Practising Certificates on Issue

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Admission to the Legal Profession

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Types of Practice

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Areas of Practice

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Gender

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Lawyers by location and Law Firms

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

The Judiciary and Queen's Council

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

Odds and Ends

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

The "typical" Lawyer

The information has been prepared from data on practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society and held as at 1 February 2014. Apart from the overall summary, the data excludes the 502 lawyers who hold a New Zealand practising certificate but who are based outside New Zealand.

From the Law Society

The New Zealand Law Society is encouraging women barristers to apply for appointment as Queen’s Counsel. Applications for appointment as a QC opened on 14 February and will be open for another two weeks, closing on 14 March. A massive under representation of women who have taken silk exists at the…

Finding the positive in mental health

In recent years a range of different professional groupings in New Zealand have become proactive in supporting the mental health of their members. Increasingly motivated by seemingly preventable suicides, and growing awareness of the common occurrence of depression, anxiety disorders and addictions, employment arenas as diverse as the New Zealand Army,…

Certification under AML-CFT legislation - you may need another stamp or two

Lawyers often certify that a copy of a document is a true copy of the original. To save the fingers of the certifying practitioner, many law firms have had special stamps made up. These communicate the message that the original has been sighted, that the document is a true copy/photocopy…

Installing voice recognition software was 'brilliant', law firm says

When the mid-sized New Zealand legal firm Billings decided it was time to digitise its business, incorporating voice recognition software as part of the process was high on its agenda. According to Billings’ General Manager, Gordon Gray-Lockhart, the firm was keen to embrace voice recognition software that could add value…

Recording reasons for decisions

What do you do when a government agency appears to be acting illegally? Lawyers were presented with this dilemma in November 2011 when Immigration New Zealand (INZ) issued a circular (IAC 11/10) stating that immigration officers were not to record their reasons for decisions under s61 of the Immigration Act 2009…

Concern about freshwater management proposals

The New Zealand Law Society is concerned about the intended process for amending the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Policy (NPS-FM), it says in a submission to the Ministry for the Environment. Before 2005, the Environment Minister was required to appoint a Board of Inquiry to inquire into, and report on,…

Proposals for patent regulations considered

While the Law Society welcomes many of the proposals for inclusion in the new regulations required under the Patents Act 2013 (particularly those relating to patent proceedings), a number of the matters to be prescribed in regulations are not covered in the discussion document Proposals for Regulations to be made…

Engaging competent health and safety practitioners

Following the Pike River Royal Commission and the Independent Health and Safety Taskforce recommendations, New Zealand has woken up to its abysmal health and safety record. The Government now appears determined to make sweeping improvements. Health and safety in New Zealand is about to enter a new era. A new Crown…

Growing market confidence through competent market service providers

2014 marks the start of a new era for New Zealand’s financial markets – an ambitious and exciting period of change for market participants and investors. This is the second article in a series by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) outlining the key changes, the impact they will have on…

ETS advice to trustees

Many readers will have clients or be trustees of rural properties or companies that have engaged in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The following information is provided to help in understanding what is happening in the ETS space for ETS participants and aid in preparing information for them to consider. Five…

Our Profession, Our People

Survey of the High Court Rules Amendments The Chief High Court Judge, Justice Helen Winkelmann, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, is conducting a survey of members of the profession regarding the changes to the discovery and case management provisions in the High Court Rules which commenced on 3 October…

People in the Law

Acting Principal Environment Judge Laurence Newhook has been appointed the permanent Principal Environment Judge. Judge Newhook graduated LLB (Hons) and was admitted in 1972. He worked as staff solicitor and later partner at law firm Towle and Cooper and successor firms Brandon Brookfield, latterly Brookfields, until his appointment to the…

The bookshelf

Book Of The Month: Relocation Disputes: Law and Practice in England and New Zealand By Rob George Oxford University Fellow and barrister Rob George looks at the different ways in which the legal systems of England and New Zealand currently deal with relocation cases, where one parent proposes to move to a…

Electoral Law in New Zealand - Practice and Policy, 2nd edition

Reviewed by Jason McHerron New Zealand’s seventh general election under MMP will take place later this year. At least until then, electoral law will be “squarely in the spotlight”, where Professor Geddis seeks to drag it. It is therefore timely that a second edition of his superb book is available. Recent polling…

Forensic Science and the Law - A Guide for Police, Lawyers and Expert Witnesses

Reviewed by Sarah Saunderson-Warner The book is written as a guide for lawyers, police and expert witnesses and provides readers with practical insights into many key areas of forensic science encountered in criminal and traffic cases. It is a departure from the usual legal text written by lawyers for lawyers. Written by…

Lawyers Complaints Service: Failure to obtain assignments of earthquake claims was negligent

A lawyer, A, acting for purchasers of a property in Canterbury failed to obtain an assignment of insurance and EQC claims from the vendors. A standards committee held this to be negligent practice for property transactions in the region, following the recent earthquakes. The standards committee also determined that A should…

Lawyers Complaints Service: Full advice about KiwSaver required for first home buyers

A lawyer, B, has been censured and fined by a lawyers standards committee after he failed to explain what the application of KiwiSaver Rules would mean to his clients. B was acting for clients who were first-time house buyers. His failure to explain what the application of the KiwiSaver Rules would…

Lawyers Complaints Service: Misconduct for actions relating to client funds

Vinay Deobhakta, a former lawyer, was charged with misconduct for actions taken while acting for a client in a dispute with IRD. The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal found the charge proven in its decision at [2013] NZLCDT 55, given on 18 December 2013. Four of Mr Deobhakta’s actions…