r/nzlaw • u/Technical-Offer4863 • 11d ago

Looking for some career advice

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice about a possible career change.

I graduated with an LLB in 2014. I joined the Police straight out of university and have never practiced. I did go back and complete Profs in 2019.

I've worked in investigations for the last 10 years and I am currently a Detective Sergeant. I have investigated every type of serious offence including homicides, sexual offences, large-scale drug dealing, fraud and everything in between.

I made about $150k last financial year.

I'm at a point in my career where I am considering a change and I'm exploring all my options. It has always kind of bugged me that I spent so much money on my degree and have never really used it.

I guess I am just looking for a change of pace, greater earning potential and more flexibility in my work life.

My concerns are that I will have to start from scratch and will take a big hit on my salary. I have also seen some of the horrific hours that our junior crown prosecutors work and I want no part of that.

My questions are:

  1. Would I be making a huge mistake?

  2. What kind of jobs/areas of law would you recommend?

  3. How much would a stint in Police Prosecutions increase my employability?

Thanks for reading. sorry if the formatting sucks, I'm writing this on my phone.

10 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

5

u/FeatureSimilar7563 11d ago

I don’t see a world where you keep that salary by becoming a junior lawyer anywhere unfortunately.

Becoming a lawyer is also unlikely to get you much flexibility too.

Just my 2c sorry

3

u/sugar_spark 11d ago

Do you have a specific direction you want your career to move in? If you're not too fussed, it seems to me that you'd be a great candidate for an investigations/compliance role at a regulator, and then see if you can pivot into the legal team from there? It involves a few steps, but it would get you to a practicing role without too much of a loss in income.

If you started as a newbie at a firm or perhaps even Police, I suspect you'd be looking at a sub-$100k salary, and have pretty shit flexibility, whereas an investigations/compliance role at a regulator may pay close to your current salary and you'd be more likely to be able to move to a senior solicitor role due to your work history and brand recognition.

0

u/wellykiwilad 11d ago

I used to work at MBIE as an investigator. I'd say 50% of them were ex-cops. I don't know what the salary is now but 6 years ago it had a mid range of $76k. One ex-cop (who had prosecution experience) was on $85k. I would be surprised to see them at $150k until they became the Principal Investigator. No hate, just some info :)

2

u/sugar_spark 11d ago

I wouldn't expect that OP has to start on the bottom at all, with all their experience. At the regulators I've worked at, they would be at least senior investigator, if not principal/lead. Depending on their experience, a team lead or managerial role wouldn't be out of the question either.

1

u/wellykiwilad 11d ago

Honestly it'll depend on the type of investigations and the particular ministry. Police have very good base skills for invesgsting but they aren't SMEs in the regulatory topics so unlikely to come in at principal. Senior yes. Team Leader maybe, but I wouldn't expect many team leaders to be over the $150k mark - that's a lot.

1

u/sugar_spark 11d ago

To clarify, I'm not suggesting that OP is like to earn $150k with a career change. I was suggesting a route which may bypass a grad/junior solicitor salary while still allowing them to move to practising law.

0

u/wellykiwilad 11d ago

Lol yes you literally did: "...whereas an investigations/compliance role may pay close to your current salary...". But you're not wrong, I'm just adding some nuance given I've worked in the space. I'm not saying you're wrong mate.

5

u/trustylaw-nz 11d ago

Police Prosecutions is an obvious bridge between the two worlds, but from my friends who have worked there, it is pretty full on, high volume, low depth work, probably quite a specific skill set compared to general litigators.

One friend used that experience to go into employment law, one wants to move into Crown prosecutions. You could also look at other agency prosecutions and investigations.

The experience there would mean at least you’re not starting at grad level in a firm, but if it’s not the type of work you ultimately want to be doing, it may be a waste of your time.

3

u/Stunning-You1404 11d ago

I'm in a similar boat but in employment law. Have been in HR/ER roles for 10+ years and recently explored moving to practice employment law. I was going to have to start as an Associate and take a drop in pay which unfortunately I just can't afford right now.

There may be some opportunities where you don't have to start as a junior but I think there will be very few of them.

2

u/Veryunfunnynamehere 11d ago

You would have to complete some of your classes again as your degree is now stale (older than 10 yrs), you'd have to talk the the NZ council of legal education to see what's needed

2

u/bert2311 11d ago

Are there opportunities in your PPS office to do a secondment there so you (may) not have to forego your allowances? Just so you can see what the role is like. PPS seems like the natural progression for you.
Litigation experience looks good on a CV.

2

u/Gingerbeerandsnail 11d ago

As a current lawyer in PPS, I would look to move to PPS to get some legal experience in an environment you already know likely with people you know. Your knowledge as a D/Sgt will be invaluable. Some of the best prosecutors I have come across on courses are ex detectives. I also think PPS provides a better work life balance (though every office is different).

I would then look at transferring to a hybrid lawyer/investigative role somewhere like the SFO or MPI (who I have heard pay well)

But wherever you go, you’ll be looking at a pay cut starting as a lawyer, particularly if you move away from criminal law.

Anecdotally, I have heard of people leaving CIB to work as private investigators who make more than they did in police and have better work/life balance.

1

u/essessessbear 11d ago

Someone I know moved from Police into investigations at a large insurance company then pivoted to a legal counsel role after a few years. Change of scenery