Library and lawyers' room opens at the North Shore District Court

The New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) has reported the reopening of a library kiosk and lawyers' room at the North Shore District Court in Albany, Auckland.

The reopening is part of ongoing remediation works, and the new location has gained favour with local lawyers who found the access more convenient despite the room being a little smaller. The space is now efficiently serving the practical needs of lawyers due to the addition of essential amenities by the legal community.

Joanne Price, a sole practitioner from JPLegal, highlighted the importance of regional library kiosk services for lawyers practising outside major cities. Regional library kiosk services are a mainstay for court lawyers outside the main towns and provide a valuable and convenient resource for their local court work. Price said the kiosk is a valuable resource to assist with legal research for submissions and advising clients on new legal issues.

"Regional library kiosks are an integral part of providing a service for our clients. I would struggle to undertake my legal research for written submissions, and even as a duty lawyer, it is sometimes necessary to look up an area of law when advising a client," Price said.

The kiosk is equipped with a computer, photocopier, tea and coffee-making facilities, tables, and chairs. It also offers access to leading legal databases that the NZLS Libraries subscribe to, including LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer.

Users can access the databases on their own devices via the NZLS Wi-Fi while in the room, with the Wi-Fi password available on-site. The NZLS website's database page allows users to download judgments, reported cases and commentary via Wi-Fi. Access to the library kiosk and lawyers' room is by swipe card entry using the users' library access card once registered with court security. Interested persons can directly apply for library cards from the law library.

"As a sole practitioner, it is so important to be able to access a law library to do our legal research, and it makes a huge difference to my practice. I do not use any other library services, but I value the available services provided by the library. It would make a lawyer's job far more difficult if the service were unavailable," Price said.