Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Julie-Anne Kincade: NZ Law Association Vice President on the increase in complaints against lawyers

Transcript

Julie-Anne Kincade: NZ Law Association Vice President on the increase in complaints against lawyers · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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  Speaker 1: There's been an eleven percent spike and complaints to the
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  Speaker 1: Law Society about lawyers over the past year. Most of
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  Speaker 1: the thirteen hundred complaints relate to legal negligence or incompetence.
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  Speaker 1: Eighty percent lead nowhere. So Juliannekincaid, is the vice president
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  Speaker 1: of the Law Association, joins me. Now, Hello, Julienne, good morning.
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  Speaker 1: So is the rise in complaints because of a rise
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  Speaker 1: in bad lawyers or is this sore loser clients.
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  Speaker 2: I can't say why there's been a rising complaints, but
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  Speaker 2: I would like to think that there would probably be
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  Speaker 2: a variety of reasons there are. There's a wide spectrum
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  Speaker 2: of things that people can complain about. Obviously, it goes
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  Speaker 2: from an extreme end of very bad behavior of misconduct
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  Speaker 2: which we cannot tolerate within the profession, through a lot
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  Speaker 2: of things like bad communications or billing issues, and through
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  Speaker 2: right through to the other end of the spectrum, which
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  Speaker 2: is a vexatious litigant client clients who will complain about
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  Speaker 2: every lawyers. Yes, yes, it's a broad spectrum.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. The Law Society says people are more educated on
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  Speaker 1: the lawd to to check gput and AI and that
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  Speaker 1: leads to clashes. So are we more educated or do
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  Speaker 1: we just think we are.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think that managing expectations is always part of
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  Speaker 2: a lawyer's job. And I can remember even a long
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  Speaker 2: time ago, I'm a criminal lawyer in England where people
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  Speaker 2: would particularly in prison, would talk to each other and
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  Speaker 2: perhaps read up on the law and then come to
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  Speaker 2: us and say, look, I think this, and we have
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  Speaker 2: to have those conversations, and we shouldn't mind that. I
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  Speaker 2: actually welcome a client who's engaged in doing their own research.
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  Speaker 2: But of course we are the experts a little bit
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  Speaker 2: like if you go to the doctor and you're going
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  Speaker 2: to look up your symptoms before you go. When you
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  Speaker 2: go to the doctor and say I think it's this,
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  Speaker 2: the doctor will then be able to tell you because
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  Speaker 2: they're trained and experienced.
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  Speaker 1: So how do you make sure the way you've got
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  Speaker 1: is the right lawyer for you and a good one.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, is there a rate my teacher dot com
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  Speaker 1: for lawyers? Is there some way you can get advice?
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  Speaker 1: How do you choose a lawyer?
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  Speaker 2: I think, personally, and this is just my personal view,
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  Speaker 2: that Doyle's Guide is a good way to start, because
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  Speaker 2: that is a one of those databases which is actually
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  Speaker 2: other lawyers saying who's a good lawyer. I think that's
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  Speaker 2: the closest thing I can think about in that area.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, we all google everybody nowadays and you can
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  Speaker 2: look up and see maybe if they've done other cases,
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  Speaker 2: what have they been in the papers. But not all
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  Speaker 2: of our work is published. A lot of what we
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  Speaker 2: do is obviously very confidential, and that's quite right. So
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  Speaker 2: asking around is always the best way. If you know
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  Speaker 2: people that have been through similar experiences, it's always a
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  Speaker 2: good way of doing.
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  Speaker 1: Ju and Concaid King's Counsel thank you so much for
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  Speaker 1: your time today and all your advice. But for more
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: Familily edition with Iron Bridge.
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