The Law Commission of New Zealand is undertaking a first principles review of class actions and litigation funding. They are currently seeking feedback from interested parties, having released an issues paper in December 2020. The New Zealand Law Society is planning to respond to the call, and is asking for views on the issue. The…
New Zealand Law Society launches consultation into bullying and harassment
The New Zealand Law Society| Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has announced a consultation on rule changes in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 (RCCC) and the (Lawyer: Ongoing Legal Education Continuing Professional Development) Rules 2013 (CPD), in order to combat bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession. …
New Zealand Law Society – consultation on access to justice report
On the 14th May 2020, the New Zealand Law Society released the draft research report: ‘Access to Justice – a stocktake of initiatives’. The goal of the report is to assist the Law Society in taking a people-centred approach and to better understand the legal system from a consumer perspective. The Society hopes to bring…
More regulatory responses to COVID-19
Following on from last month’s newsletter, we’ve put together the following list to examine different regulator responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here it is interesting to note the development and changes, as regulators begin to get a grasp on the crisis and develop innovative responses to meet the changing environment. If you have any questions…
New Zealand Lawyers, Pro Bono, and Access to Justice
Executive Summary This report summarises the results of a study about the provision of pro bono legal services in New Zealand. Pro bono legal services – free legal assistance provided by qualified lawyers – is often pointed to as an option for assisting more New Zealanders to access legal services. This is in recognition that…
New Zealand Law Society is reviewing its structure and function
The New Zealand Law (NZLS) is commissioning an independent review of its structure and function. This review is necessary because the Law Society is of the opinion that the current Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 constrains its ability to be transparent about the complaints procedure, and to deal with a broad range of unacceptable behaviour, including…
80% of major jurisdictions use central qualifying assessment
In an international benchmarking exercise, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales finds that almost 80% of the jurisdictions surveyed have a common assessment as part of lawyer qualification. Report on SRA website