The Te Ara Ture director shares the simple legacy she wishes to leave in her role
In the Strengthening the rule of law in Aotearoa New Zealand report released by the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa, community law was highlighted as being key to the rule of law and access to justice. This speaks to the importance of a body like Te Ara Ture, and to the importance of the work of its director, Sabrina Muck.
Muck started her career in Chapman Tripp and was in private practice for nearly a decade. During this period, she joined the boards of Auckland Women’s Centre and charitable trust The Aunties, which supports victims of domestic violence.
She went on to lead a team at West Auckland-based Waitematā Community Law Centre as supervising lawyer, assisting the vulnerable in Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney. In November 2023, she was named Te Ara Ture’s director.
For Muck, what keeps her involved in community law are the high quality of the issues and the interesting nature of the day-to-day work.
“Community law centres are at the face of the very real legal need in New Zealand and they are seeing that need and doing this work every single day”, she told NZ Lawyer. “I think that's really important and that's why I'm committed to my work supporting law centres in working with their clients as far as we can by connecting them with the wider profession”.
Muck explained that her work is “not about any one individual or role”.
“We don't do it for applause. What really matters to me is that we centre marginalised and disadvantaged clients”, she told NZ Lawyer.
Muck highlighted the struggle of New Zealanders in the present economy.
“We know that with the current economic crisis and the cost of living, people are struggling and being able to access this type of legal support makes a significant difference in their day-to-day life without having to incur hefty legal fees or go into debt to afford legal advice”, she told NZ Lawyer.
Muck’s passion as a lawyer is in helping to achieve access to justice for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. In her tenure with Te Ara Ture, she has observed how the pro bono clearinghouse has achieved strong outcomes for the vulnerable.
“If we can keep the clients that we're supporting focused and centered in all of our work, then I'd be very happy with that as a legacy”, she told NZ Lawyer.
