ASSISTANCE EXPECTED

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12527, 17 August 1926, Page 9

ASSISTANCE EXPECTED

BY SUPREME COURT FROM LAW ~SOCIETY. Reference to the attitude taken up by the Law Societv in regard to the re-adinission of a solicitor, and the assistance in such matters that the court is entitled to expect from this source, was made by His Honour the Chief Justice, when delivering a Supreme Court judgment vesterday:— “It is necessary to refer to the attitude adopted by the Auckland District Law Society.” explained the julgment and added, “An affidavit has been filed by Mr Joseph Boyce Johnston, the president of that society, in which he says that his council had decided that it is not in a position to express any opinion as to the facts deposed T 5 in the affidavit, sworn and filed herein on behalf of John Raphael Lundon (the applicant for readmission), The council of the society abstained from passing, a resolution Th favour of the readmission of Lundon; and the New Zealand Law Society, whose counsel has appeared before us at the instance of the local secretary, has not considered Lundon’s case. We are constrained to say that the court has not received that assistance from the local society which it was entitled to expect. The court usually attaches weight to representations made by a law society relating to applications for admission. It would be a matter of regret if law societies should become indifferent to acter or fitness of the applicant is in question, or to matters affecting the personnel of solicitors or their standard of conduct.”