After a thorough recruitment process where candidates were considered from around New Zealand and internationally, Joanna Simon has been appointed the new Chief Executive for the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa.

"Joanna brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles including her recent position as Chief Operating Officer at DLA Piper New Zealand, the first global law firm in New Zealand. She really impressed the recruitment panel with her proven leadership of a large executive team, adept communication skills and in-depth knowledge of modern legal practice," said Law Society President Tiana Epati.

"We were particularly impressed with her commitment to the legal profession and understanding of where we are uniquely placed to effect positive change in Aotearoa New Zealand today," said Ms Epati who joined Board members from Auckland and the South Island, together with past President, Chris Moore, to form the interviewing panel.

This is the first time the Law Society has had an Auckland based Chief Executive. The Law Society Council were consulted on an Auckland based Chief Executive, and passed a resolution confirming the new geographic location.

"Joanna lives in Auckland but will be dividing her time between the Wellington and Auckland offices. She also intends to travel to other branch offices over the next year to ensure a personal kanohi ki te kanohi approach," said Ms Epati. "This is a positive step given almost half the legal profession and some of our most diverse lawyer groups are in the wider Auckland region".

"On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Helen Morgan-Banda for the positive contribution she has made to the Law Society and her assistance during a very challenging time for the organisation. Her achievements include dealing with complex operational legacy issues whilst successfully leading the executive team response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020."

Ms Simon will begin on 26 July 2021.

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