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CLIENT CARE & TERMS

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  • Property
    Law North Limited provides legal support for all types of property transactions across the Far North and beyond. Property is a core part of our business so whether your property interest is residential, commercial, horticultural, rural or coastal we can provide the legal support you need. We also have specific expertise in Overseas Investment in New Zealand Property and Maori land. For our alternative fixed fee conveyancing services refer to our Swift website www.swiftconveyancing.co.nz Contact us here >
  • Business & Commercial
    There is a diverse range of businesses in the Far North ranging from small to medium enterprise through to publicly listed corporates. Key industries include horticulture, tourism, forestry, farming, retirement villages and retail. We provide legal advice to clients who come from all of these types of business and more. Our specialist commercial teams have acted on sales and purchases of businesses, financing and re-financing, takeovers, restructuring and receiverships. We have also developed specialist experience in the horticulture, rural and tourism sectors. Contact us here >
  • Wills, Trusts & Estates
    No matter what age you are, estate planning is an important legal step to protect your assets and look after your loved ones. Making a will and keeping it up to date with your life changes is an easy way to ensure things are done the way you want after your death. Setting up a trust may also be a good idea for situations where specific control of your assets is needed. Putting in place enduring powers of attorney ready to respond if you lose mental capacity is also a sensible decision. After your death, your estate will be administered in accordance with your will or, if you don’t have a will, through the Administration Act processes. You need to know what those options are to decide whether to make a will. Contact us here >
  • Aged Care
    The climate and lifestyle of the Far North, and especially the Bay of Islands, makes it a popular choice for many people to spend their retirement. Law North Limited has considerable experience in all legal issues affecting the elderly. Some of the more common issues which arise are entering into licenses to occupy retirement villages and rest homes, drafting wills, preparation of powers of attorney for property and personal care, estate planning and loss of mental capacity. We have an ongoing role as legal provider to Aged Concern which keeps us in touch with relevant concerns affecting the elderly. We are also accredited Super Gold card legal providers. Contact us here >
  • Separations & Relationships
    Law North has helped many clients through separation and divorce and understand it is usually a difficult and traumatic time for all of the family. We are also very aware of the need to ensure absolute confidentiality in our small-town environment. It is important to get it right to make sure that everything is in place so that everyone can move on as soon as they are able. Second families and competing financial interests need to be considered and appropriate documentation put in place to avoid arguments into the future. We are able to help you with all of your needs in this area. Contact us here >
  • Dispute Resolution
    Our dispute resolution team acts on all types of disputes. We will work with you to resolve the problem by negotiation or mediation or, if required, we will take the matter to court for you. Your dispute may relate to a contract, a trust, property, an outstanding debt, a leaky home or a relationship. These are just some of the matters we act on. We are general practice dispute lawyers. Our specialist litigation lawyers have appeared in all of the New Zealand Courts, including the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Contact us here >
  • Swift Conveyancing
    For our alternative fixed fee conveyancing services check out our partners, Swift, at www.swiftconveyancing.co.nz

1.      Client Care and Service

The Law Society Rules regarding client care and service require a Lawyer to:

  • Act competently, in a timely way and in accordance with instructions received and arrangements made.

  • Protect and promote your interests and act for you free from compromising influences and loyalties.

  • Discuss with you your objectives and how they should be best achieved.

  • Provide you with the information about the work to be done, who will do it and the way the services will be provided (Letter of Engagement).

  • Charge you a fee that is fair and reasonable and let you know how and when you will be billed.

  • Give you clear information and advice.

  • Protect your privacy and ensure appropriate confidentiality.

  • Treat you fairly, respectfully and without discrimination.

  • Keep you informed about the work being done and advise you when it is completed.

  • Let you know how to make a complaint and deal with any complaint properly and fairly.

These obligations are fully set out in the Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.  These obligations are subject to other overriding duties a Lawyer has, including duties to the Courts and to the Justice system.  Further detail is available at www.lawyers.org.nz.

