New Zealand Legislation: Acts

19 Formation of new District Law Societies

• (1) The practitioners who have their places of business, or, if they are practising in more than one district, their principal places of business, within any proposed district (not comprising the whole of any then existing district) and who are present at a meeting duly convened in accordance with subsection (4) of this section may, with the prior consent of every District Law Society having any part of its district within the proposed district, and also of the Council of the New Zealand Law Society, resolve that a District Law Society be constituted for the proposed district, under the name of “The [Name of District] District Law Society”.

  (2) Every such resolution shall be published in the Gazette.

  (3) On the publication of the resolution, the District Law Society shall be deemed to be constituted; and all practitioners then having their places of business, or, if they are practising in more than one district, their principal places of business, within the new district, and all practitioners thereafter becoming members pursuant to section 23 of this Act, shall be members of the new District Law Society and subject to its rules.

  (4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, the meeting shall be duly convened if—

  • (a) A circular signed by any 2 or more practitioners entitled to attend the meeting, stating the purpose for which it is to be held and the time and place for holding it, is delivered or sent by post to every such practitioner at least 7 clear days before the day named in the circular as the day of the meeting; and

  • (b) Notice of the meeting is also given by advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the proposed district.

  (5) The accidental omission to deliver or send the circular to any one or more of the practitioners shall not render the proceedings at any such meeting invalid.

  (6) No business of any kind shall be transacted at any such meeting or at any adjournment of it unless at least one-third of all practitioners entitled to attend are present or are represented by proxies appointed in writing under their hands.

  (7) The practitioners present at any such meeting or at any adjournment of it may elect a President, a Vice-President, and members of a Council of the society of the new district, and such other officers as are considered expedient; and may also make rules for the new society, which shall have effect as if they had been made by the society under section 27 of this Act.

  (8) The persons so elected shall assume office, and the rules so made shall come into force, as soon as the society is deemed to be constituted.

  Compare: 1955 No 101 s 102