Legal Support Fund

Background

The SPANZ Legal Fund has now been in operation for over 20 years, increasingly it has been accessed by principals for assistance in their day-to-day professional activities.  This has proved to be a valuable resource for both principals and their boards, particularly around initial advice when dealing with staffing, student, parent and associated legal issues.

The Fund is also available for support to principals in their personal/professional capacity; assisting where there have been problems with the board or in their individual professional capacity.  This was the original intention of the fund, but the usage has grown and expanded into everyday school issues. It is accepted that assistance provided principals in their managerial dealings is a win/win for both principals and their boards/schools.

Legal Fund

The Legal Fund gives our principals access to Harrison Stone for initial consult around their issue/s.  Harrison Stone will monitor these initial consults and charge SPANZ accordingly if all can be resolved timely.

If they feel the issue needs to be escalated and more work is involved the principal will be required to pay an excess of $1,500 to Harrison Stone. On receipt of the excess the principal will have up to $10,000 legal support available to them from SPANZ.  Harrison Stone manage this relationship and will keep the principal well informed.

The Legal Fund recognises the two aspects of the advice into two components:

  1. School Assistance:  Legal advice and assistance for the principal in dealing with day-to-day management issues on behalf of the board and benefiting the school.

  2. Professional Assistance:  Support with issues that may affect the principal professionally, such as board relationships, staffing issues.