Trust Account Partner Training Programme 2008

Training Programme | Materials | Assessment Day | Fees | Itinerary
Presenters | Registration details | Observation Report

Trust accounting is regulated by a financial assurance scheme (1998) that includes rules, guidelines and regulations requiring each firm to appoint a trust account partner, and for that partner to be suitably qualified.

Becoming a trust account partner
To become a trust account partner - either as a partner in a firm or as a sole practitioner - you must (under Rules 19 and 20 of the Solicitors’ Trust Account Rules 1996) complete the NZLS Trust Account Partner Training Programme.

Training Programme
The programme comprises:

Each learning module includes background information, examples and practice exercises with answers. You prepare for the assessment day by working through the course materials in your own time and at your own pace. As a guide, we advise you to put aside four to five hours a week to work through each of the 11 modules - about 40-55 hours’ study over six to eight weeks for most candidates.

You will also need to set aside from two to five hours to complete the observation report, depending on your familiarity with solicitors’ trust accounts.

The programme is mandatory for practitioners who have yet to satisfy the requirements of Rules 19 and 20 and are to become trust account partners.

The modules:

Assessment

The assessment comprises five elements:

In the event that you fail any part of the written assessment, you will be required to re-sit those modules that you failed. This can take place in your home town.

Materials
Once you have enrolled, we will send you the course materials: a manual and a workbook. The manual is the course text, and contains information and guidelines referring to the relevant rules and regulations. It has been designed as a reference and practitioners who do not need to complete the training programme may purchase it separately. The workbook, which is also available for separate purchase, contains the study guide and sets out practical exercises to help you prepare for the assessment day.

Assessment Day: 8.30am - 5.00pm
On the day you will:

Fees (incl GST)

Trust Account Partner Training Programme
(includes manual, workbook and assessment day)		 $480
Reassessment of all or part of the two written assessments $60
Late submission or re-assessment of an observation report $60
Recount or re-mark $60
Transfer to a later assessment day *
  • with at least 5 working days notice
  • with less than 5 working days notice
$60
$120
Cancellations
The following refunds are payable:
If we receive your cancellation at least 5 working day in advance and
  • you retain your course materials
  • you return your course materials in new condition
$300
$420
If we receive your cancellation less than 5 working days in advance, no refund is payable
* Note: This provision applies to the current calendar year only, as course materials are updated annually.

If you wish to postpone your assessment to a following year and receive a refund, you must cancel your registration as outlined above. In the following year, you must re-register and pay the full course fee.

The manual and the workbok may be purchased separately for $60 each.

Itinerary

Centre Date Venue
Auckland 12 March AUT - The Conference Centre
Hamilton 16 July Waikato Stadium
Wellington 19 September Duxton Hotel CHANGE OF VENUE
Auckland 12 November Crowne Plaza
Christchurch 21 November Chateau in the Park CHANGE OF VENUE

Presentation time: All presentations begin at 8.30am and finish at 5pm.

Presenters

Mark Anderson, NZLS Inspector, Auckland
Mark is a Chartered Accountant. A former manager with Audit New Zealand, he has worked as an insepctor with the NZLS since 1993 and has experience in investigating fraud. Mark wrote the accounting modules for the trust account partner training programme. He is also a presenter for the Flying Start programme.

Bob Eades, Wynyard Wood, Auckland
A former president and Council member of the ADLS and former Vice-President and Council member of the NZLS, Bob was involved in the initial preparation of the present Rules of Professional Conduct for Barristers & Solicitors and in drafting the Solicitors’ Nominee Company Rules. He has been a member of the Joint Audit Board and was on the management committee of the Solicitors’ Fidelity Gurantee Fund.

John Hicks, NZLS Inspector, Wellington
John is a Chartered Accountant. He spent 22 years in financial management roles, six years in training roles and has worked as an inspector with the NZLS Inspectorate since October 2001. John is a presenter for the Flying Start Programme and also for seminars on trust accounting and the rules and regulations.

John Mackintosh, Partner, Mackintosh Bradley & Price, Christchurch
John was President of the CDLS from 1991-1992 and a member of the NZLS Council from 1989-1992 and NZLS Executive Committee from 1991-1992. He was also a member of the NZLS committee that drafted amendments to the Solicitors’ Nominee Company Rules in 1992-1993.

Kathy Stringfellow, Partner, Tripe Matthews & Feist, Wellington
Kathy is a former Vice-President of the NZLS and a past President of the WDLS. From 1990-1996 she was a member of the management committee of the Solicitors’ Fidelity Guarantee Fund (during the Renshaw Edwards era of claims) and was a member of the Joint Audit Board. Kathy was a presenter for the Flying Start Programme from its inception to 1998.

Andrew Burger, NZLS, Wellington
Andrew Burger is the NZLS's Director of Regulatory Services, a position he was appointed to in September 2006. Prior to this he spent nearly 5 years as the Auckland District Law Society's Pofessional Standards Director, and was also a presenter at their Flying Start programme. He originally qualified in South Africa, and is also admitted in New Zealand and New South Wales.

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