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We use our publications LawNews and the e-Bulletin to keep our members informed and connected to the latest developments in the legal profession.

LawNews, our weekly publication, has had another excellent year with online subscriptions now exceeding those for the print edition.

Thanks to all our contributors whose expertise and dedication are critical to the publication’s success. We aim to provide analysis and insight into the latest developments in the law and because diversity of opinion is important to us and our members, we always welcome new contributors. If you are interested, please get in touch with the editor, Jenni McManus, at jenni.mcmanus@adls.org.nz.

We have also introduced a strong news emphasis on our front pages, aimed at raising issues of interest to the profession. Topics tackled this year have included the challenges of AML/CFT compliance, name suppression, the need for diversity within the judiciary, freedom of speech, prisoner voting rights, the pilot sexual violence and the Alcohol and Other Drugs courts, courtroom bullying, and the use of electronic devices by lawyers during court hearings.

During the course of the year we interviewed two key members of the judiciary who, we believe, are set to make their mark on New Zealand’s justice and courts systems: Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann GNZM and Chief District Court Judge Heemi Taumaunu.

There were 44 issues of LawNews between October 2018 and September 2019, including two bumper issues of 16 pages.

ADLS’ e-Bulletin, which includes all that is new in the New Zealand legal profession, produced 45 online editions this year with subscriber numbers now at 11,379.

Social Media

In the past year ADLS has made significant progress in developing its social media presence through engagement with external partners with social media strategy and management expertise.

ADLS saw growth in LinkedIn followers (26%) and Facebook (10%). The involvement of social media experts will exponentially improve the number of followers and engagement.

New Zealand Lawyers Directory and Find-a-Lawyer

ADLS printed another two editions of the New Zealand Lawyers Directory in November 2018 and May 2019 respectively. The publication continues to be widely supported by the legal profession with over 2,400 copies printed and distributed every six months to a significant number of New Zealand’s law firms and organisations.

ADLS’ Find-a-Lawyer search function on the website received nearly 300,000 page views this year.

ADLS has travelled the length of New Zealand, hosting events in Whangarei, Invercargill and many cities in between. We substantially increased the number of events hosted from 40 to 48, including first-time cocktail functions in Invercargill and Rotorua, and the launch of the Newly Suited “Ten Questions with…” series.

Once again, our breakfasts have proved popular as we hosted the Attorney-General, the Honourable David Parker, and the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr.

We also hosted an entertaining evening with Jimi Hunt, learning about the importance of maintaining good mental health, and how we can improve our overall wellbeing. We thanked and bid farewell to outgoing ADLS President, Joanna Pidgeon, with cocktails at the Northern Club. This was followed by a successful Employment Law Dinner at the Maritime Room, and an Immigration Law Dinner with the Minister of Immigration, the Honourable Iain Lees-Galloway.

Our lawyers’ lunches have become a go-to collegial event for the profession, with registration increases of up to 75% in some centres. There is increasing awareness about how enjoyable, in addition to providing excellent networking opportunities, these lunches are. There are currently 16 lawyers’ lunches taking place across the country, with plans to increase this to 20 in 2020.