New Zealand Law Society - National Friends Panel
Your own professional sounding board. The National Friends Panel is made up of lawyers who can be contacted on a confidential basis with questions or concerns relating to practice issues. This can include specific situations you are unsure about and what to expect in a legal workplace more generally.
Solving the problems of others is an integral part of being a lawyer. Sometimes, lawyers need help too, and often it can help to speak to someone who understands the pressures of life as a lawyer.
The National Friends Panel is there to provide collegial support and practice advice to members of the legal profession from other members of the legal profession.
You can ask the Panel for situational advice on:
National Friends Panel members will listen to you confidentially. They may be able to draw on their own experience to suggest a way to approach the issues you are experiencing, or they may be able to refer you to someone else. You will have someone who wants to listen and to discuss things. Panel members are not there to judge you. They will not provide free legal advice.
If you are interested in joining the National Friends Panel, complete the registration form.
Completing this form means the Law Society will make confidential inquiries into your experience and qualifications for the purpose of determining your suitability.