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Notion for New Zealand lawyers
Notion for New Zealand lawyers: Law Society duties, the Privacy Act, conveyancing milestones, and trust accounts kept in dedicated software.
By Raghav R Handa, practising lawyer15 min read
What you add to the standard build
Practising certificate and CPD as a database
Annual practising certificate renewal, continuing professional development, insurance and any returns your Law Society requires, each a row with a due date and an owner. Record the requirements from the source.
Conveyancing milestones
For property work, a checklist per transaction (agreement, conditions, settlement, registration) with the dates that matter. Keep the title and registration records in the systems built for them and link to them.
Client care and engagement on every matter
The client care and service information you must give clients, tracked as sent and acknowledged for each matter, so the record exists before it is needed.
A privacy decision on file
A short written record of what client information you hold in Notion, why, and which guidance you followed. If asked, the answer is a page, not a recollection.
AML and CFT records per client
Where the anti-money laundering regime applies to your work, a record of customer due diligence on each client and matter: what was verified, when, by whom, and the next review.
One workspace, one regulator, one decision on file
New Zealand lawyers are regulated by the New Zealand Law Society under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 and its conduct and client care rules, and personal information is governed by the Privacy Act 2020. This page names those instruments and states the principle: a lawyer must protect client confidences and keep proper records, and a tool is acceptable if you can show a reasoned choice. It does not paraphrase the rules; they change, so go to the source.
What is specific to practice in New Zealand
| Topic | Instrument or body to check | What to build in Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Conduct and client care | Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006; Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers; New Zealand Law Society | Client care information tracker on each matter; engagement tracker |
| Trust accounts | The Act and trust account rules; Law Society guidance | A reference to the trust ledger and a monthly reconciliation reminder; the ledger itself in dedicated software |
| Privacy | Privacy Act 2020; Privacy Commissioner | A data policy page; breach-response plan; subject-access request log |
| Anti-money laundering | AML/CFT Act 2009 and the supervisor's guidance | Customer due diligence record per client and matter |
| Property registration | Land Information New Zealand (Landonline) | Transaction checklist with links to registration records |
| Practice admin | Practising certificate and CPD requirements | A practice-admin database with due dates |
Trust accounts stay in accounting software
Lawyers' trust accounts are subject to specific rules and record-keeping, and belong in software built to meet them. Notion holds the surrounding practice: matters, deadlines, time, know-how and the practice admin that keeps your certificate in good standing. See why Notion is not a trust ledger.
Conveyancing
For property work, a transaction checklist with the key dates, conditions and settlement steps gives every file the same shape and shows what is outstanding at a glance. Link to the official registration records rather than copying them.
| Stage | What to track | Typical Notion property |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction | Client identity, conflict check, engagement and client care information | Checklist items with dates |
| Agreement | Parties, price, conditions, dates, deposit arrangements | Transaction properties; dates with source clause |
| Due diligence | Title search, land information and other reports, building and body corporate matters | Report items with received dates and issues |
| Conditions | Each condition, who must satisfy it, and its date | Conditions table linked to the transaction |
| Finance and settlement preparation | Lender requirements, settlement statement, funds | Checklist; link to the trust record, not the balance |
| Settlement | Date, time, funds flow, confirmation | Date; status; reference |
| Registration and post-settlement | Registration confirmation, undertakings cleared, file closed | Close-out checklist |
See Notion for property and conveyancing lawyers.
Anti-money laundering records
Where the AML/CFT regime applies to your work, you need to be able to show what customer due diligence you did on each client and matter. A small database, related to Contacts and Matters, makes that evidence easy to find: the client, the nature of the work, what identification and verification was done, who did it, when, and the date of the next review. Restrict access, store references rather than copies of identity documents where you can, and follow the supervisor's guidance for the retention period.
The privacy decision, written down
Under the Privacy Act, agencies must protect personal information with reasonable security safeguards, limit use and disclosure, and notify serious breaches. Write a one-page data policy for your use of Notion: what you hold, why, who can see it, where it is stored, how long you keep it, what never goes in, and what you would do if something went wrong. Check Notion's data location options and the Act's rules on disclosure overseas. See can lawyers use Notion for client data?
A practice-admin database
| Item | Due | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practising certificate renewal | From the Law Society | Each lawyer | Record the requirement from the source |
| CPD hours and records | End of the period | Each lawyer | See the CPD tracker |
| Professional indemnity and insurance | Policy renewal | Managing lawyer | Keep the proposal answers |
| Trust account reconciliations | Per your rules | Responsible lawyer | Link to the reconciliation in your software |
| Privacy review | Yearly | Managing lawyer | Update the data policy |
| Software renewals | By vendor | Operations | Review annually |
Where to start
Begin with the best way to use Notion for lawyers or the free Starter Kit, then add the practice admin database above. Read can lawyers use Notion for client data? and what regulators actually require. Sources: New Zealand Law Society and Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Questions we get asked about this
- Can New Zealand lawyers use Notion?
- Many do. Whether it suits your practice depends on the conduct and client care rules, the Privacy Act, any New Zealand Law Society guidance on technology and the cloud, and your clients' requirements. Read the Law Society's current guidance and Notion's security documentation, and record your decision.
- Can I do trust accounting in Notion?
- No. Trust account records must meet the rules that apply to lawyers' trust accounts and belong in dedicated accounting software. Use Notion for matters, deadlines, time, knowledge and practice admin, and link to the trust records rather than keeping them there.
- Does Notion store data in New Zealand?
- Check Notion's current data residency options, and which plans they apply to, before relying on any data location. Read the Privacy Act's rules on overseas disclosure and any Law Society guidance alongside Notion's documentation.
- What privacy law applies to a New Zealand law firm?
- The Privacy Act 2020 governs how agencies, including law firms, collect, use, store and disclose personal information, through the Information Privacy Principles, and includes duties to notify serious privacy breaches. Read the Act and the Privacy Commissioner's guidance.
- Do anti-money laundering rules apply to lawyers in New Zealand?
- The AML/CFT Act 2009 applies to lawyers in respect of specified activities. Whether and how it applies to your work depends on what you do, so take advice and check the supervisor's guidance. A record of due diligence per client helps you evidence compliance.
- How should I track conveyancing in Notion?
- With a Transaction database and a checklist covering agreement, conditions and their dates, due diligence, finance, settlement and registration, with owners and the key dates. Link to the official registration records rather than copying them.
- What should a New Zealand lawyer put in a data policy?
- What client information is held in the workspace, why, who can access it, where it is hosted, how long it is kept, what never goes in, how AI is handled and how a breach would be managed.
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