Moore
is all about stunning, bright
Social Endeavours
items which test the corporate
boundaries in a way that can
only be described as fabulous.
Unfortunately, with style, beauty
and jaw-dropping clothes comes
high price tags. This may be a
place to save until the big pay
checks roll in.
Mi Piaci
Capital on the Quay, 250
Lambton Quay, Wellington
What is an outfit without the
shoes to match? Make sure to
team your corporate look with
clean, polished classic court
shoes or heels. They are a great
match with suit skirts which
are cut longer than you may be
used to wearing. Mi Piaci has a
fantastic range of classic heels
and flats with a modern edge.
23
 - the most fun you’ve had
with a case in a long time
The next four pages are a guide to law school competitions from those in the
know. However, if you are still on the fence about giving competitions ago, here
are a few reasons why you should get involved.

• Anyone can do it. Start with a competition that requires less detailed knowledge in your
second year, move on to mooting or witness examination in your third year.

• It’s fun. Comps are basically the thrill-seeker’s sport at law school. There’s nothing like
standing up and making a case or cross-examining a witness to give you an adrenaline rush.

• Competitions develop real skills. The four competitions on offer from the NZLSA (New
Zealand Law Students Association) really do reflect the skills a good lawyer needs. This is
your chance to develop practical skills before you graduate.
Extra Curricular

• Make the law work for you. There’s nothing to make a case come alive like needing to
use it to make an argument to a real live mooting judge who will ask you real questions.

• Win competitions and travel the world. The winners of the Victoria round of the four
NZLSA competitions compete at the NZLSA and Australian champs, and the New Zealand
winners go on to represent their country at the international championships. The cost of
these trips is paid by the sponsoring firms.

• Meet fantastic people. Whether they’re Vic students from your classes, Aussies in
Sydney, or Swedish students you meet at a competition in Austria, entry into comps can lead
to fantastic friendships.

Types of Competititons

Witness examination: witness examination involves the examination in chief of ‘your’

witness and the cross-examination of the witness called by the other side.

Client Interviewing: client interviewing replicates the scenario all practising lawyers
deal with regularly, interviewing clients to find out what their problem is and to give
advice (not specific legal advice) about what the next step for the client might logically
be.

Negotiation: negotiation competitions are typically face to face negotiations between

two lawyers acting for a client in a commercial deal. The object of the competition is
to get the best deal for your client while observing the best negotiation practices.

Mooting: Most moots simulate appellate level litigation (eg a case in the New Zealand
Supreme Court), however the Vis Moot is a good example of a simulated arbitration.

24 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010


An Insider’s Guide
Moot (n):
(1) A hypothetical case argued by law students as an exercise.
(2) An exercise in intellectual sadomasochism. Sometimes a nerve-wracking
ordeal, yet people seem to come back for more.
At Vic, you’ll have opportunities to moot in various voluntary competitions as well as the
compulsory mooting paper – LAWS 299.

to Mooting In light of the fact that you’re going to moot at least once at law school, here are five simple
tips for surviving your first moot:
Oliver Searle
1. Actually read the cases. You’ll be given cases to cite to support your argument -
read them. The answers are in there, if you look. Taking the time to read the cases, and
note down important things, will make a huge difference.

2. Believe in your case. You are right, your client is right, the other side is wrong.
The more passionately you can fool yourself into believing in your case, the more
convincingly you’ll be able to advocate for them. And that’s the aim of the game.
Remember that it’s a fine line between believing in your case and being a prick about it.

3. Think before you answer questions. Tis better to look a fool than to open one’s
mouth and prove it. As you have to open your mouth, think through what you’re about
to say, rather than launching into it. Silence is not the enemy.

Extra Curricular
4. Practice before you do it. Being familiar with the material is vital, so practice.
Reading your ‘speech’ to the mirror is okay, being questioned by a friend is great - it
makes you respond to things you might not otherwise have thought of.

5. The judge is your friend. If you have a former mooter as a judge, they’re likely
going to grill you. Someone did it to them once, and they’re going to do it to you. If you
have anyone else (practitioner, academic, judge etc), odds are they’re not trying to trip
you up, they just don’t understand what you’re saying, so don’t dodge or dismiss their
questions, engage with them.

Mooting can be great fun, introduce you to amazing people and take you around the world
(or at least to a tiny hotel room with a lovely view of the sun rising as you’re finishing your
submissions at 5.30am). Try not to perceive it as a new form of torture, it’s just you and the
Judge, having a chat about a bit of law. Put in a bit of time before hand, then be polite and
clear in what you say and you cannot go wrong.

Mooting Opportunities at Victoria University

This junior moot is limited to those taking 200-level papers and is an ideal stepping stone to
The Buddle Findlay
Second Year Moot more advanced mooting. The quality of judging is high, with a Court of Appeal or Supreme
Court judge presiding in the final.

This moot is hosted by the University of Otago Law Faculty and is only open to those who
The New Zealand have not represented their university in a national competition. Selection is by trial moot
Family Law Moot
and/or on the basis of interest in family law.

