Auckland Criminal Legal Services expansion
The Government has announced the expansion of the Public Defence Service (PDS) in Auckland and the duty solicitor reforms currently operating at the Auckland and Waitakere courts as part of the expansion of criminal legal services in Auckland.
Public Defence Service
The Government has announced the expansion of the PDS across an additional four Auckland courts – the Waitakere, North Shore, Papakura and Pukekohe courts.
The PDS at the new courts will operate under the same parameters as the current service at Manukau and Auckland. It will undertake a maximum of one third of all criminal legal aid cases at each court. Up to 50% of rotation cases (ie those cases where the defendant has not nominated a preferred lawyer) may be assigned to the PDS.
The PDS will also participate on the duty solicitor roster at each of these courts. Again, participation will be limited to a maximum of one third of all duty solicitor rostered positions.
The Agency is still in the initial stages of planning for the project. So far it has been established that the first priority will be the establishment of a PDS office at Waitakere by the end of 2009. Expansion to North Shore, Pukekohe and Papakura is scheduled for the first half of next year. There will be full consultation with local lawyers and the community before a PDS service is established at each of the four new courts.
Duty Solicitor Service
Government has also announced an expansion of the duty solicitor reforms currently operating at the Auckland and Waitakere courts to the remaining four Auckland District Courts, ie Manukau, North Shore, Pukekohe and Papakura.
The reforms include appointing supervisors to manage the service at the court and introducing roster entry requirements aimed at ensuring the competency of new entrants. They also involve using Agency staff to assist defendants to complete legal aid application forms.
Administration of Duty Solicitor and Police Detention Legal Assistance services
Separately, a unit is being set up within the PDS to manage the administration of reformed duty lawyer schemes and PDLA services within the one place. This is purely an administrative change aimed at ensuring that the changes implemented are maintained and built upon. The administrative roles within this unit will be advertised shortly.
Next steps
The Agency understands that private lawyers in the Auckland region are anxious about the changes, and is committed to providing more detailed information to Auckland criminal legal aid lawyers and duty solicitors as soon as possible.
We are aware that there has been some misinformation about the intended expansion and are concerned to ensure that factual information is provided. If lawyers have any queries we would be more than happy to answer these, either in writing or at a meeting. It should be stressed however that our planning is very preliminary and at this stage most of the implementation detail is not known.
For media queries, please contact Bronwyn Bannister DDI (04) 495 5967, bronwyn.bannister@lsa.govt.nz
Click here for further information on the PDS
Click here for further information about the duty solicitor reforms
