Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Purpose of this Guide: Use this plan when a client wants to recover money or seek a remedy through the New Zealand Disputes Tribunal. This guide helps legal practitioners assess whether a claim meets the tribunal's gateway requirements, compile the necessary evidence, and prepare the client to present their case self-represented.
Jurisdiction: New Zealand Disputes Tribunal (national jurisdiction). This parent plan covers the general claimant process, with specialized forks addressing insurer subrogated claims, corporate respondents, and late knowledge discovery claims under the Limitation Act.
The Process at a Glance: The workflow begins with a conflict check, client intake, and identifying the legal basis of the dispute. The practitioner audits the contract for alternative dispute resolution clauses and sends a formal ten working day demand letter to establish a genuine dispute. If the debtor fails to pay or respond, the practitioner drafts the claim form and chronological timeline, curating all supporting evidence. The practitioner then lodges the claim, pays the filing fee, and manages service. Finally, the practitioner prepares a hearing binder and coaches the client for the roundtable conference, where lawyers are not permitted to appear.
Use this plan when the client's claim is partially or fully indemnified by an insurer, and the insurer seeks to exercise its rights of subrogation under sections 28 to 35 of the Disputes Tribunal Act 1988.
Use this plan when the client's claim is filed more than six years after the breach of contract, but the client asserts late discovery of the facts under section 14 of the Limitation Act 2010.
Use this plan when the target respondent is a registered company or corporate entity in New Zealand, requiring strict adherence to corporate service rules and representation monitoring.
Key Legislation and Case Law: Disputes Tribunal Act 1988 - s 10 (jurisdiction limit of $60,000 as amended by the Disputes Tribunal Amendment Act 2025); s 14 (abandonment of excess); s 15 (claim splitting prohibition); s 18 (Referee functions); s 23 (finality of orders); s 38 (ban on legal representation); s 49 (rehearings); s 50 (appeals). Disputes Tribunal Rules 1989 - Rule 10 (ordinary service); Rule 11 (corporate service); Rule 14 (summons to witness); Rule 15 (service and conduct money); Rule 34A (confidentiality). Limitation Act 2010 - s 11 (6-year primary period); s 14 (3-year late knowledge); s 23B (15-year longstop). Companies Act 1993 - s 387 (service on company). Key case law: [Inicio Ltd v Tower Insurance Ltd [2020] NZHC 90](https://www.justice.govt.nz/) (when time starts to run, and acknowledgment or part payment); Smythe v Bayleys Real Estate Ltd (1993) 5 TCLR 454 (cited for general damages for distress in Fair Trading Act claims).
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the New Zealand Disputes Tribunal Claim (Claimant) matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for Civil Litigation cases, outlining the standard DISPUTE_LITIGATION process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
| Field | Token | Type | Required | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter(4) | ||||
| Matter numberⓘ | matter.matterNumber | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter title | matter.title | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter typeⓘ | matter.matterType | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter status | matter.status | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Client(1) | ||||
| Client name | matter.clientName | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
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We do not house forms for this jurisdiction yet. Where a task names a form, its link goes to the official source.