2007 continued to place a heavy burden on those lawyers who find the time to consider and discuss the complexities of the legal aid firmament that we are all required to co-exist in. At times the timeframes imposed are daunting, given our busy workloads, but there is a firm commitment to improve working relations with the Legal Services Agency, during these consultations.
Pre-eminent for this Committee, has been the ongoing quest for an acknowledgement that lawyers providing their services to clients in receipt of legal aid, should merit remuneration that is commensurate with their colleagues at the Crown and other Government funded bodies. Much work has been carried out by members both at District and the New Zealand Law Society Legal Services Committee, in the preparation of the Legal Aid Remuneration
Rates Review.
Also considered throughout this past year:
- Analysis of the supply, distribution and assignment to Legal Aid Providers in New Zealand.
- Submissions to Justice and Electoral Committee on Financial Review of Legal Services Agency.
- Duty Solicitors – Watching Brief and involvement in Legal Services Agency Pilots at Waitakere and Auckland District.
- Public Defence Service Review.
- Unmet legal needs summary – Provider availability surveys.
- Family Court in Transition – Juxtaposition Family Violence Courts.
- Legal Aid Remuneration.
- Training Requirements – New Practitioners.
- Police Detention Legal Assistance Scheme.
- Status Legal Aid Forms under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Acts.
- Legal Services Agency Steps and Disbursements Review.
- Interaction Legal Services Agency and Waitangi Tribunal Hearings.
2008 promises to be another issue driven year and we give grateful thanks to our hard working Committee Members past and future, particularly Gareth Heyns (Committee Secretary).
We continue to welcome correspondence from colleagues on issues relevant to practice under the Legal Services Agency umbrella.