Law Society president tenders resignation

Law Society President Jacque Lethbridge has tendered her resignation from the role.

In an announcement made last week, the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa confirmed that Lethbridge vacated the position with immediate effect. Vice President and acting Executive Director David Campbell confirmed that a replacement will be presented soon.

“When a vacancy in the office of the presidency arises, the Law Society’s constitution gives the power to the Law Society Council to appoint a president to serve for the remainder of the current term of office. This current term is due to expire in April 2023,” Campbell said.

The organisation’s board also received the results of a culture review conducted by Mike Heron KC that commenced in the wake of a breakdown in the relationship between the Law Society president and its then-chief executive.

“Mr Heron KC reported that on balance, considering all the statements and submissions received, the president behaved in a manner which some employees experienced as aggressive and irrational. While Mr Heron found that the president was genuinely well motivated and did not intend the consequences that occurred, the behaviour was inappropriate and described as unreasonable for a person in the position of president,” Campbell said.

In his report, Heron recommended the establishment and implementation of a delegated authority policy “which describes the delegations from the Board to the CEO (referred to in the board charter),” as well as the endorsement of a job description for the role of president by the board and council.

“The board accepts the report and will be working with the executive leadership team to act on the recommendations made by Mr Heron KC, as an additional part of the wider transformation work plan that is already underway,” Campbell said.