This prestigious open entry moot is the main mooting competition at Victoria. Winners go
The Bell Gully on to represent Victoria in the New Zealand and Australian competitions. The best speakers
Mooting Competition in the final receive the Thomas Prize and have their names entered on the Sir Richard Wilde
Cup. The final is held in the High Court number one courtroom and is presided over by a
judge of the Supreme Court.

The New Zealand This moot is held in Wellington each year and deals with a problem based on the
Bill of Rights Act Moot Bill of Rights Act.

The Willem C. Vis International Victoria continues to be one of the strongest performing universities at this arbitral moot
Commercial Arbitration Moot hosted in Vienna each April.

The European Law Students This highly competitive World Trade law moot saw the Vic team romping to victory in the
Association WTO Moot Asia/Pacific round in 2008.

Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010 25

 Negotiation
Kate Stone
Winner of Victoria
Negotiation Competition
2009
Last year a good friend of mine, Zoe
Lawton, convinced me to enter the Vic
Negotiation Competition on the basis
that it was just going to be a couple of
hours of prep, one evening and a bit of
fun. Before we knew it we were in the
Vic Semi-Finals, the Finals and then on
our way to ALSA and NZLSA to represent
Victoria in negotiation.
I had not had any previous experience
in formal negotiation, but have always
taken an interest in alternative dispute
Extra Curricular
resolution and participating in the
Negotiation Competition was an excellent
opportunity to gain some practical
understanding of how a negotiation
works.
In the first round without any idea what
we were doing Zoe and I played off each
other’s strengths (rolling out somewhat
of a good-cop/bad-cop routine), informal
negotiation skills, and I guess a bit of
luck. We received our fact situation and
confidential facts for our client a couple
of days before the first negotiation, and
prepared for what we thought the other
team might throw at us. Once in the
negotiation we tried to seem amicable
and flexible, while maintaining in control
and getting the best deal for our client.
For the next few negotiations we only
received the fact scenario shortly before
the negotiation. This meant we had to get
to know each other’s negotiating style
well and trust each other.
Throughout the process we got excellent
feedback from experienced judges
which meant our performance improved
markedly with each round. I learnt
heaps about working in a team, and that
although negotiation is meant to be a less
adversarial form of dispute resolution it
still gets pretty heated in there – the key
to success is the ability to seek mutually
beneficial solutions even when the parties
seem to have conflicting interests. It was
a great chance to meet other law students
from Vic, and other New Zealand and
Australian universities – not to mention
the free trip to Australia!
26 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
learning the art (and science)
of good conversation
Adam Edwards
Winner of the Victoria Client Interviewing Competition 2009
So you are studying law and want to become a lawyer? One of the largest and most
important parts of practicing law is being able to competently interact with a client. If
you are anything like me, interacting with clients is where much of the intrigue of a career
in law lies. However if you are studying law with no view to practice, it will come as no
surprise to know that you will still have to interact with people. In nearly everything you
do, both now and once you begin your professional life, you will need to be able to converse
clearly, listen attentively and treat people considerately. Should you wish to improve your
proficiency in these crucial skills, the Client Interviewing Competition may well be for you.
What is it?
As is the case with all four competitions there are regional finals at each university, national
finals, Australasian finals and, if you are lucky, international finals. The Client Interviewing
Competition enjoys impressive support from Russell McVeagh.
The competition judges competitors in teams of two on how they handle a fictitious client
problem as “lawyers”. The interview itself is broken down into two main stages – the actual
consultation with the client and the post-consultation period where the client is not present
and the lawyers discuss how the interview went and how they will proceed to address the
client’s situation. The client is played by an actor who, with any luck, will look, sound, feel
and smell just like a real client (though focusing on the final two senses in an interview is
not recommended). During the consultation stage the client should react to things you say,
ask questions when they do not understand and show emotion when necessary. You will
be evaluated on how well you interact with them, handle any issues that arise during the
interview, how you extract information from the client and ultimately the legal and non-
legal advice you give. The fictitious problem can be on any area of law.
Reading that paragraph may make the prospect of participating in the competition sound
daunting but do not be put off. Your task is simply to direct the actor through the process –
to listen, react and suggest some solutions. It is not about ‘legalese’ either, judges (typically
a lawyer/faculty member and another with counselling experience) are looking for relaxed
conversation, good questions, simple explanations and common-sense solutions.
What will you need?
As the competition requires that you must compete in a team of two, you will need a friend
who is also studying law. Pick someone you are comfortable with or have worked with
before. Ideally you will both be confident, have the ability to think and react quickly on your
feet and possess good common-sense. A broad general knowledge of a few different areas
of law does help but is not essential.
If you want to do well in the competition, try to talk to someone who has participated in the
competition before you compete and pick up a copy of the Client Interviewing Competition
Competitors’ Pack from VUWLSS to familiarise yourself thoroughly with the rules.
Why should you get involved?
There is a misconception out there that law school competitions are only for (geeky)
senior students. This is far from the truth. No special experience is necessary and these
competitions provide invaluable opportunities to develop legal skills and substantive
knowledge of various areas of law. The Client Interviewing Competition offers you an
opportunity to develop these skills and discover life in law school outside the lecture room.
The perks are pretty good too. Do well and not only will you win a trophy and add a new
facet to your CV, but you may get to travel – all expenses paid – within New Zealand, to
Australia and potentially even further abroad. You will have a bloody good time and meet
some fantastic people and find that this is perhaps, the best part of the experience.
Give it a go.
Witness Examination
Yogesh Patel
Winner of NZLSA and ALSA Witness Examination Competition 2009

