New Zealand is is considered an outlier among developed nations for maintaining a “self-regulatory” model where the same entity—the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS)—acts as both the regulator and the representative body for lawyers.
The recent review concluded that a seperate independent regulator was desirable but it appears that this is not high on the list of priorities
For the past 8 years I have been involved in court action which is compelling evidence as to why the NZLS should not hold the conflicting reglator and representative functions.
I have commenced a petition and am seeking support please sign the petition is is available here on the parliamentary web site
The reason that I have started this is that have been taken to court for defamation and as a result am paying a lawyer $75,000 out of my $23,000 per annum pension.
The proceedings went to a tribunal and then to court based on false documents and my reaction in calling them that basically because the false documents ended my career as an investigator by discrediting me
The false documents were created by the then manager regulatory of the New Zealand Law Society based on unverified data which subsequently proved to be false.
They were used by a law society member to refute the law societies own documents which provided corroboration of my truthful statements
My complaints to the New Zealand law society have resulted in allegations of harassment and the law society has refused to act because the matter was before the court.
The Law societies former staff member who recklessly and without any legal basis created the documents is now an ombudsman and commissioner .
If we had an independent body, I would have had some where to seek help from instead I am dealing with the organisation which was vicariously responsible for the action and is therefore complicit and conflicted .
If the NZLS can create false documents and defend them what else can they do ?
The IPCA flushed out corruption in the police, and the law Society needs similar independent oversight it is a severely conflicted monopoly
Happy to provide the evidence just contact me and I will forward, this is so very wrong