Resources

The South Pacific Lawyers' Association seeks to provide access to resources which may be of interest to legal practitioners and professional bodies in the South Pacific. Here you will find resources relating to practice management, continuing legal education, topical law reform issues, model professional rules, and many other useful information resources.

Please contact us if you would like to submit or suggest any additional resources that could be made available on this site.

UN Documents for environmental lawyers

Posted 04 Mar 2013

The IUCN Environmental Law Programme, through the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL), monitors United Nations documents  and selects those of relevance to the environment and development on a regular basis.
ICEL maintains a special web section listing recently released documents from the UN system.
Each document is listed by official document number, title and then accessible in the official UN languages upon clicking the link.

 

New book: Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate

Posted 18 Feb 2013

Just published by Cambridge University Press: Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate
Michael B. Gerrard and Gregory E. Wannier (eds)

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Posted 12 Feb 2013

Disputes can be resolved by means other than court hearings, and mediated dispute resolution is consistent with many customary practices in the South Pacific.
Australia's National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council has produced a range of resources about alternative dispute resolution, including Legislating for Alternative Dispute Resolution -  A Guide for government policy-makers and legal drafters (2006)

PILON's technical legal assistance database

Posted 21 Feb 2012

The Pacific Islands Law Officers’ Network (PILON) is a network of senior of public law officers from Pacific countries, which focuses on common legal issues within the Pacific region. The PILON Secretariat has compiled a database of technical legal assistance programs and initiatives available to PILON member countries, and contact details of technical legal assistance providers.

Case Management Handbook

Posted 01 Nov 2011

The Federal Court of Australia Case Management Handbook has been prepared by members of the Federal Litigation Section of the Law Council in conjunction with the Federal Court of Australia.

The Handbook contains a wealth of information on procedures and best practice in areas including:

Law reform submissions

Posted 04 Aug 2011

A key function of legal professional associations is to provide input to government and law reform bodies in relation to law reform initiatives, public inquiries and in the scruitiny of Bills.

Through engagement with government, legal professional associations can assist government to improve and refine laws for the benefit of the community.

Access to Justice and Pro Bono

Posted 30 Jul 2009

In a democratic society all citizens have a right to access justice and to receive a fair trial. Many people struggle to understand their legal rights and obligations and they may feel helpless when faced with problems. Without legal help they may be unable to resolve these issues. Access to proper representation — a lawyer — for important legal matters is a fundamental right. 

Anti-Money Laundering

Posted 30 Jul 2009

In 2003, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published a review of its 40 Recommendations for counter-measures against money laundering covering the criminal justice system and law enforcement, the financial system and its regulation, and international co-operation.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

Posted 30 Jul 2009

CLE (also known as ‘continuing professional development’) is important to ensure that a lawyer maintains the necessary knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive and component legal advice to clients. In many countries lawyers must complete a minimum number of hours of CLE each year (usually 10).

Regulation of the legal profession

Posted 29 Jul 2009

One of the key challenges for the South Pacific legal profession which was identified at the 2007 South Pacific Forum, was the effective regulation and administration of the legal profession. Bar leaders reported significant difficulties in establishing and maintaining complaints and discipline structures, enforcing existing legal professional rules and working with government to establish or refine laws governing the legal profession.