Pursuant to section 68(2)(b) of the Legal Services Act 2011, the Secretary for Justice gives notice that the duty lawyer scheme established, under section 156 of the Legal Services Act 1991 and continued under section 46 of the Legal Services Act 2000 shall continue as a Duty Lawyer Service from 1 July 2011, the commencement date of the Legal Services Act 2011.
The Duty Lawyer Service is a "specified legal service" as that expression is defined in section 4 of the Legal Services Act 2011, and to which subpart 2 of Part 3 of that Act applies.
The object of the Duty Lawyer Service is to ensure that there is available in each District Court a sufficient number of lawyers to assist, advise and represent unrepresented defendants charged with an offence.
Information on the operation of the Duty Lawyer Service will be available on the Ministry of Justice website
www.justice.govt.nz
from 1 July 2011.
Dated at Wellington this 21st day of June 2011.
ANDREW BRIDGMAN, Acting Secretary for Justice.