South Auckland Dispute Resolution Lawyer – What Do They Do?

South Auckland Dispute Resolution Lawyer – Here’s How

South Auckland is a vibrant and diverse part of the region including Manukau, Wiri, Papatoetoe, and Mangere, among other suburbs. There are numerous communities and cultures in e area which add to the richness of life, but also brings challenges to many, including those in the legal profession.  A South Auckland dispute resolution lawyer will often have to take into account the various cultural differences in their day-to-day legal work.

Below we look at some of the issue that a South Auckland dispute resolution lawyer has to take into account when dealing with private clients.

What Does a South Auckland Dispute Resolution Lawyer Do?

Legal disputes cover a wide range of issues, most of which are relatively minor. It could be argued that the dispute resolutions lawyer’s main task is avoid litigation and so keeping their clients out of court. Court is very expensive and takes a lot of time. If a dispute lawyer can get a resolution either between the two parties or with the other side’s lawyer, the outcome will be much cheaper and arrived at far sooner.

In short, a dispute resolution lawyer’s aim is to help clients resolve conflicts outside a courtroom. However, should it be necessary, a good lawyer will be able to represent their clients in court.

Common Types of Dispute

Disputes cover a vast range of issues affecting personal life. These can be:

• Contractual disputes with a supplier.
• Neighbour issues such as land border conflicts.
• Money claims.
• Consumer or Fair Trading.
• Trust disputes.
• Contentious wills.
• And more.

Other areas with common disputes are found in specialist areas of law like family issues such as child custody, employment law for employees, and criminal law.

Localised Dispute Issues

Given the ethnic and cultural diversity of the area, there are other more nuanced issues that arise.

These issues can be specific to say, Indian families and Hindi traditions, or Chinese community members with their own expectations. Some of these might be at odds with Western, New Zealand law or social mores. Māori and Pacific Islanders will have their own cultural disputes requiring cultural sensitivity to every case.

A dispute lawyer in South Auckland, will have to have specialist cultural knowledge as well as being a qualified New Zealand lawyer.

How Does a Lawyer Resolve Disputes?

There are four accepted methods of dispute resolution.

They are negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and ultimately, court proceedings.

Negotiation is typically between the tow sets of lawyers. They know the strength of the argument for their client and can work with the other side to reach a situation that they will recommend their client accept. The lawyers know the likelihood of the outcome if the case goes to the next steps and will try to save their client unnecessary expense and wasted time.

Mediation is when the parties meet in a community-focused environment and express their grievances. The lawyer, acting as the mediator, can explain why one proposal is not acceptable in law, and suggesting ideas for the various parties to consider. The aim is to reach a mutually acceptable result to preserve relationships without damaging and adversarial litigation.

Arbitration is when an independent arbiter receives the documents from all sides, reviews, the case, and then makes a binding decision.

How to be a Successful South Auckland Dispute Resolution Lawyer

Besides the obvious requirement of being a qualified practising lawyer, two key characteristics are community engagement and cultural competence.

For community engagement, the lawyer needs to be active in various local activities, legal clinics, information workshops, and more. They can explain how the cultural diversity works within New Zealand law., and equally important, how some community expectations are not acceptable.

These activities help to build trust and demystifying the legal process. The law is confusing to native English speakers, but for those with a different first language, getting to grips with the issues is even more difficult.

Cultural competence is also key. Learning the various cultural values which can influence how disputes are approached and resolved will go a long way towards reaching successful and harmonious results.

For example, for many Māori or Pasifika families, involving elders to reach a collective decision is vital. A lawyer who knows and is versed in these cultural dynamics can help to bring about solutions which are more likely to be accepted and longer lasting.

Summing Up

A South Auckland dispute resolution lawyer helps people in the local community to reach agreements over conflicts. If they are successful, not only will their clients be happier, but they will also reduce the burden on the local court system.

A good lawyer will also have good bonds with the various local community and ethnic groups, while being a constant student of the range of diversities and cultural mores of the area. A law firm in the area, in the centre of Manukau city is McVeagh Fleming. They have lawyers from a range of ethnic backgrounds who can help their clients with their legal problems. For more details, click the links.