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COVID-19
Access to Justice through COVID-19
Recorded March 2022This Q and A webinar, hosted by the President of the Law Society, Tiana Epati, offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from four Heads of Bench, including the Chief Justice, on the impact of COVID-19 on the operation of the Courts. The Courts have continued to operate during the pandemic and enabling access to justice has required creative and rapid problem solving across the profession. The Secretary for Justice and the Ministry of Justices Chief Operating Officer also answer questions relating to health and safety and court operations and the National Commissioner for Corrections answers questions around accessing clients in correctional facilities.
Resources:
- Supplementary Questions (PDF)
Copyright notice
Please note that this webinar is intended for the use of the legal profession and should not be passed on or circulated more widely. Anyone wishing to make use of this recording or its contents must first obtain the permission of New Zealand Law Society l Te Khui Ture o Aotearoa [email protected]
Employment law matters during COVID-19 lockdown
Recorded April 2020Presenters: John Hannan, Lucia Vincent, moderated by Maria Dew QC
This live web stream recording is suitable for any lawyers dealing with employment law issues, some of the topics that will be covered include:
- Lock down levels and how they affect employment
- Employer Wage Subsidy Scheme: including what "best endeavours" looks like, who is eligible, and employer obligations
- Agreeing reductions in pay/hours with staff - what's the right process in accordance with good faith obligations?
- Standing down staff on no pay or lower pay
- Annual leave: including whether employers receiving the wage subsidy for employees who cannot attend work (nor work from home) can require those staff to reduce their annual leave (entitled) balances
- Public Holidays: including what is otherwise a working day when we're in lockdown? What to pay people for public holidays when they are not able to work due to the lockdown restrictions.
- Restructuring and redundancy: including when and how can businesses restructure and make staff redundant, how does the wage subsidy affect this, is consulting by Zoom OK
- Frustration of contract, force majeure clauses
Resources:
COVID-19 Access to Justice webinar on the operation of the courts
Recorded April 2020This Q and A webinar, hosted by the President of the Law Society, Tiana Epati, offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from six Heads of Bench, including the Chief Justice, on the impact of COVID-19 on the operation of the Courts. The Courts are deemed an essential service and enabling access to justice during pandemic has required creative and rapid problem solving across the profession. These challenges continue as the country moves into Level 3.
The Chief Justice, Dame Helen Winkelmann, explains the decision to suspend jury trials and outlines the thinking behind the reconfiguration of the Courts to address the reality of lockdown.Justice Forrie Miller, Chair of the Judicial Steering Group, whose task is to identify critical constraints on the Courts under each Covid-19 Alert Level, discusses the challenges of staffing and social distancing and the impact of greater technological capacity on the ability of the courts to function under the restrictions.
The Chief High Court Judge, Justice Venning and the Chief High Court Judge designate, Justice Thomas, outline the issues for the High Court, in particular dealing with criminal jury trials and other criminal justice issues and provide on detail on the management of civil and commercial work. They also look ahead to Court operations at Levels 3 and 2 and managing backlogs.The Chief District Court Judge Judge Taumaunu discusses the significant backlog the District Court is facing and emphasises the human impact of this. His signals his intention for the Courts to undertake as much work of their usual work as possible under the Level 3 restrictions and is considering creative solutions to overcome workload issues.
The Principal Family Court Judge, Judge Moran, notes that an expected increase in protection order applications during the lockdown has not occurred, apart from those in the mental health area. It is anticipated that this trend will reverse as the lockdown levels reduce. It is expected that Judges will triage matters that were adjourned during the lockdown period.Looking to the future, the Chief Justice notes that while this has been a difficult time for the profession, it has provided opportunities for innovation, to change aspects of the business as usual operating model to take the good of the old and the new.
She notes there will be continuing challenges, in particular dealing with the backlog of cases and the human cost of this, which means the time to start developing a recovery plan is now.
Resources:
Copyright notice
Please note that this webinar is intended for the use of the legal profession and should not be passed on or circulated more widely.Anyone wishing to make use of this recording or its contents must first obtain the permission of New Zealand Law Society l Te Khui Ture o Aotearoa [email protected]
Remote witnessing and signing of documents during COVID-19 lockdown: a Q&A plus tech tips with Gene Turner and Rohan Cochrane
Recorded April 2020
Presenters: Rohan Cochrane and Gene Turner
This live web stream recording is suitable for any lawyers dealing with the remote signing and witnessing of documents, some of the topics that will be covered include:
- Remote witnessing and signing of documents including practical scenarios
- Audio-visual link (AVL) options
- E-signatures
Property matters during the COVID-19 lockdown: Q&A with Duncan Terris and Robbie Muir
Recorded April 2020
Presenters: Robbie Muir & Duncan Terris
Resources:
This live web stream recording is suitable for lawyers dealing with property matters and will cover:
- property settlements
- new agreements
- remote witnessing of A&Is
- AML-CFT documentation
- statutory declarations
- interim changes to LINZ procedure
Working effectively from home during the COVID-19 lockdown
Recorded April 2020
Presenter: Julia Shallcrass
Resources:
This live web stream recording is suitable for everyone in the profession and will cover:
- The Government requirement for non-essential workers to stay at home during Covid-19 Alert Level 4
- Benefits of working from home for you and your team
- Identifying common pitfalls of working from home, with the focus on challenges faced by lawyers
- Using technology effectively for secure storage and transmission of information
- Setting up virtual meetings for communication with clients and colleagues
- Managing staff workload and supporting wellbeing for greater productivity
- Looking after your mental and physical health
- Guidelines on how to effectively work from home by setting boundaries, preparing your workspace and your work day
- What to include in your working from home policies
Flexible Working for Law Firms
Recorded November 2017
Flexible working is one of the most effective ways to increase diversity and productivity within legal practice. Alternative options to fulltime work are becoming more popular, and while there are many benefits, these arrangements often create challenges that need to be addressed.
This recording will provide practical guidance on how to create flexible working arrangements to engage a productive workforce as well as how to manage key challenges that are likely to emerge. Join us for practical solutions to challenges around flexible work including:
- The types of flexible work in legal practice
- Benefits of flexible work for legal practice
- How to create flexible working arrangements
- Employers legal obligations around flexible work
- When do you have to agree to flexible work?
- What are the challenges for legal services around flexible work?
- How do you overcome these challenges?