"We need to pay for what we value", Dentons Kensington Swan chair says
Anderson Lloyd and Dentons Kensington Swan have expressed their support for the New Zealand Law Society’s new membership subscription model.
“We, and all our lawyers, have had the benefit of the Law Society’s representative services for free for many years. Those services are important, but they do cost. If we, as a large law firm, want to ensure that the Law Society delivers services that are of value to us, we need to pay for what we value. We can’t get by on reserves generated by previous generations”, said Hayden Wilson, chair and global vice chair of Dentons Kensington Swan.
He highlighted the Law Society’s efforts in law reform advocacy, stressing that such initiatives often require an approach that individual firms cannot provide alone.
"Often it is only the Law Society, through its members and committees, which makes impartial and thoughtful submissions on law reform", Wilson said. “We need a credible voice, which speaks for all lawyers, and not narrower interest groups, with the courts, ministers, MPs, and the ministry. They need to hear from a trusted body that has a mandate to speak for the profession. The Law Society has done some of this previously, we need to ensure that it does more”.
Anderson Lloyd chief executive Richard Greenaway pointed to membership in the Law Society as being important in attracting and retaining lawyers.
"I think that particularly younger and mid-career lawyers consider Law Society membership essential. It’s quite a challenge to recruit mid-career lawyers particularly in the regions, so we want to be able to offer Law Society membership as part of our benefits package", he explained, suggesting that over time, clients might also expect their lawyers to be members of the Law Society.
Greenaway also spotlighted the support the Law Society offered to lawyers overall.
“The Law Society's mentoring programme and confidential support options are important for the wellbeing of all lawyers. These benefits supplement the firm's existing initiatives and contribute to a well-rounded professional development experience for its lawyers”, he said. “We are confident that this membership will not only benefit our firm but also contribute to the advancement and well-being of the legal profession as a whole”.
Cloud accounting company Xero, confirmed that its New Zealand-qualified in-house lawyers would have their memberships renewed. General manager – legal, strategic growth and development Ben Jacobs affirmed that it was crucial to be part of the work being done by the Law Society and ILANZ.
