She is a barrister solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and was an editor of the Otago Law Review for many years.
Briggs graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours, and in worked as a barrister solicitor at the firm of Laidlaw, O'Driscoll and Marks, before joining the faculty of the University of Otago as a teaching fellow in 1987.
In relationship property law, Briggs has examined the Property (Relationships) Act 1976, which determines how joint property should be divided after a couple's separation or one partner's death.
[6][2] In her inaugural professorial lecture, Briggs said that she was drawn to study situations in law where one party holds more power than the other.
[2] Briggs was a long-serving editor of the Otago Law Review.