Programme

Thursday 16 October 2025

• 9.00am-9.15am Mihi Whakatau
  A Mihi Whakatau is a Māori welcome ceremony, used to greet visitors or newcomers
• 9.15am-9.20am Welcome
  Welcome - Katie Rusbatch, CEO New Zealand Law Society
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  9.20am-9.50am Opening remarks
  Keynote speaker - Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann
• 9.50am-11.10am Disciplined lawyers: Restoring wellbeing and competence through rehabilitative penalties?
  Drawing upon contemporary research on lawyers’ well-being, we examine the opportunities that the disciplinary process may offer. Compelling arguments exist for using rehabilitation-focused penalties following professional misconduct (e.g. education, supervision, health assessments/interventions). A rehabilitative approach is beneficial for practitioners and society, also reducing the risk of future misconduct. However, rehabilitation is the least researched area of professional discipline. Supported by a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden grant, we examined rehabilitation conditions ordered by New Zealand’s Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal in comparison with disciplined health practitioners and teachers. In addition to that data, we share insights from disciplined lawyers, as well as those who order, monitor and deliver conditions. Adopting rehabilitation as a standard penalty principle may increase the use of restorative conditions, thereby promoting practitioners’ well-being and professionalism, in turn reducing future risk. We welcome discussion regarding additional opportunities for regulatory reform (e.g. a health pathway).
  Presenters
  Professor Kate Diesfeld, Auckland University of Technology
  Professor Lois Surgenor, University of Otago
  Panel
  Facilitated by Professor Diesfeld and Professor Surgenor
  Alice Duggan, Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
  Stephen Bray, Legal Services Council
  Charlotte Walker, New Zealand Law Society
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  11.10am-11.30am Morning tea | Paramanawa  
• 11.30am-12.30am Breakout sessions
  Session one: Spotlight on wellbeing work
  Presenter
  ‍Lucy Fraser, Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
  ‍
  Or
  Session two: Investigatory practices
  Legal regulators now more than ever are required to undertake highly complex, document-dense’, high-profile and sensitive investigations. This session examines different aspects of the investigation process and how regulators can ensure that best practice is followed to ensure a robust outcome, when inevitable challenges are mounted. Regulators will also touch on different regulatory levers that can be used to facilitate an efficient, timely and pragmatic response to issues that can arise during an investigation.
  Presenters
  ‍Natalie Town, New Zealand Law Society
  Kellie Grainger, Legal Services Commission Queensland
  Anthony Keane, Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner South Australia
  Calla Chau, Law Society of New South Wales
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  12.30pm-1.15pm Lunch | Tina
• 1.15pm-2.45pm Professional vs Personal Conduct
  The presenters will explore aspects of the professional vs personal conduct problem, including: the New Zealand experience; how the categorisation of borderline conduct has been dealt with by different judicial bodies, the difficulty of drawing this line in the 21st century, and issues re perception of overreach by regulators.
  The panel will then discuss:
  - The experience of other jurisdictions
  - How has this been defined, and are there any issues about clarity?
  - Has the approach changed over the years? Future direction?
  - The focus of the working group in New Zealand.
  Presenters
  ‍Natalie Town, New Zealand Law Society
  Juliet Philpott, Hawkestone Chambers
  Panel
  Facilitated by Juliet Philpott
  Natalie Town, New Zealand Law Society
  Megan Mahon, Legal Services Commission Queensland
  Nadya Haddad, Law Society of New South Wales
  Sarah Lethlean, Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
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  2.45pm-3.00pm Afternoon tea | Paramanawa
• 3.00pm-3.45pm Breakout sessions
  Session one: Unauthorised practice of law
  At a time when the internet and social media fuel an unprecedented proliferation of non-traditional service providers, legal regulators face ever increasing challenges around the unauthorised practise of law. Vulnerable communities and people affected by the cost-of-living crisis are amongst the consumers of legal services outside the scope of authorised legal practice, and when things go wrong, the consequences can be significant. In this session, different regulators share insights into emerging trends and themes they see in this area. Regulators will also discuss the ways in which they are using available regulatory tools to combat the negative impacts of unregulated legal service.
  Presenters
  ‍Kellie Grainger, Legal Services Commission Queensland
  Valerie Griswold, Law Society of New South Wales
  ‍
  Or
  Session two: Use of social media in the modern regulatory environment
  ‍The use of social media by lawyers presents new and complex challenges for legal regulators. For example, how do rights of freedom of speech interact with professional obligations and how far can and should regulation reach into a lawyer’s personal life? This session will cover these difficult topics. Presenters will also share real examples of social media disciplinary cases and how regulators are responding to lawyer conduct in the online world.
  Presenters
  Ben Hamlin, Clifton Chambers
  Paul Comrie-Thomson, Cuncannon
  
• 3.50pm-4.50pm New technologies and artificial intelligence
  This conference blurb was written with the assistance of GenAI. As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies rapidly reshape industries, regulators around the world are exploring their potential to streamline compliance, enhance oversight, and reduce administrative burdens. This session will explore how different legal regulators are exploring integrating AI and other digital innovations into regulatory processes.   The possibilities are endless, from summarising vast quantities of documents, automated decision-making and risk assessment to predictive analytics and digital monitoring of compliance. However, with opportunity comes risk that has to be safely managed.   This session will explore real-world examples of how regulators can and are utilising these tools, refer to guidance provided by regulatory bodies that can be of assistance and explore what some of the key risks are and ways regulators might manage these.
  Presenters
  ‍Charlotte Walker, New Zealand Law Society
  TBC, Meredith Connell
  Matt Dunn, Queensland Law Society
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  4.50pm-5.00pm Closing of day one
  Gareth Smith, General Manager Professional Standards, New Zealand Law Society
  
• 6.30pm Conference Dinner
  Conference dinner at Ilex, Christchurch Botanical Gardens