New Zealand lawyers provide support for Canterbury colleagues
New Zealand Law Society President Jonathan Temm says he is proud of the response from the New Zealand legal profession to the impact of the Canterbury earthquake on the legal system.
Mr Temm says the vast majority of lawyers outside the earthquake zone have made allowances for the very unusual legal situation which arose.
“While the earthquake brought many things to a halt, there were still house sales due to be completed, jury trials scheduled, people who had been arrested and who were seeking bail, commercial contracts to be settled, and a whole range of other matters,” he says.
“Many Canterbury lawyers were unable to access their business premises and were obviously very upset by the quake and continuing aftershocks. Lawyers from other places in New Zealand were quick to volunteer their assistance, and most importantly, they were extremely willing to make allowances for the situation.”
Mr Temm says the Ministry of Justice had been very good at communicating the status of the various courts in the region. The courts had been willing to adjourn matters where lawyers were unable to attend the hearings which did take place.
“Lawyers in Christchurch and the surrounding region are still having to manage in extremely difficult circumstances, and the Canterbury-Westland branch of the Law Society has been working hard to provide them with information and communciations assistance,” he says.
“The work and dedication of our branch staff has been incredible. This ranges from our manager Malcolm Ellis who has been in constant contact with lawyers in the region, to our library staff who painstakingly re-shelved the books only to have them all knocked to the ground again with the Wednesday aftershock.”
Mr Temm says the Law Society’s Property Law Section has also provided a valuable service by negotiating with banks and insurance companies and providing advice to lawyers on some of the issues which have arisen.