“It’s a competition for those of us who are too lazy to moot, and not diplomatic
enough to enter negotiation....”
- Anoymous previous competitors

What is it all about?

Each witness examination has two competitors, the prosecution/plaintiff and the defence/
defendant, in what is either a criminal or civil trial. You are given two witness briefs and a set
of common facts with relevant law. The twist being your witness’ evidence will contain several
points of clash and inconsistency with your opponent’s witness’ evidence about the course of
events in question.
You are given an hour to read over these materials and prepare an opening, an examination in
chief, a cross examination, and a closing; the aim being to advance your theory of the case in a
way that undermines your opponent’s theory.
You then meet with your witness for thirty minutes and discuss potential lines of questioning

Extra Curricular
your opponent might ask them in cross examination, and the important things about the case
you are proposing that they should be aware off.
The two competitors then argue their case, in front of a judge. The prosecution/plaintiff will
open, and then conduct an examination in chief of their witness. The defence/defendant
will then cross examine that same witness, do their opening, and conduct an examination in
chief of their witness. The prosecution/plaintiff then cross examines that witness, before each
competitor delivers closing arguments.

The most fun part?

Well, apart from the time you manage to get your opponent’s witness to confess all in cross
examination, it has to be ‘objecting’. Just like Boston Legal, you can jump to your feet and
object to lines of questioning your opponent is conducting. Unlike Boston Legal, you should
have a reason to object before you jump up... even if it’s a pretty loose one.

Do I need any experience to enter?

No.
I had none. I had never seen a witness examination, didn’t know what ‘openings’ and
‘examination in chiefs’ were, and had no idea there were rules of evidence to know about and
object to (they still somewhat elude me...)
To ensure you have some idea of what’s going on, upon entering the competition you are
given an outline of what happens and all the rules you need to know. Plus, VUWLSS is running
workshops this year, so you will have some idea of what to expect!

What’s in it for me?

First and foremost, it’s actually really fun to do. It’s high intensity, makes you quick on your
feet, and the problems you argue are wide ranging, from terrosim threats, to people streaking
in Westpac Stadium.
Apart from that, like the other competitions, there are free trips up for grabs. ALSA is held
in Adelaide this year, and if you win the VUW Witness Examination, you will representing
Victoria against the very best in Austral-Asia. NZLSA is the New Zealand version of this
competition, and will be in Dunedin... not quite as glamorous, but certainly just as fun.
Did I mention the trips are both free? The flights, accommodation, meals and your drinking.
Superb.
There is also the chance, should you make it to the finals, to argue your case in front of
some pretty impressive judges in some pretty impressive locations. Their questioning of
your case can certainly make anyone sweat (read: High Court of Australia /Supreme Court
of New Zealand).

So is there a chance to make it this far?

Last year I won Witness Examination at both competitions – the first time a New Zealand
competitor has done this in the same year. So yeah, your chances aren’t bad at all!

Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010 27

 The Law in Schools Project
The Law in Schools Project is designed to introduce secondary
school students to the New Zealand legal system and to everyday
legal issues. The Project, funded by the Law Foundation and
Russell McVeagh, uses senior law students at Victoria who
provide seminars to groups of interested secondary school
students.  for the cast. And that’s the beauty of it; the object of the show is
The Project involves two major components:
1. A basic introduction to the New Zealand legal system,
which discusses the reasons for having law, and the types
of law we have in New Zealand and;
2. A selection of modules on specific legal topics selected
by individual schools, including aspects such as flatting,
employment and dealing with police.
The advantages to the student volunteers for being involved
with the Project include being able to write and research
information for the modules and to introduce young people to
the law. In most schools, students simply do not have exposure
Extra Curricular
to this important knowledge, and so it is a great way of giving
something back to the community.
The Law in Schools project is always looking for volunteers to
help teach classes and research modules. If you would like to be
involved, please contact us through info@lawinschools.org.nz or
visit our website: www.lawinschools.org.nz
Volunteer at the Community Law Centres
If you’re wondering how to get more out of your law degree,
why not give a little back at one of Wellington’s community law
centres? The Wellington Community Law Centre (WCLC) is the
obvious choice – it’s been around for ages and has established
programmes for law student volunteers. However there are others
around, like Te Ratonga Ture Maori Legal Services in the city, or
Whitireia Community Law Centre in Porirua who also need eager
young minds.
Volunteering at a law centre gives you a taste of the law in action –
applying what you learn at school to real life situations. It’s a great
way to get some practical experience before you graduate and
might help spark revelations about what you actually want to do.
The type of work will vary – all centres provide a full range of legal
services so it’s anything but monotonous. You might be helping
with protection orders, then employment contracts, then care of
children applications, then consumer rights. The list goes on. Some
centres also provide topic-specific services - the WCLC has services
dedicated to Refugee and Immigration and Women’s issues, and Te
Ratonga Ture has expertise in Maori land issues.
You don’t have to give up a tonne of time either – just an hour
or two a week. Future employers think it’s great. You get to meet
cool kids doing the same things you may want to do later on. And
they really need your help. Like most free services – law centres are
not resource-rich and rely on community-minded, good-hearted,
philanthropically-persuaded people like us. If you’re interested,
check out www.communitylaw.org.nz, or call the Wellington
Community Law Centre (04 472 2320), Te Ratonga Ture (04 473
1781), or Whitireia Community Law Centre (04 237 6816).
28 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
The Law Revue vs The Law Review
If the student lifestyle doesn’t provide you with enough drama and
excitement, then you may need to get yourself involved in one of
law school’s most entertaining attractions, the Law Revue. The
Revue is an annual show in the finest tradition of student revues: a
loose and humorous plot, a bunch of funny skits and heaps of fun
first and foremost to have a great time getting to know the other
law students and young lawyers who appear in the show. The
consequence is that Revue parties are about as frequent as Revue
rehearsals. That’s not to say that the Revue isn’t a top notch
show, brimming with artistic genius. Just ask the punters. The
2009 Revue – A Night in Law School – received rave reviews from
sources as diverse as High Court judges, my flatmates, and the
director’s mum.
Another thing about the Law Revue: don’t confuse it with the Law
Review, the scholarly journal published by the Faculty of Law at
Victoria. The VUW Law Review is a leading journal published four
times a year, it gives students a chance to work with academics
and other leading legal scholars across the breadth of legal
scholarship. The Review is internationally recognised, and is
distributed to over 450 law schools, libraries, and organisations
internationally. The job of a student editor is very rewarding and
choice on the CV!
The Study of Law Leads to Dispute Resolution
Hollywood would have it that law graduates will inevitably become
litigators slogging it out in a Court. When I embarked on a law degree at
Vic, I had that vision for myself. However the reality is that even those who
wish to be litigators will need dispute resolution tools at their disposal, as
most clients want their lawyer to be able to negotiate and much legislation
today requires consideration of settling the dispute without recourse to the
Courts, often by mediation or with a range of alternative dispute resolution
methods.
The Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ) is the
largest professional institute in New Zealand for people working in the
area of dispute resolution. Its members include arbitrators, mediators,
adjudicators, conciliators, facilitators, investigators and expert witnesses
plus those who are interested in alternative dispute resolution.
AMINZ offers students a free membership while they are in full time study.
Membership provides the following benefits:
• Networking opportunities with experienced, working professionals in
dispute resolution.
• ccess to the database of information held on the members’ only part of
the AMINZ website.
• Member only discounted rates to all AMINZ events including training,
networking events and the annual conference.
• Regular emails and notices to keep you updated on matters of interest to
dispute resolution professionals.
• Bi-monthly newsletters.
• Commercial benefits including discounts on relevant texts, corporate Koru
Club membership and discounted professional indemnity insurance.
You can apply to become a member online: www.aminz.org.nz Click on
“membership” and follow the link to the application.
Deborah Hart
Executive Director
AMINZ
SIMPSON
GRIERSON
WANTS TO
GIVE YOU
$3000.
Simpson Grierson understands the importance of having
the best possible start to your career. That’s why we are
offering at least nine national scholarships for 2011.
You will receive:
• $3000 towards your penultimate year of study
• a summer clerk position for 2011/2012 in either our Auckland or Wellington office
• $1000 cash clothing allowance for your summer clerkship
• access to our law library
• a mentor to provide you with advice and guidance on your studies and career
This is your chance to apply yourself.

Applications open on Thursday 1 July 2010, and close on Wednesday

1 September 2010. Students who will be completing their degree/s in 2012
are eligible to apply. Application forms will be available at your Law
Faculty Reception, University Scholarships office or on-line at:
www.simpsongriersongrads.co.nz from 1 July 2010.
 Why Studying Law
doesn’t mean you
have to be a Lawyer
Careers

Some four year-olds line up their soft-toy animals and pretend to be a zoo-
keeper, while others dream of being doctors, using the kitchen table for make-
believe surgeries, many pretend to be astronauts, bouncing up and down the
hallway in a low-gravity fashion. Some just want to be batman. Perhaps the
saddest of all four year-olds are those who steal mum’s black dressing gown and
dad’s briefcase and pretend to be lawyers, articulating why their beloved teddy
bear should be found not guilty of some arbitrary offence. Indeed in your lectures
some of your contemporaries would have been like this, dreaming of being a
lawyer since a very young age.

