Our standard terms of engagement, including conduct and client care information required by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008.
DK Law (Duncan King Law) provides legal services in the areas described in our engagement letter or other written confirmation of instructions. Unless we otherwise agree in writing, we do not advise on matters outside the scope set out in that letter — including taxation, financial planning, or overseas law — and we do not monitor changes to legislation or your circumstances after a matter concludes.
The lawyer with overall responsibility for your matter and the team members working on your file will be identified in our engagement letter. You may contact any of them in connection with the matter. We will tell you in advance if responsibility for the matter changes during the course of our work.
Our professional fees are charged on a time or fixed-quote basis. We will discuss and agree the basis of charging with you at the start of your matter, and provide an estimate where the work allows for one. Where fees are charged on time, the rate applicable to each team member is set out in our engagement letter.
Disbursements (the expenses we pay on your behalf, including statutory and registration fees) are passed through at cost. Our current published schedule of common disbursements is available on the Costs page.
We may render interim invoices on long-running matters and require funds in advance on certain matters (including conveyancing).
Invoices are due for payment within seven (7) days of issue. Overdue amounts accrue penalty interest at 2% per month, calculated daily. We may also recover the reasonable costs of collecting any overdue amount.
Payments by international transfer attract our standard international payment fee — see the Costs page for the current amount.
We are required by the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 to verify the identity of all clients and certain beneficial owners. We use TICC for identity verification. AML/CDD charges apply per engagement and are listed on the Costs page.
We may also be required to obtain information about the nature and purpose of your matter and the source of any funds involved. We will let you know what we need from you at the start of the engagement.
Information we hold for you is confidential and will not be disclosed except as authorised by you, required by law, or to the extent reasonably necessary to provide the services we have been engaged to provide. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.
We undertake a conflict check before accepting any new instruction. Should a conflict arise during the course of a matter, we will discuss it with you promptly and take the appropriate steps required by our professional obligations.
On completion of a matter, we will return original documents to you on request. We retain our records of the matter for a minimum of seven years before secure destruction, in accordance with applicable rules.
If you have a concern about our service, we want to know. In the first instance, please raise it with the lawyer responsible for your matter or with one of our directors, Kristine King or Campbell McGill.
If the matter is not resolved internally to your satisfaction, you have the right to make a complaint to the New Zealand Law Society's Lawyers Complaints Service.
DK Law (Duncan King Law) is regulated under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 and the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008. The directors of the firm hold practising certificates issued by the New Zealand Law Society.
We hold professional indemnity insurance that meets or exceeds the minimum standards set by the New Zealand Law Society. The Society maintains the Lawyers' Fidelity Fund, providing limited protection in defined circumstances against theft of money or property by a lawyer.
You may terminate our engagement at any time by written notice. We may terminate the engagement in the circumstances permitted under the Rules — including for non-payment of fees, loss of mutual confidence, or where continuing would breach professional obligations. On termination, you remain liable for fees and disbursements incurred up to the date of termination.
To engage DK Law on a matter, please contact us on (09) 623 0515 or via the contact page. We will respond, run a conflict check, and — if appropriate — issue an engagement letter setting out the scope of our work, the people responsible, and the basis on which our fees will be charged.
These terms are provided for convenience and do not replace the engagement letter and any specific terms that apply to your matter.
Get in touch and we'll send you an engagement letter tailored to your matter.
