The Disputes Tribunal has just increased the financial
threshold for submitting a claim to $30,000. Until 29 October 2019,
a party could only file a claim up to a maximum of $15,000 (or
$20,000 with both parties' agreement). At this low sum it meant
that parties who wanted to pursue claims slightly over $15,000
faced the prospect of either writing off a portion of the debt to
pursue their claim in the Tribunal, or abandoning it all
together.
By Pierce Bedogni - 1 Nov 2019
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Jacque Lethbridge had the great pleasure of delivering a speech
on behalf of community law for the commemorative sitting of the
High Court recognising 150 years of the NZLS. The Chief Justice,
Helen Winkelmann, presided over the ceremony.
By Jacque Lethbridge - 30 Oct 2019
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Employers are becoming increasingly aware of the risk that
drug-taking poses to a workplace. However, employers should tread
carefully when deciding to drug test employees. The employers in
the recent case A v N learned this lesson the
hard way.
By Claire Mansell - 10 Oct 2019
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It's almost time for you to complete your purchase, what
else do you need to get organised?
By - 1 Oct 2019
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Family demographics have changed significantly over the
past 60 years. To keep up, the Property (Relationships) Act
1976 (PRA) was amended in 2002 to extend the property sharing to
heterosexual and homosexual de facto and civil union
partners.
By Dharsh Nanayakkara - 26 Sep 2019
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We're proud to announce we've been named as finalists in the
2019 New Zealand Law Awards in the category of mid-size law firm of
the year. The awards celebrate outstanding law firms, in-house
counsel and dealmakers from across New Zealand. The winners will be
announced on 21 November at a gala event being held at the Cordis
Hotel.
By - 24 Sep 2019
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The role of an attorney appointed under an EPA for
property is a significant one which should be taken seriously and
should not be accepted lightly. Accepting such an appointment
creates legal obligations and duties which cannot easily be
changed. This blog seeks to provide some guidance to a person
acting as a property attorney.
By Emma Foster - 17 Sep 2019
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You've got your deposit, you've found the right property, now a
multi-page document is sitting in front of you and a real estate
agent is asking you to sign. It is imperative that you get in touch
with a lawyer before you enter into an agreement. The best chance
of you negotiating favourable terms is before you
sign. This is even more important if you are planning on buying a
property "off the plans" that has not yet been subdivided or built.
More information about buying off the plans is available in a
previous blog.
By - 10 Sep 2019
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The Employment Relations (Triangular Employment) Amendment Bill
has passed its third reading in parliament and will come into force
by at least 27 June 2020. The Bill allows for a "controlling third
party" to be joined to a personal grievance claim in the Employment
Relations Authority. This means that an individual employee can
bring a claim against both their 'official' employer and any other
controlling third party.
By Claire Mansell - 4 Sep 2019
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In 2015 the Court of Appeal told landlords they could not
recover the cost of damage caused by their residential tenants
unless it was done intentionally. This was because the Property Law
Act 2007 said that a landlord could not require a tenant to meet
the cost of damage which can be insured against. From 27
August 2019 the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 dictates the law on
this issue.
By Mathew Martin - 28 Aug 2019
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