My bio for my bid for the ASDLSi Presidency has gone out. Here it is for those who do not see lawnews. Would love votes or followers/fans to help me show this is part of the way forward even for the legal profession.
Jennie Vickers, Vice President , Auckland District Law Society Inc.
2009 Presidential Election
I am standing because I believe there are 3 key priorities for the 2010 President:
• Being a clear, strong and loud voice in the media speaking up for and representing all the good members of our society;
• Establishing a support and advocacy service for members dealing with the NZLS professional standards system; and
• Providing leadership to the ADLSi team so they can do their job providing the services members want and I in liaising with NZLS to achieve a sensible and cost effective division of responsibility.
1. I am ready, willing and trained to speak up and speak out for all the good practitioners across the country. The media focus on a tiny minority (for whom our oaths of high professional standards mean nothing) must end and we must support the work of NZLS drumming the bad apples out. I will work to shift public dialogue back to recognising the important contribution our members make to society.
2. We have as a profession at our own expense, established a robust complaints process to protect consumers. Now it is our turn for protection. We need a member advocacy and support system to help those good hard-working members deal with these processes which are daunting and stressful, the more so for those who have not sinned. ADLSi is the natural provider of this national advocacy and support scheme. This scheme is well overdue and the ADLSi council will not be serving members, until this is in place.
3. I believe there are 3 roles for a leader:
• to turn fear into confidence;
• to create clarity from confusion; and
• to mobilise people in pursuit of a better future.
The ADLSi team is ready to serve all NZ practitioners and it is the President’s role to lead them. We also need some sensible and robust dialogue with NZLS to ensure that the hard earned money of all NZ practitioners is not wasted paying for unnecessary duplicated services. I can do this!
I am now a sole practitioner and a part time in-house counsel. I bring to the role of President, broad experience with a unique understanding and perspective on how to deliver on the needs of a broad cross section of the profession. My experience includes 12 years in-house and 10 years in large firms-Chapman Tripp, Simpson Grierson and Slaughter and May.
I have the ability to engage with that wide cross-section to gather momentum and develop profile for ADLSi through listening to members and then leading the team to deliver excellence and cost efficiency.
I have been an active, contributing member of the ADLS Council since 2003 and have always been and remain, passionate and committed to ensuring ADLSi success.
Finally, I believe it is time we did a better job of communicating with the younger members of the profession, using their preferred methods of networking, so if you are curious about what this means come and join me:
http://ping.fm/lEWXO
www.facebook.com search for JennieVickers
http://ping.fm/2KUwU
www.zeopardlaw.com.
http://ping.fm/zhiyt