DOMINION LAWYERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20221, 4 April 1929, Page 10

DOMINION LAWYERS.

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S PRAISE

TRADITIONS OF PROFESSION

THE LATE CHIEF JUSTICE

[BY TELEGKArH. —I'IIESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Wednesday.

The second annual conference of the New Zealand Law Society was opened to-day, Mr. A. Gray, K.C., presiding. Addresses were delivered by the GovernorGeneral, Sir Charles Fergusson, and the Attorney-General, the Hon. T. K. Sidey. " The medical and legal professions arc the most honourable in the world," said His Excellency in his address. " I suppose there is no profession which has a higher standard of integrity or a higher tradition for scrupulous honesty and diroctness of purpose than yours. That is your pride, which you jealously guard and which you are careful to observe. I want particularly to show honour to your profession, and interest in your deliberations. That was the reason why I came down from Auckland.

" After all, your share in Empire building is directly or indirectly to administer justice, and to preserve an impartial justice between man and man. One member present has said that that was a pernicious heresy, and that (he task of a lawyer was to win his case. However, tho tradition of justice is one of the proudest boasts in tho English constitu lion, and the great tradition of our race, and I do believe and hope your deliberations hero will strengthen your appreciation of the great heritage handed down to you, which you are here to preserve. I know you purpose to use every effort to hand it down untarnished to your successors. " 1 would not like to go away without making reference to the lato Sir Charles Skerrett. Whether or not history will claim him as a gx-eat lawyer or a great Judge I am not competent to say. You or those who come after you will settle that point, but he was a man who carefully preserved in the case of Bar or Bench the very highest traditions of your profession. He was scrupulously fair, honest and straightforward. He was a great sports man in the best sense of tho word." Papers to be read at the conference are Etiquette of the Legal Profession,", Sir John Findlay, K.C.; "The Crown in Business," Mr. R. L. Ziman; "An Elective Judiciary," Mr. P. J. O'Regan; "The University and the Profession," Professor J. Adamson; " Profession of a Barrister in New Zealand," Mr. A. H. Johnstone; "Courts and Courthouses," Mr. A. T. Donnelly; " Functions of the Law Society, Mr. G. M. Spence.

TRAINING PRACTITIONERS

NEW PROPOSALS MADE

[BY I'EI.EG RAfH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday.

Expressing the opinion that tho schools of New Zealand did not adequately equip the legal practitioner for the practical work of his profession, the Hon. T. K. Sidey, Attorney-General, made a proposal at to-day's conference of the New Zealand Law Society that the university should have tho sole responsibility with regard to the law schools of New Zealand.

On the passing of the Law Practitioners Act, 1882, which recognised the LL.B degree as sufficient qualification for admission to practice both as a barrister and a solicitor, little if anything was done by the university colleges to organise law schools so as to give studeats training in the practical work of their profession and teaching was limited to one or two subjects. About 20 years later the Government (by making special grants in aid) decided in effect that each of the colleges should specialise in certain branches of study and that specialisation in law should ba undertaken by Wellington. Little more, however, was done at Victoria Colleeg than the establishment of two professorships. "In recent years a good deal more has been done by the schools of law to equip students for the practice of their profession," said Mr. Sidey. "Notwithstanding, it will not bo contended that they do yet adequately equip the legal practitioner for tho practical work of his profession." Students on graduation without office experience cannot command situations in law offices to-day, but frequently find themselves in a somewhat difficult position in seeking to acquire such experience after they have attained adult age." Mr. Sidey then made the following proposal:—(l) That the university should have tho sole responsibility of determining tho educational qualifications of candidates for admission to the legal profession; (2) that (he university colleges would undertake the training of law students in theory and practice and it would bo for tho council of the New Zealand University to prescribe what additional practical experience (if any) in an office would bo required j and (3) that the Judges of the Court would still retain the right to approve or disapprove of applicants on other than education grounds. As an alternative to tho proposal the most that might be asked for was that authority should be given to tho Judges to require a minimum of three years' service in the offico of a practising lawyer subsequent to passing the general knowledge examination.

The proposal to make such a condition statutory might arouse opposition, and it appeared to he more likely to do so than the course which .the speaker suggested and which therefore, in his opinion, offered a greater prospect of being acceptable to Parliament. Such an amendment of the law might provo of great value, but there was not the remotest chance of securing such legislation unless there was absolute unanimity in its favour on the. part of Bench and Bar. He said that whenever proposals were made regarding the privileges of those who were on or were to be placed on the register, especially regarding the qualifications for registration, the cry of "close corporation" was almost invariably raised. He considered that objections on that ground could not justificably be taken where the only test of entranco to the profession was one of ability.