Service eyes 12 new lawyer positions pending final decisions after staff consultation
Proposed adjustments within the Public Defence Service (PDS) aim to improve access to the service, increase case volumes, and promote timeliness in courts and the criminal justice system, according to a Ministry of Justice media release.
The contemplated changes will impact the organisational structure of the PDS and the way that it operates and prioritises its work, said PDS director Peter Hutchinson.
Hutchinson described the PDS as “a highly professional group of dedicated, hard-working people, focused on ensuring clients receive high quality legal services.”
PDS staff members have received a proposal for organisational realignment for them to consider and provide feedback on the plans, the media release said. Specifically, the proposed changes seek to:
The media release noted that adding the new positions for lawyers would result in a net overall reduction of one position.
In the media release, Hutchinson said that the review of the PDS operating model seeks to enable it to meet its current performance expectations and handle more legal aid cases beginning the 2025–26 financial year. Hutchinson added that the PDS aims to achieve the proposed changes within its current budget.
“Our proposed reprioritisation, combined with the hiring of more lawyers is designed to help boost the number of PDS lawyers able to take legal aid cases,” Hutchinson said.
The consultation period will end at 5:00 p.m. on 24 April, Thursday.
“We will not be making any decisions until we have carefully considered all feedback from our staff,” Hutchinson said. “We appreciate that this is an unsettling time, and appropriate support is being offered.”
