Article: Lawyers lock horns over governance change

THE COUNTRY'S 10,000 lawyers are embroiled in a debate about scrapping New Zealand's 14 district law societies in favour of a single, nationwide professional body.

Behind the proposal are changes to be introduced in July next year as part of the Lawyers & Conveyancers Act. When the legislation comes into effect, district law societies will lose their statutory status. At the same time, law society membership becomes voluntary and the national body, the New Zealand Law Society, becomes the regulator of the profession.

At the centre of the rationalisation debate are the district law societies' considerable assets and how they might be transferred to the NZLS if members vote for change.

The ...

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