An opportunity has opened up at Freeman to work on its online legal publication Capital Letter.

We are seeking a legal writer to oversee and contribute to our short-form court decision summaries from the higher courts of New Zealand.

Primarily the work involves analysing and editing short-form judgment summaries for which we publish an average of 60 per week. These are written by a permanent part-time employee who you will work alongside. This role provides cover during periods of leave and also heavy workload periods.

For the right person there is the opportunity to write longer form in-depth summaries for which we publish an average of 13 per week, and contribute to the wider editorial mix.

Ideally this role will be based in our office in Wellington and is permanent part-time.

Capital Letter is subscribed to by over 400 organisations across the legal profession in New Zealand including law firms, in-house counsel, universities and government organisations. Since being acquired by Freeman in 2020 and transitioned online it has been growing including the acquisition of Judgments Express and rma.net.

The editorial scope of Capital Letter includes: summaries of selected judgments from the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, Environment Court and Employment Court; updates on legislation and statutory reviews; general news, in-depth features and developments within the legal profession in New Zealand. The content is written by Freeman’s team of journalists and legal writers, supplemented by contributed articles and opinions from experts within the sector.

The role and responsibilities

• read and analyse judgments from the New Zealand High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, Environment Court and Employment Court.
• summarise and accurately capture the key points, legal arguments, and decisions made in each judgment
• conduct legal research where required to ensure accuracy and completeness of summaries
• collaborate with the editorial team to ensure adherence to company guidelines and quality standards
• meet strict daily deadlines
• stay updated with the latest legal developments and changes in legislation

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in law
• excellent written communication skills
• familiarity with the New Zealand legal system and court procedures

About the company

Freeman was founded in 2002. It publishes Energy News, Inside Resources and Capital Letter. It runs a range of high-profile corporate conferences, publishes maps, and has appeared in the Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 indexes for growth achievements. It employs 23 full-time equivalent staff.

Our values

Freeman is an equal opportunity employer, does not tolerate harassment and provides career development opportunities. Accurate, timely and informative content is at the heart of everything we do.

Next steps

Information about Freeman is found here www.freemanmedia.co.nz

Freeman's subscription-based websites are not public and sit behind paywalls. To obtain a login contact eduardo.zanata@freemanmedia.co.nz.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. All applications will be treated with strict confidentiality. Applications that don’t have a cover letter won’t be contacted.