Protecting the public, maintaining professional and ethical standards in the legal profession - A study of recent reforms in the New Zealand, Australia (New South Wales) and Fiji

Nand, Nainendra (2019) Protecting the public, maintaining professional and ethical standards in the legal profession - A study of recent reforms in the New Zealand, Australia (New South Wales) and Fiji. Journal of South Pacific Law, 2019 . pp. 40-75. ISSN 1684-5307

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Abstract

Individuals and often whole communities feel that lawyers far too often lack honesty and professional ethics and the law is usually not servicing either the individual or the community at large. The profession is facing considerable scrutiny and on occasions warranted criticisms. The Fijian Attorney General in 2019 raised issues of concern about the legal fraternity. He said some lawyers were charging high fees for representing their clients, showed tardiness in their dealings with clients and did not discharge their work in a timely fashion. Some lawyers were also singled out for their lack of preparation and ability to discharge their duties properly. The framework for lawyer regulation in New Zealand, Australia (New South Wales) and Fiji, each trace their roots to lawyer regulation in England and Wales, but have evolved and developed quite separately. There has been a long-erm trend away from self-regulation to various models of co-regulation. In England and Wales today, solicitors conduct is regulated by an independent statutory body called the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA). This paper examines how legal, ethical and professional standards for lawyers are dealt with in New Zealand, Australia (NSW) and Fiji.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) > School of Law
Depositing User:	Fulori Nainoca - Waqairagata
Date Deposited:	20 May 2020 03:32
Last Modified:	17 Feb 2021 00:10
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/12148

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