When people have a dispute, it helps if they understand the legislative tests that they have to meet and the judicial decisions that interpret these. It is most helpful if this legal information is organised and accessible to all participants in the process. It doesn't mean that everyone needs to agree on what the law means, but if everyone has the same starting point, it helps focus on what is agreed and what is disputed.
Access to the law is a barrier
There are well-known and acknowledged barriers related to access to the law, including the relevant legislation, a coherent body of case law, and independent legal opinion. This can often be critical to resolving ACC disputes and this barrier puts many injured people at a comparative disadvantage.
Access to legislation and relevant case law
A trial of access to legal information is now underway. During the second quarter of 2024, the Advocacy Service will be working with The Know Co. Ltd and other partners to build this further and provide access to the law for injured people and everyone involved in working with them (including lawyers, advocates, ACC staff, and staff of dispute resolution service providers). This work builds on other projects that have been led by the BrainBox Institute including judgments as data and by Verb looking at law as code.
The Access to the Law service will be provided by The Know Company Limited (The Know Co). The Advocacy Service (and others in the sector) will use be licenced to use this service.
A pilot of this legal information service is available now for eligible clients from our Advocacy Service to use (if they meet the criteria for inclusion). Once the trial has been evaluated, if successful, it will be more widely available from mid-2024. Access to the law will be provided