But fear not if you were not this child. You may arrive at your first class at law with no
intention of ever practicing law, many leave their last class of law with that very intention.
The idea of selling away your youth for the hope of being made a partner and given a corner
office may not excite you. I mean, who wants to be just another dark suit strolling Lambton
Quay or hidden in the dark shadows of Astoria, just another butt of a bad lawyer joke.
In this situation it’s easy to say to yourself, I have no interest in being a lawyer, so why am I
studying law?

The purpose of this article is to put your worried mind at ease. On one level, law is a
professional degree designed to produce lawyers, however in reality it is much more than this.
It is a qualification designed to change the way in which you think about the world and equip
you with some of the skills you may need to solve its problems. Given this, the opportunities
for where your LLB may take you are much broader than the aforementioned corner office.

It is beyond the scope of this article to list the endless-list which is available. But Victoria
graduates regularly attract offers from government departments such as the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Ministry of Justice. Many take their skills deeper into the
world of politics either working for particular members of Parliament or becoming MPs
themselves. Indeed Victoria’s law school has a proud history of its alumni holding prominent
positions in government, two out of the three New Zealand Prime Ministers who have held
law degrees have come from Vic as does the current Minister of Justice Simon Power, Attorney
General Chris Finlayson and the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Georgina te Heuheu.

Outside of the wheels of government, students have been known to go on and be involved
in the private sector in industries such as banking, insurance, telecommunications and so on
either as an in-house legal advisor or in a more general management role.

It may be that the University lifestyle appeals so much that you just don’t want to leave.
Many students find their lecturers to be inspiring and opt to follow in their footsteps
continuing on with postgraduate study in law, honing their understanding of dark and
mysterious concepts and passing that knowledge on to future students.

This is just a small introduction to the world of possibilities that an LLB presents. At the end of
the day, if none of it appeals, just follow in the steps of Vic LLB (Hons) graduate Conrad Smith
and become an All Black.

