New Zealand Law Style Guide

The "New Zealand Law Style Guide" is a comprehensive guide for citing legal literature in New Zealand. It is authored by Geoff McLay, Christopher Murray, Jonathan Orpin, and Alice Coppard. Here is a detailed overview of the book:

Key Themes

1. Unified Framework for Legal Citations: The guide provides a unified framework of styles used by New Zealand's courts, law schools, legal practitioners, and legal publishers.
2. Citation Rules: It includes detailed rules for citing various legal materials such as cases, statutes, books, and articles. The guide covers both online and hardcopy editions, ensuring consistency across different formats.
3. International Material: The guide simplifies the rules relating to the citation of international material, making it easier for users to reference global legal sources.
4. Updates and Clarifications: The third edition, published in 2018, includes new or expanded rules, clarifies existing rules, and addresses common queries related to citation.

Plot Summary

The book does not have a narrative plot but rather serves as a reference guide. It is structured to provide clear instructions and examples for citing legal materials. The guide includes a table of contents, subject index, and online and hardcopy editions published by Thomson Reuters.

Critical Reception

While there is no specific critical reception available for the book, it is widely recognized as the standard for the citation of New Zealand legal material. The first edition, published in 2009, quickly became the standard, and subsequent editions have built on its success by providing updates and clarifications.

Editions

• First Edition (2009): Published initially, it set the standard for legal citations in New Zealand.
• Second Edition (2011): Built on the success of the first edition by providing new or expanded rules, clarifying rules, and simplifying the citation of international material.
• Third Edition (2018): The latest edition, which includes new or expanded rules, clarifies existing rules, and addresses common queries related to citation.

Availability

The guide is available in both online and hardcopy editions. It can be purchased from Thomson Reuters and is also available online through the Law Foundation website.

Supporting Resources

The New Zealand Law Style Guide has a supporting blog that provides news, updates, and resolves common queries. The blog is run by the Style Guide’s editorial team and is intended as a helpful unofficial supplement to the guide.