Advocacy in Action webinar - half year update

The Law Society plays an important role in law reform and has a reputation for high-quality and impartial contributions to law reform, access to justice, and the rule of law. This work is made possible by the contributions of more than 160 volunteers, who sit on 17 law reform committees covering a wide range of practice areas.

This is the second of new regular biannual webinar series, Advocacy in Action, where the profession can learn about the Law Society’s work to improve the law in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The second webinar for 2025 will be held on Wednesday 20 August from 1.00pm – 2.00pm via zoom. During the webinar, we will share some of the work the team has undertaken in the first six months of 2025 and the insights we’ve gained. It has been a busy period of law reform, with submissions on the Judicature (Timeliness) Legislation Amendment Bill, Regulatory Standards Bill, and the release of our Rule of Law report. We’ll also share what is coming up, including recent announcements of further criminal law reform.

Presenters will be Aimee Bryant, Manager, Law Reform and Advocacy and Chris Macklin, Criminal Law Committee convenor.

The webinar is only available online and is eligible for one CPD hour.

It’s free for members and $25 for non-members.

About the presenters

Aimee Bryant is the Manager, Law Reform and Advocacy at New Zealand Law Society. She has worked at the Law Society since May 2021 and leads a team of four in-house staff, alongside over 160 volunteers. Prior to this she worked at the Office of the Ombudsman for seven years in a variety of senior investigative and advisory roles. She is a Riu Tauiwi Trustee on the Board of Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori and a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury.

Chris Macklin is the convenor of the Criminal Law Committee, and a Nelson-based barrister. Formerly a Principal Crown Prosecutor, he has appeared across the full range of criminal litigation, including appeals. He accepts prosecution and defence briefs for criminal and regulatory cases and has conducted civil litigation in the High and District Courts.