BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8841, 30 January 1907, Page 3

BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS

♦ AN ANOMALY. Speaking at the session of the' University Senate this morning, Mr Louis Cohen said he wished to bring before the Senate the matter of barristers and solicitors' degrees. The tendency of matters in the Senate was that the ta-w degrees should be given after a creditable examination, and he thought the public of the colony ought to applaud the efforts of the Senate in making the standard a high one for practitioners It was a safeguard to the public, and as all other technical degrees m the University required a high stantlard ot efficiency, he thought that from the law practitioners there should be demanded a standard not only of efficiency in the principles of law, but in culture. Ihe {joint he wanted to make was that the efforts of the University, to whom had been entrusted the conduct of examinations by the Judges of the Supreme Court were really nullified by a principle not' referable to either commonsense or reason. The law was that when a solicitor in the colony had practised for five years he became ipso facto a barrister of the hu-m-em* Court. He did not know if the Chancellor was aware of any reason for the absurdity of that anomalous position. The University, the examining body, it seemed to him, was stultifying the efforts to raise the standard of qualification for the degree of barrister. Could it be said that a solicitor practising as a solicitor, obtained qualification which might be expected from a barrister. A barrister - could not be too cultivated a man, and it was only by having men of high culture at the bar that they could hope to obtain the prestige they should oxpect. He did not think that they should be afraid to make a representation by the Senate on 'a matter which they thought ought well to be raised, and which was referable neither to .common-sense nor any reason that anybody knew of. He was prepared to give notice of motion that the Senate should address itself to the Minister of Justice, .asking him to have the law amended which gave "the qualification to persons who were really not entitled to it. The Chancellor said he had no doubt that the matter would be discussed. He did not wish to explain how it was that the statute came, to be paeeed, but he believed it was vicious and had a bad effect on the legal profession. He could not understand: why it was passed. Now barristers were getting in by what he would call a back door, and he was very sorry for the profession.