LAW IS VOCATION, NOT A BUSINESS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 146, 22 June 1931, Page 10

LAW IS VOCATION, NOT A BUSINESS.

GIVES PRIVILEGES TO SERVE, SAYS MR HUNTER That the profession of law should be followed as a vocation and not as a business was a statement made by Mr W. J. Hunter in an address to the Canterbury College Law Students’ Society on Saturday evening. His subject was: “The Vocation of a Lawyer.” In opening his address, Mr Hunter drew attention to the difference of a business man from one in a profession. The business man had no governing body over him unless, perhaps, a. board of governors, and he had a high standard to maintain. In entering a profession, the primary object was to serve the public in that capacity, money being not unimportant but secondary. The legal profession could really be treated as a public service forming part of the machinery of the administration of justice. That fact gave them high privileges in serving the public, but if they were unworthy of them the privileges would be taken away. There was no short cut to success in the law, but good abilities and alertness of mind were required and determination to fit oneself for the sphere of the profession to which they aspired. The profession was wide and there was room for the learned man who could argue but could not speak, for the advocate who could speak but could not argue and for the general practitioner. Dealing with specialisation, the speaker said that this was largely carried on in England but there was sufficient in New Zealand where there was a general distinction between the court man and the office man or solicitor, who could become a legal administrator dividing up and supervising the work; but it was not possible to combine both to any large extent, because the requirements of one were disadvantages in the case of the other. In conclusion, the speaker said that law, like all trades and professions, had had hard times. Any decent fellow had once been able to make from £BOO to £IOOO a year with a comfortable and pleasant existence, but now they had to work hard for less money and give good service. They could not succeed without ability, honour, courage, persistence and hard work. In moving a vote of thanks, Mr J. T. Watts said that this was the first address of its kind and had been very instructive, especially to the students who were just commencing their course. During the evening, Mr A. S. Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Law, presented two prizes. The first was a gold medal presented by the Canterbury Law Society for the best LL.B. of the year. This was presented to Mr J. L. Robson. The other, presented by Messrs Butterworth and Co., consisted of law books to the value of £5 ss. This prize, which is to be annual, and will be given for excellence in any law subject chosen by the board, was this year presented to Mr J. T. Watts for excellence in the Law of Torts.