NZ Law Society
Added: Feb 17, 2012
A bill proposing controls on legal aid in Family Courts proceedings is misleading about the savings it will deliver and should be deferred until a report on a major review of the Family Courts is presented to the Minister of Justice in March.
New Zealand Law Society President Jonathan Temm has told Parliament’s Justice and Electoral Committee that New Zealanders were being misled about the economic efficiencies that would be delivered by the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill.
“We will not make these savings. There has been no social policy work done on the impact of this bill on children and other vulnerable groups. The Ministry of Justice has focused purely on perceived economic benefit,” Mr Temm said.