Information on standing for and being a Committee member of ILANZ

 

About ILANZ

The In-house Lawyers Association of New Zealand (ILANZ) is the section of The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa (NZLS) that represents the interests of in-house lawyers, who are now nearly 29% of the legal profession. Its current membership is over 3500.

 

What does the Committee do?

The Committee is responsible for the operation and governance of ILANZ and delivers its strategy alongside NZLS staff based in the Auckland office. The Committee represents the interests of the in-house community in New Zealand. It runs the highly successful ILANZ Conference annually, advocates on behalf of in-house practitioners, represents in-house members at the NZLS Council, administers the ILANZ Awards, and contributes to organising events for networking and CPD opportunities through its valued partners. The Committee has a permanent representative on the Wellington Branch Council.

 

What are the benefits of being on the Committee?

Promoting the objects of ILANZ. ILANZ’s objects (as set out in the ILANZ Rules) are to:

• Provide leadership to in-house lawyers in New Zealand;
• Provide professional networking opportunities for in-house lawyers;
• Act as a spokes-organisation for in-house lawyers;
• Identify member education and development needs and broker opportunities to meet these needs;
• Provide relevant guidance on emerging national and international trends, issues and best practices relevant to members;
• Promote the value of in-house lawyers;
• Promote the multi-faceted roles of in-house lawyers;
• Promote the roles of and operate as a Section of the Society;
• Promote or conduct any other activities consistent with the spirit of the foregoing objects;
• Further the functions of the Society;
• Working with a motivated group of Committee members;
• Being involved in the governance of ILANZ;
• Attending events on behalf of

However, please note that it is not possible to apply for any of the individual ILANZ awards whilst serving as a committee member.

 

How many people are on the Committee?

11 people – being 4 Officers of ILANZ and 7 general Committee members.

 

Who are the Officers?

These are the roles of President, Vice-president, Treasurer, and Secretary. More information on these roles appears below.

 

Who can be a member of the Committee?

Any member can stand for election to the Committee in any role other than the In-House Lawyers Section Manager who is an NZLS staff member. Nominations are welcomed from all members of ILANZ.

Ideally, the Committee should be representative of the In-house profession, with a mix of members from public and private Companies, Central Government, Crown Entities, Local Government, situated in both the cities and the provinces.

 

What is the process of standing for election to the Committee?

Simply complete a nomination form, have it signed by an ILANZ member and submit it along with biographical details for publication, by the due date. If more nominations are received than positions available, an electronic election will be held on the “first past the post” basis. All members of ILANZ are entitled to vote. Once voting has closed, the number of votes that each candidate receives will be made available to ILANZ members.

 

What is the term of the Committee?

Two years, to take effect from an Annual General Meeting, held in May.
Usually, the Annual General Meeting is held as part of the Annual Conference.

 

How often are meetings held?

Monthly from February to December, on the second Tuesday of the month, commencing at 4.00pm for 1.5 hours.

 

Where are meetings held?

Online through Teams with the exception of an annual in-person Strategy Day meeting, and attendance at the AGM at the Conference.

 

What are the expectations of general Committee members?

• Be prepared for, attend and contribute to all meetings (missing no more than two per year) plus the annual Strategy Day and Conference.
• Make an active contribution.
• Participate in and contribute to at least one work stream or project.
• Volunteer for activities and come up with creative ideas.
• Keep confidential any in-committee or sensitive matters discussed by the Committee or obtained due to Committee role.
• Where possible, support and sometimes host events organised byILANZ.

 

How much time will being on the Committee take?

This does depend on the role and the work streams in progress, but it is likely to be approximately 5-10 hours per month. The annual Strategy Day is held on a business day usually in the last quarter of the calendar year and attendance at the Conference is desired. ILANZ meets the reasonable costs of travel to and from Strategy Day and covers flights, accommodation, and conference registration.

 

Information regarding specific roles

 

What are the duties of the President, Treasurer and Secretary?

 

Executive duties (taken from Clause 7 of ILANZ Rules - currently under review)

 

7.2           President’s duties

7.2.1        The President of ILANZ shall:

(a)            preside at all meetings of the Committee and at all general meetings of ILANZ (if in attendance);

(b)            prepare an annual report to the Society on the work of ILANZ as required;

(c)            keep the Society informed of the key programmes and activities of ILANZ as appropriate;

(d)            be the contact person for any enquiries from the media, and to make all public statements on behalf

                of ILANZ, unless delegated by the President to another Committee member or member.

 

7.3           Treasurer’s duties

7.3.1        The Treasurer of ILANZ shall:

(a)           manage the proper collection and disbursement of the funds of ILANZ;

(b)           arrange the keeping of all usual and proper books of account;

(c)           arrange the preparation of an annual balance sheet and statements of account in respect of the

               operations of ILANZ;

(d)           arrange the preparation of regular financial reports to the Committee and the Society as required;

(e)           arrange such regular and timely audits of ILANZ accounts as are required by law, regulation or

               Society Rules.

 

7.4           Secretary’s duties

7.4.1        The Secretary of ILANZ shall:

(a)           keep all books, documents and other property (except money) of ILANZ;

(b)           call meetings as required, including by these Rules;

(c)           take minutes of all meetings of the Committee and general meetings of ILANZ;

(d)           as authorised by the Committee or the President attend generally to the business of ILANZ;

(e)           supervise any internal or external party as appointed by the Committee to undertake the

                administration aspects in part or whole of the Secretarial role.

 

For further information please consult the ILANZ Rules. You can also contact the Executive Manager or a current committee member through [email protected].