John Weatherall

I have over 30 years' experience as a lawyer and advocate and 20+ years experience as a team leader/manager in the private and public sector. I have been a Solicitor Advocate (All Proceedings) for 24 years and can therefore also act as in-house Counsel. My career to date has been in contentious litigation (principally child protection and criminal law) but I wish to use my skill set to focus on team management, mentoring and training in the legal sector.

I have held numerous managerial roles within private and public law legal practice since 2001 and therefore have a broad transferable legal managerial skill set.

During this time, I have mentored, trained, and supervised dozens of individuals including those wishing to develop their careers.

In private practice I have managed teams in criminal and child protection law, acting as legal aid contract supervisor for criminal and civil legal aid contracts, which required additional management training. My most recent formal management training was an Advanced Supervisors’ course in July 2024.

I have been a partner in private practice responsible for duties relating to the day-to-day running of the firm and strategic development. The firm purchased management training for the partners.

In local government practice, I have been a team manager and deputised for and acted up as Principal Lawyer and Business Partner, managing a legal team of over thirty staff. During that time, I advised senior managers within the client department on complex legal issues, including statutory and regulatory interpretation, judicial review, and civil and criminal liability. I was appointed Change Manager for my team’s component of the local authority’s Legal Services Development Programme. I participated in the procurement process for the local authority’s new ICT case management system. I was asked to complete the Law Society’s Diploma in Local Government Law, which I passed in 2022.

I worked as a locum between 2023 and 2024 experiencing numerous case management systems. I am therefore ICT literate and if required can work on a hybrid basis or fully remotely.

Last year I was persuaded to return to employment in private practice (for a firm for which I had previously been a locum) and was recruited as Head of the firm’s Family Law Department. I obtained the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation and successfully bid for the 2024 Civil Legal Aid Contract (Family Law) on behalf of the firm, again becoming the legal aid contract supervisor.

Children Law Accreditation 2025.

Advanced Supervisors’ Certificate 2024.

Mandatory Children Law Accreditation Certificate 2024.

Diploma in Local Government Law 2022.

I have been a Solicitor Advocate (Higher Rights - All Proceedings) since 2001. I have conducted complex and lengthy advocacy within both the criminal and childcare jurisdictions (including Court of Appeal and High Court).

Law Society’s Children Panel Accreditation from July 2000 – until June 2017, representing parents, Children’s Guardians and children directly. I allowed this to lapse because local government would not fund re-accreditation due to financial austerity.

I was a qualified duty solicitor for police station and magistrates’ courts from 1997 (I still hold the Criminal Legal Aid Accreditation)

I was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1996.

I completed the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test in 1996, allowing me to practice in England and Wales.

I was approved as Counsel for Child (New Zealand equivalent of the Law Society’s Children Panel/Children Law Accreditation) in 1994.

I was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1991.

I undertook the New Zealand post-graduate legal skills course in 1991.

I graduated from University of Otago with LLB(Hons) 2:1 in 1990.

I have a current clear practising certificate.