Removal of conveyancing burden welcomed

Lawyers involved in conveyancing will be delighted with recommended changes to a bill introducing greater limitations on property purchases by overseas buyers, the New Zealand Law Society says. The Finance and Expenditure select committee has released its final report on the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, with a recommendation that the bill…

Lawyers give thousands of hours in voluntary work

Lawyers throughout New Zealand provide thousands of hours of free legal advice to a wide range of groups and individuals, and are among those being recognised for their voluntary work this week. It’s National Volunteer Week and figures show that each year 1.2 million Kiwis volunteer their time to various causes. Many…

Taskforce volunteer applications close on 12 June

Applications from lawyers and former lawyers who want to participate in a taskforce to drive and guide systems and culture change within the legal profession close at noon on Tuesday, 12 June. The Law Society is committed to targeting and eliminating the culture of bullying and harassment which exists in some…

Law Society asks critics to make their anger and disappointment a strong force for change

The President of the New Zealand Law Society Kathryn Beck says that she wants to be clear that the Law Society was aware of sexual harassment and bullying in the profession, but that it was shocked at the scale of the problem as detailed in its survey. Ms Beck says she…

Commitment to tackle cultural crisis within legal profession

A comprehensive survey of the New Zealand legal profession shows nearly one third of female lawyers have been sexually harassed during their working life and more than half of all lawyers have been bullied at some time in their working life. The New Zealand Law Society commissioned Colmar Brunton to carry…

District Court judicial resources need urgent attention

Urgent attention to the number of judges available to conduct District Court business is needed, the New Zealand Law Society says. “It shows how serious the matter has become when the Chief District Court Judge publicly states that the unrelenting pressure on judges in the Family Court is now creating unacceptable…

Workplace Environment Survey to be released next week

Analysis of the New Zealand Law Society's national Workplace Environment Survey is well advanced and the results will be released next week. The survey is the first definitive survey of legal workplace environments carried out in New Zealand. It has the objectives of assessing the level of wellbeing in legal workplaces,…

Lawyers recognised for excellence at In-house Lawyer Awards

The winners of the 2018 ILANZ In-house Lawyer Awards have been announced. The awards were made at the 31st ILANZ Conference Gala Dinner on 18 May in Hamilton, following the national ILANZ conference. “The awards reflect the outstanding and varied contribution that in-house lawyers make to their organisations and their community,” says…

Lawyer guilty of misconduct and negligence is suspended

Serious negligence and incompetence has resulted in an Auckland lawyer being suspended from practice as a barrister or solicitor for 15 months. Jinyue (Paul) Young was found guilty of four charges by the Disciplinary Tribunal at different levels including misconduct, negligence and unsatisfactory conduct. The offending relates to a dispute between his…

Standards Committee issues decision on lawyer who said Judge wasn't fit to sit on the bench

A Lawyers Standards Committee has decided to take no further action against a lawyer who said it was inappropriate for a District Court Judge to continue to serve on the bench. Auckland Barrister, Catriona MacLennan’s statements were the subject of an investigation following her public criticism of Judge John Brandts-Giesen. Judge Brandts-Giesen…