Question

Mr Sharpe is a 70 year old farmer who has brought in a bundle of documents from his farming business. He seems very nervous as he walks into the meeting room and is holding the documents close to his chest. Lorena is the legal executive tasked to interview Mr Sharpe that day. Lorena has only worked at Valley Road Lawyers in Mt Maunganui for about 6 months and is still learning. Mr. Sharpe is a new client of the firm and Lorena does not know why he is seeking legal advice at this stage.

Lorena wishes to relieve Mr Sharpe's anxiety. This may make him more willing to share the important documents he has brought to the office. To help, she reminds herself of the rules she learned during her legal executive studies diploma:

Identify the specific chapter and rules from the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care Rules) 2008 that best applies to this situation and give a brief summary of each of these rules .

Answer 1

The specific chapter and rule from the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care Rules) 2008 that apply to this situation are Chapter 4 and Rule 4.01, which emphasize a lawyer's duty of confidentiality to protect client information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The specific chapter and rules from the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care Rules) 2008 that best apply to this situation are Chapter 4 and Rule 4.01.

Chapter 4: Confidentiality and Protecting Client Information

Rule 4.01: Duty of Confidentiality-

1. A lawyer must hold in strict confidence all information concerning a client that has been obtained in the course of the professional relationship, unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents.

2. The duty of confidentiality continues after the professional relationship ends.

3. A lawyer must take reasonable steps to ensure that all staff, employees, and agents of the lawyer or firm are aware of and comply with the duty of confidentiality.