The New Zealand Lawyers' Society is an informal body which was established in March 1993 to promote the interests of New Zealand law and lawyers in England. We have a membership of approximately 300-400, comprising solicitors, barristers, academics, corporate, banking and business lawyers, and students. The Lawtalk report of our inaugural meeting gives more background as to the formation of the Society.

The Society usually holds 4 functions a year, at which a prominent New Zealand lawyer speaks on a topical subject. Our next function will be a talk by Justice Hammond: Judicial Recusal - Principles, Process and Problems at the offices of Clifford Chance 10 Upper Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 5JJ on Wednesday, 19 November 2008 at 18:00 (talk starting at 1830) followed by a drinks reception.  The function is free. All New Zealand lawyers are welcome. For a location map, Please Click Here

Justice Grant Hammond graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Laws and Master of Philosophy from the University of Auckland and a Master of Laws from the University of Illinois. He was a partner in the Hamilton law firm Tompkins Wake & Co. He was then a Professor of Law in American and Canadian (Dalhousie) Universities, and Chairman of the Alberta Law Reform Commission before being appointed Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland, subsequently Dean of Law in 1989. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1992 and of the Court of Appeal in January 2004.  Whilst a judge, he has been a visiting Professor of Law at Cornell, and more recently was the Law Foundation Professor of Law at Saskatchewan.  He is the general editor of Cross on Evidence (NZ Ed).  He is presently in the UK as the Robert S Campbell Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford. Could you please go to the Forthcoming Functions page if you wish to attend the talk.

In addition to holding functions for its members the Society tries to assist New Zealand lawyers to find employment, helps English lawyers who are inquiring about emigrating to New Zealand and fields a significant number of enquiries by English people about legal problems they have in New Zealand, and for its members. This site provides information and guidance in relation to most of the foregoing areas. If you are a New Zealand lawyer in the UK, or if you are contemplating coming to the UK, we hope you find this site useful, and look forward to your joining the Society and coming to our functions.