 

2.         Fees

The basis on which our fees are charged and the procedure and time for payment of fees is set out in our standard Terms of Engagement.  Please note we may deduct from any funds held on your behalf in our trust account, any fees, expenses or disbursements for which we have provided an invoice and/or statement.

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3.         Professional Indemnity Insurance

When acting as Lawyers, we hold Professional Indemnity Insurance that exceeds the minimum standards required by the New Zealand Law Society.

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4.         Lawyers’ Fidelity Fund

The Law Society maintains the Lawyers’ Fidelity Fund providing clients and lawyers with protection against loss arising from theft by lawyers.  The maximum payable by the Fidelity Fund to an individual claimant is limited to $100,000.00.  Except in certain circumstances specified in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, the Fidelity Fund does not cover a client for any loss relating to money that a lawyer is instructed to invest on behalf of the client.

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5.         Complaints

We maintain a procedure for dealing with complaints by clients. If you have a complaint about our services or charges, we ask that you refer the initial complaint to the person in the firm who is responsible for your work.

If you have difficulty in referring the complaint to that person or you are not satisfied with that person’s response, the firm has an alternative procedure.  Contact should be made by letter, email or telephone with the Manager of the firm.  In her absence the Managing Director can be contacted. You will be supplied with a form to complete, briefly outlining the issues of concern.  The firm will deal with this as quickly as possible and provide a formal response.

The Law Society also maintains a complaints service and you are able to make a complaint using that service.  To do so you should contact The New Zealand Law Society, PO Box 58, Auckland 1140, Ph: (09) 303 5270.

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6.        Privacy and Confidentiality

We are committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of our clients that use our services and our website.  In accordance with the Privacy Act 1993 our Privacy Statement covers:

  • How we collect your personal information

  • Why we collect your personal information

  • How we share your personal information

  • How we store your personal information

  • How you can access and change your personal information

How we collect your personal information

We collect your information from:

  • You, when you provide that personal information us through any contact with us e.g. e-mails, phone conversations, forms filled in etc;

  • Third parties, when authorized by you; and

  • Publicly available sources such as the internet.

Why we collect your personal information

We collect information concerning you for the purpose of providing legal services, to obtain credit or other references, to undertake credit management and to inform you of issues and developments that may be of interest to you.

How we share your personal information

We may at times be required to disclose your personal information for purposes such as:

  • A credit reference agency for the purpose of credit checking you;

  • To any business that supports our services and products, including any person that hosts/maintains our IT systems that we use;

  • A person who can require us to supply your personal information (e.g. a regulatory authority)

  • Any other person authorised by the Act or another law (e.g. a law enforcement agency)

  • Any other person authorised by you.

How we store your personal information

Information concerning you will be held at our office and is stored, and disposed of, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Public Records Act 2005. We will take reasonable steps to keep your personal information safe from loss, unauthorised activity, or other misuse.   We keep your personal information secure through:

  • Training our staff on secure handling of information, including quarterly updates

  • Making regular backups of our data

  • Using secure systems and servers with strong privacy standards and policies to protect data from outside sources

  • Secure storage for physical information.

Information

How you can access and change your personal information

Subject to certain grounds for refusal set out in the Act, you have the right to access your readily retrievable personal information that we hold and to request a correction to you personal information.  Before you exercise this right, we will need evidence to confirm that you are the individual to whom the personal information relates.

In respect for correction, if we think the correction is reasonable and we are reasonably able to change the personal information, we will make the correction.  If we do not make the correction, we will take reasonable steps to note on the personal information that you requested the correction.

If you want to exercise either of the above rights, email us at info@lawnorth.co.nz.  Your e-mail should provide evidence of who you are and set out the details of your request (e.g. the personal information, or the correction, that you are requesting). 

We may charge reasonable costs (guided by the Act) for providing to you copies of your personal information or correcting that information.

 

Changes to this policy

We may change this policy by uploading a revised policy on this website and updating the Client Terms of Engagement.  The change will apply from the date that we upload the revised policy.

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