Every profession has its equivalent – highly skilled technicians who assist a professional in carrying out their work. So at the dentist, often you might see the hygienist, not the dentist; or at the doctor’s surgery you might see the nurse or a nurse specialist; your child might have time with a teacher aide at school instead of the teacher; and so too in the law office, you may have dealings with a paralegal known as a “legal executive”.
Kymberlee Dobson is our legal executive at Godfreys Law and is a key member of our conveyancing team. Kymberlee has been a legal executive since 2007 following a career change from a previous career as a case manager at Work and Income. Kym made her career change to allow her to better use her creative problem-solving skills. Kym felt that a career as a Legal Executive was the perfect way to use these skills while continuing to give back to the community.
So what is a legal executive and what do they actually do?
The term “legal executive” is fairly wide and includes those who have only practical experience. Sometimes such staff might equally be called a law clerk or a legal secretary. All these names describe a similar role in a law office, but with minor differences in levels of responsibility. Legal Executives are important in all parts of a law firm but especially in conveyancing work, there are many procedural matters which can be dealt with by skilled staff rather than by lawyers. This is where Kymberlee’s expertise is mainly focused at Godfreys Law. Kymberlee is highly skilled in conveyancing and her “can do will do” attitude ensures great outcomes for her clients. She takes a proactive approach to property conveyancing, which is required in post-earthquake Christchurch and the current property market.
While there are no qualifications required to be called a legal executive, there is a tertiary level qualification available for legal executives. This involves 3-4 years of study and is run through a limited number of Polytechs and the Open Polytech. Those legal executives who have their qualifications can become a “Registered Legal Executive”. After a period of significant experience, some Registered Legal Executives become known as “Fellows” of the Institute. This is a prestigious role which enables them to take Statutory Declarations, a task usually done by Solicitors, as well as signifying their expertise and commitment to the profession. Registered Legal Executives are also bound by the Rules of Professional Conduct for Barristers and Solicitors, giving them certain ethical and professional obligations. Kymberlee is a registered legal executive, having completed her training part-time while working and taking care of her family.
In New Zealand, there is an Institute of Legal Executives which organises training (in addition to that provided by the New Zealand Law Society) and offers a buddy system (where more skilled Registered Legal Executives assist and train those who are less experienced).
The advantage of a law firm with Legal Executives is that work can be appropriately handled by those with the skill to ensure the best solutions for clients. At Godfreys, Kymberlee is our specialist with first home buyers, where her bubbly and outgoing personality allows her to help her walk her clients through a challenging and stressful process. Having a legal executive in this role helps keep costs lower while ensuring that our clients are still getting the experience and professional service they need.
Kym has also been using her experience to train our junior lawyers and has especially enjoyed working with Kate Montu as she learns the ropes of conveyancing as a junior lawyer.
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