ALSA is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all members, executive, mentors, partner firms, and guests. This Code of Conduct sets out the standards of behaviour expected at all ALSA events, communications, and platforms.
By becoming a member or attending an ALSA event, you agree to abide by this Code.
1. Our Commitments
ALSA is built on three commitments:
- Respect — We treat each member, guest, and partner with dignity and courtesy, regardless of background, identity, or experience.
- Professionalism — We hold ourselves to standards befitting students entering the legal profession.
- Inclusion — We welcome students from all heritage backgrounds, year groups, degree pathways, and career interests.
2. Expected Behaviour
All members, executive, and guests are expected to:
- Engage with others respectfully, even when views differ
- Listen actively in discussions and give others space to contribute
- Use inclusive language and respect each person's identity
- Behave responsibly at events, including those where alcohol is served
- Honour confidentiality of mentoring conversations and any privileged information shared in ALSA spaces
- Represent ALSA professionally when engaging with partner firms, sponsors, and the university
3. Unacceptable Behaviour
The following will not be tolerated at any ALSA event, communication channel, or platform:
- Harassment, intimidation, or bullying in any form, whether based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or any other characteristic
- Discriminatory language, jokes, or behaviour
- Sexual harassment or unwanted physical contact
- Use of slurs, hate speech, or aggressive language toward any individual or group
- Misuse of alcohol, drugs, or any conduct that endangers the wellbeing of others
- Misrepresenting ALSA or its partners in any capacity
- Sharing confidential information from mentoring conversations, sponsor meetings, or executive discussions without consent
- Retaliation against any person who reports a concern in good faith
4. Mentoring Relationships
The mentoring programme is built on trust. Mentors and mentees agree to:
- Maintain professional boundaries at all times
- Treat the relationship as confidential unless both parties agree otherwise
- Raise any concerns about the pairing with the ALSA mentoring officers promptly
Mentoring is a professional relationship, not a personal or romantic one. Any breach of this boundary will result in immediate removal from the programme.
5. Reporting Concerns
If you experience or witness behaviour that breaches this Code, we want to hear from you. You can report a concern in any of the following ways:
- Email our executive team at alsaauckland@gmail.com
- Speak in person or via private message to any member of the ALSA cabinet (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Operations Director, Marketing Director)
- If the concern involves a cabinet member, you can contact a non-cabinet executive officer or escalate to a relevant external body
All reports will be taken seriously and treated with discretion. We will:
- Acknowledge your report within three working days
- Investigate the matter fairly and confidentially
- Take appropriate action, which may include a verbal warning, suspension from ALSA activities, or removal of membership
- Keep you informed of progress where appropriate, while respecting the privacy of others involved
6. Severe Misconduct
For matters involving criminal behaviour, threats to safety, or other serious harm, we will:
- Encourage and support the affected person to contact the New Zealand Police, the University, or appropriate authorities
- Cooperate fully with any investigation
- Take immediate protective measures within the scope of ALSA's authority, including suspending the implicated person from ALSA activities pending resolution
7. Scope
This Code applies to all ALSA events (in-person and online), communications (email, social media, group chats), and any other interactions where members are representing or participating in ALSA.
8. Updates
We may update this Code from time to time as our community grows and we learn more. Material changes will be communicated through our newsletter. The "Last updated" date indicates when this Code was most recently revised.