Experts to elucidate at UC's legal issues and earthquakes conference

Legal experts from practice and academia will explain important legal issues relating to earthquakes at a conference on the University of Canterbury campus on August 29.

Kathryn Dalziel a partner at Taylor Shaw will talk about her experiences helping Christchurch people who have lost jobs because of the earthquakes. Dalziel lectures part time at UC on employment law and is on a number of New Zealand Law Society committees.

One of the conference organisers UC associate professor Cynthia Hawes said professor Elizabeth Toomey would present on residential tenancy.

Toomey is an expert in residency tenancy law. Her work helps people whose homes and apartments have been vulnerable because of the earthquakes. People have often not been able to live in their houses or might want to leave their houses which are damaged and her work assist them. She is an adjudicator in the Residential Tenancies Tribunal,’’ Hawke said today.

Another speaker, Jared Ormsby, the leader of Wynn Williams’ civil litigation practice group, has advised on a number of high profile earthquake cases. He has looked at the meaning of untenantability in leases and has acted as counsel in leading cases relating to earthquakes and leases.

Matt Maling a partner at Lane Neave will talk about resolving construction disputes which will be important considering the unprecedented rebuild about to be undertaken in quake-hit Christchurch.

Professor Jeremy Finn and Toomey will brief the conference how the legal profession has responded to the earthquakes. They have researched the issue and will present some of their findings.