Practice Briefings

• Addressing members of the Judiciary
  PDF File, 174.3 KB
  Being able to appear as an advocate for any person before any New Zealand court or tribunal is one of the areas of work expressly reserved for New Zealand lawyers. As advocates, it is obviously important that lawyers observe the correct forms of address in their dealings with members of the judiciary. This Practice Briefing summarises the expected forms of judiciary address, both in the courtroom and in written communications.
• Awards and Prizes for New Zealand Lawyers
  PDF File, 243.4 KB
  Achievement in the New Zealand legal profession is recognised by the award of a number of annual prizes and scholarships. This Practice Briefing lists the bestknown prizes and scholarships which are awarded in New Zealand annually.
• Counsel moving admission to the High Court
  PDF File, 132.2 KB
  Over 500 New Zealanders are admitted as barristers and solicitors of the High Court each year. The admission ceremony is a significant event in the life of every new lawyer. While admission is a celebratory occasion, it is also a court proceeding. Often counsel who move admission do not normally appear in court and have become involved because the candidate is a relative or colleague. This Practice Briefing has been prepared by the Law Society to provide advice and information for lawyers who want to move an application for admission to the High Court.
• Email scams which target lawyers
  PDF File, 206.3 KB
  Lawyers are not immune from being targeted by criminals who seek to exploit some of the work practices used by the legal profession. New Zealand lawyers have been sent a number of emails by fraudsters, almost always based outside the country. This Practice Briefing provides information on the most commonlyencountered scams in New Zealand and suggests some tests for detecting them.
• Law Society Legal Research Facilities
  PDF File, 213.1 KB
  The New Zealand Law Society’s Library is one of New Zealand’s most comprehensive legal information resources. The Library is a private library which is not open to the general public. Library services are provided to members and associate members of the Law Society, the judiciary and Ministry of Justice court staff.
• Lawyers nominee companies and contributory mortgages
  PDF File, 226.5 KB
  The rules governing lawyers nominee companies are contained in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Nominee Company) Rules 2008. In force since 1 August 2008, all law firms which operate lawyer nominee companies are required to comply with the requirements. The Law Society’s Board approved guidelines to assist with compliance and this Practice Briefing reproduces them.
• Offering legal services on the internet
  PDF File, 327.2 KB
  
• Practice Management Systems in New Zealand
  PDF File, 203.9 KB
  New Zealand lawyers have a number of different practice management systems to choose from. These have either been developed in New Zealand or adapted from a system used overseas. Obviously each law practice has its own needs and a decision on which system is best for a particular set of requirements can only be made by the practice concerned. The information in this Practice Briefing was gathered in December 2011 to provide a description of basic features and published in the 16 December 2011 issue of the Law Society’s LawTalk magazine.
• Seeking employment as a lawyer
  PDF File, 250.3 KB
  This Practice Briefing provides advice and information on best practices for seeking employment as a provider of legal services. The information has been compiled by the New Zealand Law Society and is aimed at first-time job seekers, although the information will also be useful to anyone who is attempting to change employment.
• Working as a law firm consultant
  PDF File, 160.4 KB
  Lawyers who choose to work as consultants may have a number of reasons for doing so. Consulting can offer greater flexibility in working and the opportunity to work fewer hours with less administration. It is quite common for partners in law firms to move to the role of consultant as one of the steps towards retirement. Becoming a consultant usually involves a change in employment status and raises some professional regulatory issues. This Practice Briefing has been prepared by the Law Society to provide relevant advice and information on the requirements for lawyers who work as consultants.