30 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

Law and Academia: The LLM and Beyond.
Jessica Kerr 
Victoria University student, Jessica Kerr,
received a 2008 Fulbright New Zealand
General Graduate Award to complete
a Master of Laws degree at Yale
University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Jess reports on her initial impressions
of the historic Ivy League university.
Flying into New Orleans hot on the heels of
Hurricane Dolly, over a giant oil spill in the
Mississippi and into a city of thunderstorms,
oppressive heat, unforgettable jazz and
super-sized everything made for a dramatic
start to my Fulbright year. The three weeks
I and another New Zealand Fulbrighter, Rob
Vosslamber, spent at Tulane University were
designed to give us an introduction to the
US legal system and help us catch our breath
before the year began in earnest.
There were definitely some academic eye-
openers, like the day spent in court watching
first-time marijuana possession accused,
some of whom had been in custody for days,
shuffling in shackled at their wrists and
ankles. But the city was a whole learning
curve in itself. Being robbed on our first
night out in the French Quarter may have
been a little too educational for comfort, but
everyone else I met was so overwhelmingly
friendly that it was hard to take away
anything other than happy memories – in
fact, memories verging on awe at how such
a ravaged city had sustained an incredible,
all-pervading mood of dedication to eating,
drinking and generally making merry.
Onwards and upwards (literally) from
Louisiana, I survived Philadelphia airport and
staggered into the more sedate environs of
Yale Law School, where the first week flew
I’ve been walking 100
metres down the road
to a hall where I’ve
seen Tony Blair speak
one week, Bill Clinton
the next.
by, recovering from sensory overload and
letting the tranquil New England summer
ease me into an appropriately dignified Ivy
League state of mind. New Haven is a small
city, perched on the coastal arc between
Boston and NYC, with a fairly grim reputation
that I’m now beginning to understand as
stemming from the pervasive (and, for a
New Zealander, un-ignorable) economic
gulf between Yalies and, well, almost
everyone else around here. In the central
Yale campus area it’s breathtakingly pretty,
and in the late summer the campus buildings
– which could be described as a testament
to Americans’ complete unconcern with
historical snobbery – almost seem to glow.
Even my underdeveloped colonial sense of
history had to respond to the surreal vibe of
our gorgeous Harry Potter-style Sterling Law
Building, which proudly juxtaposes several
distinct architectural eras and many artfully
“repaired” leadlight windows –making it easy
to forget that it was all constructed in the
space of a year or so in the 1920s.
Our orientation into the “small but perfectly
formed” law school community was perfectly
managed – it’s amazing how quickly my sense
of unmitigated unworthiness (which seems to
be standard for YLS international students!)
faded as a succession of accomplished and
articulate faculty and undergraduates reached
out to welcome me. And it was astonishing
to realize that my announcement of my
nationality (if there was any doubt about it
from my apparently incomprehensible accent)
was a source of much, much more than polite
curiosity or even predictable amusement.
There really is a sense of wonder about our
tiny, tough little country and how we seem to
have escaped so much of the grief and rage
that fills the political and cultural histories
of classmates, especially those from Latin
America and Eastern Europe. Taking the first
tentative steps towards seeing my personal
and national history through the eyes of
perceptive, interested people from all over
the world has already opened my eyes in a
way that I don’t think any amount of sitting
and thinking at home could have done.And
it really has been true so far, as we were told
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
on our first day, that the richest part of the
learning experience at this very sophisticated
institution is often in simple conversation
– in talking, and listening, and marvelling
at the space that opens up as our different
perspectives gain new depth and possibility
in relation to each other. Which isn’t to say
that the formal teaching environment isn’t
Careers
wonderful – I’m lucky (or foolhardy) enough
to be taking only very small seminar courses
this semester, which puts me in astonishing
and pretty daunting proximity to professors
I could spend a whole lifetime listening to, if
they didn’t spend most of the time listening
to us and inviting us to discover and sharpen
our own ideas.
Did I mention that when I’m not in class, in
conversation or in rapture at the fall foliage
just starting to turn, I’ve been walking 100
metres down the road to a hall where I’ve
seen Tony Blair speak one week, Bill Clinton
the next, and had the unbelievable good
fortune to be allowed to sit in on three
absolutely blissful (for me) days of frank and
inspired discussions between some of the
most distinguished Supreme Court judges in
the world? I’ve eight months left at Yale to
soak in everything I can, and this new life in
New Haven, in a country that may be about
to usher in an entirely new political age,
won’t be getting old in a hurry.
Article courtesy of Fulbright New Zealand & V. Alum.
31
 Summer Clerkships and Internships
Whatever your day job during term, clerkships and internships are a great way to earn a crust and get a great start to your
legal career. Summer clerking in one of New Zealand’s ‘big seven’ corporate law firms is typically the career move that law
students start making a song and dance about around third year of law school. But like your Grandmother always said,
there are many ways to skin a cat, and it couldn’t be truer of summer clerking. This section of the Guide covers career
opportunities available to law students to get some real-life experience while you’re still studying: summer clerking; public
sector internships; clerking in small and medium-sized firms, and the clerking OE.
Summer Clerking
in a Big Firm
Careers
The Gig
Summer law clerking (pronounced ‘clarking’)
is a job opportunity which occurs every year.
Each of the large nationwide law firms hires
clerks to work in their Wellington or Auckland
offices over summer. .Summer clerks are
paid a pretty decent salary, and law firms
get to see close-up who they might want
to make offers of graduate employment to.
The process of applying for one of these jobs
is pretty involved – hundreds of students
apply and each of the firms will only take
between 5-20 clerks in each of its offices
(although there are sometimes more spaces
in Auckland offices). If you do get the chance
to clerk though, it can be a pretty awesome
opportunity to learn how a large law firm
really works; decide whether you want to go
into corporate law; make some great friends
in the other clerks, and also get paid over the
summer!
Applications and cvMail
Application packs are available on the 11th
and 12th of March 2009 in the Law School
Common Room. These packs usually contain
information about the firm, application forms,
and some kind of gimmick (past examples
include, but are not limited to: giant paper
clips, American hot dogs, baby pohutakawa
seedlings and branded stationary). Choose
as many application packs as you want – the
firms know that you will be applying to other
firms (often all of them).
Because the big firms are young and hip and
cool, these days all applications are dealt with
electronically via a magical system called
cvMail. By registering as a user at www.
cvmail.co.nz students are able to submit their
personal and academic profiles to as many of
the seven big firms as they choose to click.
It’s important to remember, though, that
some firms want to know more about you
than others – read the fine print – and that
you will be able to attach different versions
of your CV for different firms
Applications for the big firms are due on
32 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
the 29th of March 2009, so the turn around
time is not very long. It is actually a lot of
work getting together your applications, and
some of their components may take a while
to compile. You should bear the following in
mind:
• CV preparation is important. Make sure
that your CV is tailored to a clerking job
and highlights the right aspects of your
skills and experience. Talk to Vic Careers
– they will be holding CV preparation
workshops, some of which will be
facilitated by law firm reps, throughout
March (http://careerhub.vuw.ac.nz);
• School testimonials are sometimes
required - make sure you give your school
enough time to get as many copies as you
need to you
• Letter writing takes longer than you
think, and its best if you try and tailor your
letters to the firms (include any aspects
that drew you to that firm, what you hope
to get out of the clerkship, and any area
you are especially interested in);
• While only some firms require a scanned
copy of your academic transcript
• Some firms electronic pass photo
Pre-interview drinks
If the firm likes your application they will
send you a letter inviting you for an interview.
Before this though, you will be invited to
drinks at the firm (obviously your interview
does not take place directly after the drinks,
but in the week following). These drinks are
a chance to meet some of the people who
work in the firm, especially recent law grads
who will know exactly how nervous you
are and will be really nice to you. You will
also probably be introduced to the people
who are interviewing you. It makes sense
to get someone to point them out to you if
no one does introduce you – this will make
your interview a lot less scary, because you
already kind of know who will be sitting
on the opposite side of the table. These
drinks usually start at around 5.30pm so it
is unlikely that you will have had dinner and
the nibbles will probably not suffice to make
sure that the champagne doesn’t go straight
to your head.
Make sure you have a glass of water handy
and that you actually take something off the
nibbles trays. For a start they’re delicious, but
more importantly you want to be intelligible,
cool, calm and collected after your second or
third drink…
Do not crowd around partners. The biggest
The nibbles will probably not
suffice to make sure that
the champagne doesn’t go
straight to your head.
mistake people make at these functions is to
latch on to partners like oh so many blood
sucking leeches. You need to work the room,
and that means the whole room! Sure, spend
some time being articulate and charming
with a few partners, but you also need to
make a good impression with the grads and
intermediate level solicitors.
For the love of God be yourself! There
is nothing more distasteful in the legal
world than law students being greasy and
disingenuous at a corporate cocktail function.
Broadly speaking, firms like people with
personalities (of their own).
Above all have a good time, do NOT drink
too much and try and actually take in what
people are saying. Remember that the way
you engage with the staff at these functions
is a part of the process for firms to work out
whether they want to hire you!
The interview
This is probably the hardest part of the whole
process, because it’s where one or two of a
law firm’s partners (sometime plus someone
from HR) actually ask you - in veiled terms -
why on earth they should hire you as opposed
to every other over-achieving, intelligent
law student who has made it through to the

