New Zealand Law Society - LawTalk issue 930

LawTalk issue 930

LawTalk issue 930

Legal technology is a burgeoning industry. Artificial intelligence and other developments have made it possible to automate tasks and change work patterns radically. The July issue of LawTalk looks at some of the developments relating to law and technology in New Zealand and asks if the predicted disruption is actually happening. This issue also includes a wide range of information on New Zealand’s legal profession and the practice of law.

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The Devil's Own — far more than a fusty male preserve

Four years ago, my supervising partner, esteemed Devil’s Own legend and previous winner, Ron Backhouse, suggested I come to the Devil’s Own. At the time I had been playing golf sporadically for about three months. I explained this to Ron, who said that did not really matter at all (and…
New Zealand lawyer behind new Singapore mediation chambers

New Zealand lawyer behind new Singapore mediation chambers

A Wellington lawyer and two high-profile colleagues have opened a mediation chambers in Singapore. Geoff Sharp, British QC Bill Wood and Singaporean Lim Tat are mediators and have all featured in Who’s Who Legal. Together, the trio have more than 50 years’ experience in mediation and have all spread their work from…
Directors' duties and the case for vulnerable trading?

Directors' duties and the case for vulnerable trading?

Earlier this year, in the space of 10 days, the New Zealand courts delivered two quite differing outcomes on the question of reckless trading under s 135 of the Companies Act 1993.
Access to Justice: An insurance based proposal

Access to Justice: An insurance based proposal

Joss Opie continues the discussion about access to justice issues. He provides his view on mandatory pro bono and increases to legal aid funding, and summarises an innovative proposal: public legal expenses insurance The May issue of LawTalk included the article by Craig Stephen, “Finding a match: how well does pro…

People in the Law

Lagi Tuimavave, Wellington Family Law

Lagi Tuimavave, Wellington Family Law

New in the LawBorn in Samoa, Lagi Tuimavave is the oldest of five children and spent her formative high school years growing up in Wellington, attending Wellington Girls’ College. Bilingual in English and Samoan, Ms Tuimavave says that while she was an English studies buff, her favourite subject was legal studies,…

The Innovators: Warrick McLean, CEO, Coleman Greig Lawyers

LawFest organiser Andrew King continues a series of interviews with key legal professionals with their innovation and technology stories.

NZAL Lawyers successfully launched

NZAL (New Zealand Asian Leaders) Lawyers was launched in Auckland on 10 June. The launch was well-attended, with over 125 members of the profession and distinguished guests, including the past President of the New Zealand Law Society Kathryn Beck, and Raymond Huo MP, Chair of the Justice Select Committee of…

Practising Well

Mental health in the workplace

Less a problem to be solved, more an experience to be understoodIt has been good to see lawyers becoming more aware of their mental health at work. This series is a positive example of this, along with the Law Society’s Practising Well and a number of taskforces internationally on lawyer…
Are you being defined by your job?

Are you being defined by your job?

When you’re asked, “who are you” or “what do you do”, how do you respond? Movement and health coach come straight to mind for me and I’m sure many of you also reach for your job title as a defining characteristic of who you are. It’s such a common conversation…

Practice

The new union for legal workers. What does it want?

The new union for legal workers. What does it want?

The Aotearoa Legal Workers’ Union (ALWU) was launched in May in a blaze of publicity. New unions are rare, and the days of the closed shop and record levels of membership are long gone. Why do some members of the legal profession feel the need to form a union, and…
Oh the places you'll go

Oh the places you'll go

This year I mark 15 years as an in-house lawyer. So, as I write this, I have been musing on how I got here and what has changed along the way. I never envisaged in-house as an option for my legal career when I was studying law at Canterbury University…
Climate crisis: the cold hard facts about all that “hot air”

Climate crisis: the cold hard facts about all that “hot air”

School students are striking, the Extinction Rebellion movement is growing, and local governments in New Zealand and around the world have declared a climate emergency. But not everyone is ready to join the zero emissions revolution. There are still sceptics, most notably in the White House, but also closer to…
Sustainable Practice

Sustainable Practice

With this issue we begin a regular feature which looks at what lawyers and legal workplaces can do to operate more sustainability and to help arrest climate change. I’m a lawyer, what can I do?Deeply worried about what is happening to our environment? Very concerned that, whatever the rhetoric, we do…

Some cases involving sheep

The Confederate sheepLoyal United States citizen Mrs Lee lived in Pennsylvania but owned a flock of 608 sheep in Texas (witnesses later disagreed on the exact number). The American Civil War broke out in April 1861 and Mrs Lee left her sheep in charge of a shepherd. In March 1863…

Technology

Legal tech in New Zealand: Where’s the disruption?

Legal technology is a burgeoning industry with an enormous and vibrant array of conferences, workshops, hackathons, CLOC events and seminars around the world. Add the word “disruption” and throw in talk of artificial intelligence and robot lawyers and it becomes both exciting and sometimes confusing. In this issue of LawTalk…

LegalTechNZ aims to promote benefits of technology

Legal technology should be embraced, not feared and artificial intelligence is unlikely to make lawyers unemployed. Not everyone in the legal profession would agree with that statement but it makes sense for lawyers to network and talk about the advance of applications and software that can assist in legal work. In…

The hawks helping lawyers automate legal documents

LawHawk founder Gene Turner Back in 2016 LawHawk burst on to the New Zealand legal scene and has gone from strength to strength since. “Legal tech is taking off around the world, as people see how technology has revolutionised other industries and professions and want to bring the same benefits to law,”…

Is software eating the law? The world according to Simmonds Stewart

The technology industry is fond of the idiom “software is eating the world”. It paints a picture of technology crashing into every industry, requiring incumbent players to adopt cutting edge technologies or risk getting cast aside by smaller, tech-enabled alternatives. Simmonds Stewart partners Victoria Stewart and Andrew Simmonds have been using…

Using brain fingerprinting in court

The technology that is going to shape our future is already here. Much like the introduction of DNA evidence, Forensic Brainwave Analysis (FBA) is a powerful tool which could change the way serious crime is investigated. FBA is a neuroscientific technique where a brainwave known as the P300 wave and the…

5G: Big deal or not really

So, 5G is almost upon us. Apparently, it is going to bring us driverless cars, world peace and self-folding washing. Or something like that. But what is 5G and is it really such a big deal? Put simply, 5G is an umbrella term for ‘5th generation’ cellular transmission technologies that use much…

How lawyers can successfully embrace social media

The legal profession is only starting to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that technology brings, although many aren’t taking advantage of what is one of the most popular forms of communication today – social media. Social media can provide great opportunities to engage with existing clients, but also help you…
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