Head tutor series—introducing Luke Archer
Luke Archer is the 2015 Head Tutor for Introduction to New Zealand Legal System (LAWS121) and Legal Research, Writing and Mooting (LAWS 297).
Luke Archer is the 2015 Head Tutor for Introduction to New Zealand Legal System (LAWS121) and Legal Research, Writing and Mooting (LAWS 297). He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria in May and is looking forward to starting as a solicitor at Buddle Findlay next year.
What attracted you to studying law at Victoria University?
I've always wanted to study law and it was a happy coincidence that New Zealand's best Law School was right on my doorstep—I grew up in the Hutt Valley and didn't want to move away to go to university!
The Law School’s location—right by Parliament, the Beehive and the Courts—definitely didn't hurt either. The Law School has been absolutely fantastic and the staff are wonderful. The student body works hard and has a great 'community' feel to it. When I graduated in May, it was great to walk across the stage to shake the Chancellor’s hand and hear 350 fellow students in my year group cheering—that was a real highlight!
Any other highlights?
Another highlight has been seeing the students I've tutored progress through Law School and achieve highly themselves.
I’ve been involved in the skills competitions offered by the Faculty in conjunction with the Law Students’ Society and local firms. I was lucky enough to win both Negotiation and Client Interviewing in 2014 and have had the chance to compete at a national and international level.
Law School is all about finding your niche, finding things that you enjoy and are passionate about—whether that's competitions, tutoring, community volunteer work, specific areas of law or courses, a part-time job in the field. You have to find what you enjoy and use it to remind yourself why you're studying law in the first place.
What are your plans for the future?
I'll be tutoring until LAWS297 finishes in August and will be completing my Professionals at the same time. I don’t start at Buddle Findlay until March 2016, so between those dates....who knows! I'm planning to do a bit of travel and pick up some work overseas if I can—I'm currently trying to work out where I want to travel and work!