Scene set for representative services
A committee to advise on NZLS representative service delivery has reported progress. In a letter to President John Marshall QC, committee chair Chris Darlow (Auckland) says his team is on target to present a final report by 30 November as scheduled. The report is expected to recommend:
- minimal subscription fees for representative services payable by members; ie, around a hoped-for level of $25 and certainly less than $50
- properly funded branch activities in accordance with the importance to lawyers of strong collegial bonds and the vital role branches will play in liaison with groups such as the judiciary, court managers and court staff, as well as community and government bodies
- a pooling and earmarking for branches of cash assets that district law societies vest in the NZLS under the "One Society" concept, with the NZLS considering applications/requests from any NZLS branch, having regard, in particular, to the interests of the branch, branch members and, in general, to the good of the profession.
Also on the committee are Warren Pyke (Hamilton, representing central North Island districts), Richard Fowler (Wellington), Richard Johnstone (Christchurch, representing the South Island districts) and Chris Moore (representing the NZLS sections).
Representative services’ needs
The committee’s research confirms some consistent and fairly obvious needs, with the primary demand being for a strong united profession properly armed to deal with political threats, challenges to core values and status, and challenges from would-be competitors. After that, the demand is for:
- national/local leadership
- national/local collegiality
- effective and efficient framing and control of regulation
- nationally organised CLE delivered locally
- legal information/electronic information/libraries
- national sectional interest groups with an emphasis on competency services
- lawyer brand promotion/marketing
- branch support/maintenance
- specialist services, eg, PI insurance, practice crises, practice support, services not otherwise available
- communications/publications.
In assessing these needs, the committee paid particular attention to the current downturn in some areas of legal work and the consequential impact on the ability of lawyers to pay for services. It says this needs to be taken into account in determining what services will be offered and how they will be funded.