THE COLONIAL BAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13499, 28 May 1907, Page 6

THE COLONIAL BAR.

MEETING OF THE LEGAL . | ; PROFESSION. [FROM OCT. OWS COKUE3POSDEHT.] London, April 19. This ■; week the annual general meeting of the Bar took place, in the old hall lof Lincoln's Inn, when reverai questions of vital interest to the legal profession were referred to. The Attorney-General (Sir J. Lawson. Walton, K.C.). was in the chair, and those ■ present included Sir Edward Clarke, K.C., Mr. C. F. Gill, K.C., and Mr. C. M. Warmington.

In the course of his remarks!, the chairman mentioned that a matter of some delicacy .was a suggestion. that there should be some reciprocity as between the English Bar and the "colonial Bar. Wherever the colonial courts insisted upon the same qualifications as the English courts insisted upon, any difficulty in the way of reciprocity would be small, bub where the qualifications were different, obviously difficulties must arise. It was a matter which needed very careful handling. I With regard to the subject, Mr. Warmington said that the proposal was to be made on behalf of the Bar 'of New; Zealand by the Premier, with a; suggestion that it should be extended to all the colonies. Admission to tile Bar of New Zealand was different from admission to the '. English Bar. It did not require that a man should I-be a member of any Inn of Court, or go ! through any .course of study;'but it did j require that he should pass a. certain examination. ' Since the main Act .of Par- ! liament under which this examination was made had been passed, however, more than one 'colony,had passed Acts which defined the word "person,"' and under the Legal j Practitioners' Act of New Zealand "per-l-son" comprised individuals of the female, as well as of the male, sex. (Laughter.) That was a matter for serious consideration. (Hear, hear.) They would hardly like to see ladies whom they had never seen before marching into courts as advocates. (Laughter, and hear, hear.) When training for the Bar in the colonies and in England ! was assimilated, they might well agree ,to reciprocity, but Until that time came 'they should exercise considerable caution. The council. passed a resolution embodying these* views. (Hear, hear.)