Summer Clerkships and
Internships Continued
interview process. Every firm asks different
questions in interviews. While some are
informal rambling yarns, others can feel like
the Spanish Inquisition. Most firms will give
you one or more ‘situational’ or ‘behavioural’
questions – the classics include Can you tell
me about a time when you’ve worked with
other people as a team? and Can you tell
me about a difficult challenge you’ve faced
and how you overcame it? Yet more bizarre
questions have been used, such as If one of
your family members was in this room right
now, what would they say your biggest faults
were? And then the obligatory: what do you
hope to gain out of your clerkship? Why do
you want to summer clerk? (do think about
this one!) What do you think you can bring
to the firm (eg particular skills you have -
they’re not expecting you to bring in new
clients just yet!) At the end they will ask
you if you have any questions – do try and
think of some, they want to know that you
are genuinely interested. Try and think if you
got offers from every firm what would be the
deciding factor for you to go to one of them
– would it be a placement in the right team,
would it be having a try at lots of different
teams, would it be the specialist area a firm is
involved in etc. Remember – the interviewers
want to get to know you, they don’t want to
Public Sector
Internships
Great recent additions to the summer
internship menu include the State Services
Summer Internships. For those who are more
inclined towards public service than legal
practice these internships beef up the cv and
offer great opportunities to gain experience.
While the majority of positions do not have
a specifically legal focus, some do. For
example, working for three months in the
Treasury’s legal team can be a great stepping
stone to legal practice as in-house or in a
law firm. Applications are typically called for
in the middle of the year. For information
and deadlines, visit http://www.jobs.govt.nz//
jobseekerinfo/internships.aspx
make you nervous or be mean. Try and think
about the interview as a positive chance
to show off your best skills and to get to
know someone who knows a bit about the
corporate legal world.
Most importantly:
• Go to interview skills workshops offered
by the firms at by Vic Careers.
• When you have found out who your
interviewing partners are, go to the firm’s
website and have a look at what they do for
a living. You may even like the look of what
they do and want to ask them about it -
they’ll most likely appreciate that.
• Dress smartly, be clean (especially
nails), arrive on time, smile (you want the
clerkship!), and thank the interviewers for
their time. They could be charging someone
$550 for that hour.
• Most firms have a junior solicitor ready
to meet you when you arrive. This is great
because it’s someone near your age who can
help you relax and adjust to the big shiny
corporate environment. The people who
do this are also singularly friendly and nice.
Remember, though, that this person is not
only making you comfortable, but may also
be sizing you up as part of the interview
process.
• If you have a question that requires taking
time to think, that’s totally OK. Just say that
Thinking Outside
the Legal Square
While most people are swept up in applying
to the large national firms, it’s important to
remember the abundance of firms who have
a more low-key summer recruitment process
while still offering amazing opportunities for
summer work.
Boutique Firms
Some of the best – but by no means the only
– examples include the Crown Law Office and
Chen Palmer. While the Crown Law office
does not often advertise summer internships,
it typically does take on one or two interns
who are able to experience some of the most
interesting and important legal work done in
New Zealand. Similarly, Chen Palmer – New
Zealand’s leading public law firm – will take
on summer clerks from time to time who
have expressed an interest directly to the
firm. Another highly-respected Wellington
firm which sometimes takes on summer clerks
Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010
you might need a few seconds to think of a
time when you were in a situation where you
had to resolve a conflict! If you really can’t
think of any applicable situations you can ask
to come back to the question later.
• Don’t be false (don’t say things you don’t
mean) – firms want real people with real
ideas.
The Pay-Off - Offers and the Job
A couple of weeks after the interview, firms
will send you a letter saying whether they are
making you an offer or not. Usually you’ll
have a phone call as well if you are to receive
Careers
an offer. Depending on how keen the firm is
that year they may also send you any or all
of: postcards; chocolate bars, text messages,
and gift hampers… what recession?
If you don’t get any offers, you’re not alone;
if you get more than one, you might have
to think carefully. If you’re in the fortunate
position of making a choice, think about
what you want out of the clerkship and then
go along to the post-offer dinners (these
are pretty flash) and try to judge the firms,
the people and what they say against those
criteria that you’ve set for your summer.
Once you get to work it’s a fantastic job.
There’s great people, great work, and perhaps
most importantly, great in-house catering.
Not to mention the Friday night drinks.
is Izard Weston – one of the country’s oldest
legal practices. To get a foot in the door for
these jobs a little more investigations and
initiative may be required, but it can pay off
spectacularly.
The Clerking OE
And if New Zealand is too small a pond for
you, exciting opportunities exist overseas
for New Zealand law students with a bit of
initiative. In particular, firms in Australia and
London have increasingly begun to hire New
Zealanders as paralegals or summer clerks.
Last year Vic students worked as seasonal
clerks in Melbourne and Sydney for top
Australian firms Allens Arthur Robinson and
Blake Dawson (applications open 2 march
2009 - for more information see http://
careers.blakedawson.com/ and http://www.
aar.com.au/). Recently Herbert Smith, one of
the UK’s top firms has also been hiring Kiwis.
For more, see http://www.herbertsmith.com/
Careers/.
33
 judges clerking!
M. B. Rodriguez Ferrere
Otto von Bismarck once said that the law is like a sausage: it is better not to see Whilst other graduates
it being made. For those who inherently distrust former inaugural Chancellors of
may be content
Careers

