Senior Solicitor

**Solicitor or Senior Solicitor (Prosecutions)**

**Role type**: Permanent, full-time

**Location**: Auckland or Tauranga

**Salary band & range**: General Salary Band D/C: $98,955 to $136,961 depending on skills and experience_ _

**About the Role - Korero mo te Turanga**

We're looking for two Senior Solicitors to join our highly skilled Prosecutions team, at either our Auckland or Tauranga office. The team are responsible for the provision of operational legal advice and prosecution services on an array of matters where non-compliance of the legislation MPI administers is identified.

A core part of the job will involve conducting the Ministry's prosecutions in the District Court in accordance with relevant policy and legislation.

We work closely with our key compliance stakeholders including in the Animal Welfare, Biosecurity, Fisheries, and Forestry sectors to provide expert advice on legal issues and prosecution services.

You will also:

- advise on the interpretation of statutory provisions and new legislation.
- provide legal advice on OIA requests, and support business units with managing legal risk.
- provide operational improvement advice (e.g. search warrants and production orders).
- support continuous improvement training of frontline compliance staff across MPI.

**About You - Mou**

You have completed relevant litigation skills training and have a good level of trial and court experience that would be equivalent to level 2 or 3 classification in terms of the Classification of In-House Public Prosecutors' Framework. Ideally, you will have experience with Police/Crown prosecutions or experience in defence law.

You will love this role if you want a job that will challenge and grow your technical legal skills across a wide suite of legislation along with your courtroom skills through regular appearances at court on behalf of MPI. You'll think nationally and act locally in delivering prosecution services in all courts in the region on behalf of MPI. Court hearings are a great chance to grow your court craft and experience as you will be dealing with an array of regulatory matters including complex offending involving expert evidence.

You will be directly engaging with an array of professional clients including experts, such as veterinarians, animal welfare officers, and fishery officers, many of whom will also be based in the same regional office. This will provide an opportunity to upskill and really understand what the work you are doing is impacting.

To b successful in this role, you will also need:

- excellent written and oral skills and an ability to communicate with clients clearly and precisely.
- to provide dell-researched, contextualised, and solution-focussed legal advice with options for managing any legal risk.
- experience as lead counsel.
- familiarity with the Criminal Procedure and Sentencing Acts.

You must have a current full New Zealand driver licence (not temporary, learner, or restricted), and any endorsements required for the type of driving you'll be doing.

**About the Team** - **Mo to matou Ropu**

**About MPI - Mo te Manatu Ahu Matua**

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partners with New Zealand's food and fibre sector to be the world's most trusted provider of high-value food and primary products.

**Benefits of working at MPI - Nga hua o te mahi i te Manatu Ahu Matua**
- Additional MPI leave days
- Annual Wellness payment
- Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames

**Security checks - Nga Taki Whakahaumaru**

Low level Security Clearance
- most preferably a New Zealand citizen, who has **resided continuously in New Zealand**for at least the last **five (5) years**, OR
- is a citizen of, **and/or has resided continuously** in one or more of the following countries for the last **five (5) years**: either Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States of America (USA); **and** has a background history that is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) towards a recommendation of suitability for a security clearance at this level.
- click here to find out more about the national security vetting process and access the eligibility self-check tool.

**Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mo tenei mahi whaitake?**

We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapu, whanau and hapori.

In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.

**Applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday, 6 July.**

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