Some branches have reopened, but a number of services will still be provided through remote means
The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has adopted a hybrid operating model as the country moved into COVID-19 alert level 2.
With the relaxation of restrictions on gatherings on Friday, the organisation sought to increase its responsiveness to the community.
“In practice, this means that the Law Society is moving toward a hybrid operating model with some services starting to be offered through libraries, branches and our bigger offices and others continuing to be offered virtually,” Law Society CEO Helen Morgan-Banda said in a 28 May statement.
The model will be implemented in the organisation’s Auckland and Wellington offices. A number of staff will be present in person, while others will continue to work from home. In other branches, staff will begin to transition into a part-time schedule.
Level 2 protocols, including contact tracing, are in place for Law Society libraries, which are open from 9:30am to 4:30pm.
“We will continue to review the hours fortnightly, or as government restrictions change,” the organisation said.
Requests for in-person meetings and events within offices are being handled on a case-by-case basis, and the Law Society said that “a mix of virtual and face-to-face meetings” should be practicable “as long as guidelines are followed.”
“We are taking the approach that we have throughout this pandemic, which is to carefully follow official government guidance on how we can work and the services we can offer,” Morgan-Banda said.
The Law Society closed its offices and cancelled all public events back in March.