the German Empire, then considering becoming a Judges’ Clerk should be top of
the agenda. with merely eating a
Not many law graduates have meaningful interaction with the Judiciary in Court, and still less sausage, Judges’ Clerks
have interaction with it out of Court (excluding those prone to stalking the streets of Karori have the joy of seeing
and Khandallah). In this regard, Judges’ Clerks are in an envious position.
and assisting with
Essentially, the position of a Judges’ Clerk is a research assistant to the Judges of the High what goes into that
Court, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court. Although they are close to demigod status, the simple
fact is that Judges are not necessarily aware of all the recent developments in all areas of the sausage. Delicious.
law. The job of a clerk involves assessing proceedings that come before Court, researching the
applicable law and apprising the Judge on the most relevant and recent legal authorities that
area. This sometimes means long hours spent in the library or in front of LexisNexis, but it also
affords the opportunity to discuss and debate complicated legal issues with both Judges and
other clerks. For those with a penchant for matters academic, that is one of the highlights of
the position.

Judges’ Clerks are directly employed by the Ministry of Justice, but operate at the pleasure of
the Judges of High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. At the High Court, the three
permanent registries (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) hire Judges’ Clerks on a ratio of
two Judges to one Clerk. At the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, each Judge has their own
clerk.

Each of the three Courts have a different jurisdiction, and this roughly correlates to a different
culture and emphasis for the clerks employed there. Since there are fewer cases heard at the
Supreme Court level, more time can be spent on research into the policy reasons and principles
underlying the Court’s judgments and the development of the common law. In the High Court,
the volume of cases heard is very high, so there is less of an emphasis on academic research,
and more exposure to the business of practically resolving proceedings with efficiency and
efficacy. The Court of Appeal lies somewhere in between. Despite these different emphases
however, the roles at each Court remain richly rewarding.

Moreover, being so close to actual Court proceedings will allow those law students who aspire
to appear as barristers before the Court to gain a unique insight into the Court process. For
those law students who have a predilection towards the more academic and intellectual
aspects of the law, then the heavy research component in the position affords opportunities
not present in other graduate positions.

Given New Zealand’s common law jurisdiction and the weight that is placed on judgments as
developing and elucidating the law, it is particularly inspiring to see those judgments being
made. To horribly extend a metaphor, whilst other graduates may be content with merely
eating a sausage, Judges’ Clerks have the joy of seeing and assisting with what goes into that
sausage. Delicious.

Clerking positions are usually advertised mid-way through the academic year, and those in their
final year who have expert research skills and an excellent academic record are encouraged to
give judges’ clerking some thought.

34 Insider’s Guide to Law School | 2010

BE A PART OF WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT

APPLY NOW
Join Chapman Tripp as a summer clerk and you’ll find yourself at the heart of the action, working on matters that impact
New Zealand’s business community, government policy and the economy. That’s just one the advantages of being part
of this country’s pre-eminent law firm.
Visit www.graduates.chapmantripp.com. Applications close 25 March 2010.

www.graduates.chapmantripp.com