Judicial Settlement Conferences - a 360° perspective
Who should attend | Materials | Format | Fee | Itinerary | Presenters | Registration details
STOP PRESS:
New District Court Rules are timetabled to come into force on 1 November 2009. Summary Judgment will largely disappear. The first call for all but the most simple of civil cases in the District Court will be a Judicial Settlement Conference.
At present, far more cases are concluded in Judicial Settlement Conferences than are heard and determined by a Judge in the District Court. When the new rules come into force, approximately 70% of District Court civil cases are expected to reach a conclusion at or before the allocated Judicial Settlement Conference. There will be restrictions on time to conduct those cases which continue to a hearing. Witness actions will inevitably decline.
From 1 November 2009 the essential skill set for civil litigation practitioners will necessarily include the skills required to successfully conduct Judicial Settlement Conferences.
Building on the 2003 seminar, and through a close and personal inspection of the essential tools in the JSC tool kit, this seminar will provide an update on how the process has developed for lawyers and judges. It will offer an opportunity for practitioners to listen to and engage with recognised experts, and to share experience and expertise with them.
You will learn
- hot tips for the efficient and effective conduct of a JSC
- a clear understanding of the similarities and differences between JSCs and mediation
- a checklist of the elements desirable for a successful outcome
- an introduction to the 360° dynamic of a multi-party conference
- a better appreciation of the benefits of JSCs for clients
- insights into the judge’s perspective and assessment of conference management
- knowledge of how JSCs work
Who should attend?
All lawyers, ranging from recent graduates to senior practitioners,
will benefit from this seminar. Civil litigators who would
like
to acquire or improve the skills necessary for competent practice in
judicial settlement conferences should also attend.
Materials
Background
materials prepared by the presenters will be sent to all registrants
before the seminar.
Format
Presenters
will follow an informal discussion forum style, together with an
analysis of a multi-party and interactive hypothetical situation, to
identify the main issues leading to possible settlement and drafting of
a settlement agreement.
Fee (incl GST)
The
fee is $196 for NZLS members and those not eligible to be members but
who are employed by members. The non-member fee is $256.
| Centre | Date | Venue |
| Dunedin | 10 November | Dunedin Public Art Gallery |
| Christchurch | 11 November | The Millennium Hotel |
| Wellington | 12 November | The Ground Floor Theatrette (BP House) |
| Hamilton | 25 November | Waikato Stadium |
| Auckland | 26 November | Rendezvous Hotel |
Presentation time: All presentations begin at 1pm and finish at 5pm.
Associate Judge John Faire, Auckland High Court
Judge Faire was a litigation partner with the Hamilton law firm Stace
Hammond Grace & Partners for 25 years until May 1996.
He
practised principally in the area of civil litigation.
Appointed
a Master of the High Court in May 1996, he is now an Associate Judge of
the High Court. In that role he has responsibility for
personal
and corporate insolvency cases and all interlocutory aspects of civil
proceedings in the High Court. That includes presiding over
settlement conferences pursuant to r 442 of the High Court
Rules.
He was, for five years, a part-time senior lecturer in the Business
Management Faculty of Waikato University and is a past examiner for the
New Zealand Society of Accountants in Commercial Law.
Judge Tom Ingram, District Court,
Tauranga
Judge Ingram, appointed to the District Court in January 2005,
practised as a solicitor before becoming a barrister sole in
1980. He has extensive experience in civil litigation at all
levels, and has participated in numerous mediations and arbitrations as
mediator, arbitrator, umpire and counsel.
Helen Rice, Heaney & Co,
Auckland
At
the vanguard of the mediation tidal wave, Helen has honed her
negotiation skills in a forum that is now an integral part of all court
proceedings. A partner at Heaney and Co specialising in
litigation, Helen has witnessed and participated in the refinement of
the JSC process acquiring an essential skill base fundamental to all
civil litigators.
I CAN'T ATTEND THE SEMINAR,
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BUY THE BOOKLET
The
booklet will be available when the seminar is over. The price will be
between $40-$60.
If you would like to order now, email us
with your details and the title you wish to purchase. We will send the
booklet when it is available, with an invoice.
CANCELLATION
POLICY
If
written notice of cancellation of a registration arrives before the day
of the seminar we will refund the registration fee, less the cost of
the booklet and less an administration fee of $20. If you are unable to
attend, you may send a substitute. NZLS CLE reserves the right to
cancel or reschedule seminars if necessary.
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