Legislative changes needed to support political participation by disabled people

Legislation seeking to facilitate disabled people’s participation in elections and standing for political office needs to be changed to make it clear and workable, the New Zealand Law Society says. The Law Society has presented its submission on the Election Access Fund Bill to Parliament’s Governance and Administration Committee. The private…

Legal salary survey underway

The New Zealand Law Society and legal recruitment specialist Niche Consulting Group are carrying out a legal salary of employed lawyers in law firms and working in-house. An invitation to participate was emailed to over 7,500 lawyers on 8 August. The objective of the survey is to provide both employers and their…

Response to inaccurate reports of the Law Society's actions regarding a breach of privacy

The New Zealand Law Society wishes to correct suggestions that it attempted to hide a breach of privacy, and to address misconceptions about the use of an injunction. Reports allege that the Law Society sought an injunction to stop publication of information about a breach of privacy in order to cover…

Family Court review welcomed

The New Zealand Law Society welcomes the announcement of an independent panel to review the 2014 changes to the Family Court. “The panel has been given until May 2019 to report to the Minister of Justice with its recommendations and this should allow time for adequate consultation. It is pleasing to…

Law Society acknowledges privacy breach

The New Zealand Law Society would like to acknowledge and apologise for a privacy breach. The breach involved a Law Society staff member sending confidential information, in an email, to the wrong person by mistake. The email contained a complaint to the Law Society by a legal practitioner about his own…

Prison cell 'double-bunking' changes inconsistent with UN Rules

A proposed law change making prison cell sharing or ‘double bunking’ the norm is inconsistent with New Zealand’s obligations under UN Rules relating to treatment of prisoners, the Law Society says. The New Zealand Law Society has presented its submission on the Corrections Amendment Bill to Parliament’s Justice select committee. It…

Law Society marks first decade of Lawyers and Conveyancers Act

The legislation that radically changed the way lawyers and conveyancers do business and conduct themselves is now 10 years old. The Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 replaced the longstanding Law Practitioners Act. It came into effect on 1 August 2008. The new Act introduced major changes to the regulation of lawyers. These…

Call by working group for ideas to improve regulatory framework by end of August

An independent Working Group is calling for ideas on how the complaints regulatory framework could be improved. The Group is busy undertaking its task and contributors are being asked to provide ideas before the end of August. Established by the New Zealand Law Society and chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright, the aim…

Vigilance urged to combat email and IT fraud

The New Zealand Law Society is repeating earlier warnings to lawyers to be vigilant in ensuring their IT systems are secure against incursion and to be very careful in reacting to emails inviting them to open attachments. The Law Society says emails with attachments or an invitation to click on a…

Law Society provides guidance for pro bono work

The New Zealand Law Society has released a new title in its Practice Briefing series, Guidance for lawyers undertaking pro bono work. The guidance is for lawyers and law firms about the structuring of pro bono service arrangements. It is also relevant for lawyers wishing to undertake private work outside their…