The Ministry of Justice is offering guided tours of the Justice building within the new Justice and Emergency Services Precinct in Christchurch to limited numbers of members of the Canterbury-Westland branch of the New Zealand Law Society.

The Justice building will be fully operational for all High Court and District Court services from Monday, 20 November 2017.

The ministry tours are designed for lawyers who are frequent attendees at court and will cover areas of particular interest to lawyers who will be working within this building.

The tours will be held on Thursday 9 November, Friday 10 November, Monday 13 November and Tuesday 14 November 2017 at 4.30pm on each day for about one hour.

Numbers are limited to 30 per session and can be booked through the Canterbury-Westland Branch on a first come, first served basis.

RSVP with your preferred day by Friday, 3 November 2017 to zylpha.kovacs@lawsociety.org.nz.

Mock courts

Meanwhile, the ministry is holding several mock courts from Tuesday, 31 October 2017 to Wednesday, 8 November 2017 to test courtroom related procedures and processes in the Justice and Emergency Services building.

The ministry has sought the assistance of lawyers to play various roles in these mock court hearings.