Christchurch legal aid providers wanting to move courts/clusters

The president of the New Zealand Law Society Canterbury-Westland branch, Allister Davis, reports that the Legal Services Agency (LSA) has received a number of queries from providers about moving their practices to other areas following the earthquake.

Providers are to fill in the form available on the LSA website under “Agency Forms” (www.lsa.govt.nz/lawyers/forms-and-resources/forms-options.php), select their preference for an alternative court and supply a covering letter highlighting the reasons for their request.

These will be considered on a case-by-case basis giving consideration to the number of lawyers in the alternative courts, circumstances of the lawyer, etc.

Alternatively, the next scheduled update to the provider lists is in May and providers may want to take this time to consider what they would like to do in the coming months when more details are available around court availability in the Christchurch area.

“If there are issues please don’t hesitate to contact me or the local LSA office. As I have expressed previously, LSA are attempting to do all they can to assist us in this difficult time,” Allister says.

© New Zealand Law Society 2008