Lawyers combine resources to tackle unique legal issues
The liquifaction and serious land disturbances caused by the Canterbury earthquake have resulted in some unique legal issues and New Zealand’s lawyers are pooling their resources and expertise to develop solutions.
A meeting of over 150 lawyers in Christchurch last night was the latest in a series of initiatives which are bringing together ideas and suggestions from lawyers around the country on how they can best help their clients through sometimes novel situations.
The President of the New Zealand Law Society’s Canterbury-Westland branch, Allister Davis, says the legal profession is working collaboratively in the spirit of finding creative solutions to issues which affect people in the earthquake-affected zone and beyond.
“Last night’s meeting was a very positive event and Christchurch lawyers were able to focus on practical solutions to some of the problems,” he says. “It’s really important to note that we’re in contact with lawyers all around New Zealand, and everyone is coming up with ideas and suggestions.”
The New Zealand Law Society has established a special website in its my.lawsociety site. This is being used by lawyers to post suggestions, documents and to contribute ideas and questions through special online discussion forums.
“Some of the problems which have arisen are challenging, to say the least,” Mr Davis says. “For example, land has moved up to 3 metres in some parts of Canterbury and this raises an immediate issue of what happens to boundaries. Buildings and fences have moved, and liquifaction on properties which are near streams means some are now contravening building zone requirements.”
Mr Davis says while New Zealand’s legal system will end up with some interesting and novel ways of doing things, he has been most encouraged with the collaborative spirit shown by the legal profession.
“Lawyers are sometimes seen as being competitive and focused solely on the interests of their own clients. However, the Canterbury-Westland branch has been swamped with offers of assistance and suggestions from lawyers around the country over the past fortnight.”