High Court reduces period of suspension for Keith Jefferies

The High Court has allowed, in part, an appeal by Keith Jefferies against a New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal decision to suspend him from practice for six months. Justice Williams has substituted an order suspending Mr Jefferies from legal practice for four months from 2 August 2017. In his appeal,…

NZ Law Society outlines practical steps for AEOI/CRS

The Automatic Exchange of Information/Common Reporting Standard (AEOI/CRS) came into force in New Zealand on 1 July 2017. This has important implications for lawyers in relation to operating their practices and solicitors' trust accounts. The New Zealand Law Society says lawyers practising from law firms without trust accounts will also need…

Lawyer struck off over dishonesty with trust money

A former Dunedin lawyer who only paid the contents of a trust account back after a former client complained to the New Zealand Law Society has been struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors. Richard James Woodhouse was struck off by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal. He admitted…

Increase Reserve Bank powers to collect foreign insurer information, NZ Law Society says

The Reserve Bank should have the power - and where appropriate, should exercise that power - to collect information about all insurance written in New Zealand, including insurance provided by foreign insurers. This is submitted by the New Zealand Law Society in its comments to the Reserve Bank on the bank's…

Practising certificate renewals due by 1 July

With just over one day to go before practising certificates for the year beginning 1 July 2017 need to be renewed, 10% of lawyers with current certificates have still to complete the renewal requirements. New Zealand Law Society Registry Manager Christine Schofield says that at 10:00am on Thursday 29 June, 91%…

Lawyers urged to start getting ready for AML/CFT implementation

New Zealand's lawyers  are being encouraged to start looking at what they need to do to implement the requirements of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 when members of the legal profession become "reporting entities" under the Act from 1 July 2018. The New Zealand Law Society's Vice…

New Zealand Law Society signs MoU with Open Polytechnic

The New Zealand Law Society has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Open Polytechnic over a new qualification for legal executives. From 2018, the Open Polytechnic will offer the New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies. The MoU will see the Law Society and the Open Polytechnic work together over…

Law Society issues AEOI/CRS Practice Briefing

The New Zealand Law Society has issued a Practice Briefing on the Automatic Exchange of Information/Common Reporting Standard (AEOI/CRS) regime which comes into force in New Zealand on 1 July 2017. The OECD-developed regime has important implications for lawyers in relation to operating their practices and solicitors' trust accounts. Lawyers will…

Felicity Blackman not to be employed by lawyers

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal has ordered that no practitioner or incorporated law firm employ Felicity Blackman in connection with the practitioner's or incorporated firm's practice. The order, pursuant to section 242(1)(h)(ii) of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 was made by the tribunal on 6 June 2017.…

New Zealand Supreme Court makes history

The Supreme Court has sat with a bench of three women and two men: the first time in New Zealand’s history that the country’s highest court has sat with a majority of women on the full bench. The recent retirement of Justice Terence Arnold from the six permanent Court members means…