While a
number of New Zealand lawyers and firms have a Twitter account, it is not by any means the vast majority.
But the Judicial Office has taken the quantum leap, establishing an account with the handle -
@CourtsofNZ - on 3 June.
“
@CourtsofNZ was launched with little fanfare but attracted interest almost from day one,” a Judicial Office spokesperson told
NZLawyer.
“Follower numbers now sit around 370 and rising with media, the profession, law schools and libraries among the main subscribers. There’s also a good sprinkling of interested public,” the spokesperson said.
Recent tweets include the High Court daily list for today and the Court of Appeal’s judgement in
Kyburn Investments Ltd v Beca Corporate Holdings Ltd.
“Tweets are strongly focused on providing subscribers with relevant, ‘news you can use’ content and include daily lists, contact maps, Higher Court decisions and judgements,” the spokesperson said.
Judges’ speeches, links to press releases, and Court notices also feature.
The aim of starting a Twitter account was to “better serve open Justice through fast access to judicial decisions and Court notices”.
“Tweets always relate to material already available on the CourtsofNZ website, internal and external media announcements, and presentations and so on,” they said.
Twitter has also highlighted to the Judicial Office how quickly messages can travel online.
“It’s also underlined to us who is interested in what we do, and what they’re most interested in,” the spokesperson said.
Are you a firm with a Twitter profile? Comment your handle below.
