Hon Christopher Finlayson

SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) to the Attorney-General: Does he stand by his observation that “some people contend that the overall standard of the bar, and particularly the criminal bar, is not high enough in New Zealand” and is the reason why there are so many delays?

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General) : Yes, I do. I regularly talk to members of the legal profession, and an increasing concern is that the standard of some lawyers working in our courts is not sufficiently high. One even told me recently of a lawyer who, having no knowledge of basic court etiquette, addressed the court by saying “Yo, judge.”

Sandra Goudie: What does the Attorney-General believe can be done to improve the overall standard of the Bar?

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I am tempted to say “Yo, Sandra.”! I outlined a number of suggestions in my recent speech to the Bar Association. These included an effective certification process for trial advocates, ongoing mandatory, effective continuing legal education, especially for those who are in their first 3 years of practice, and also a duty to cooperate with the court being written into the High Court Rules. I have also been advocating the development of an effective mentoring programme for some of our younger practitioners, and I will do whatever I can to assist such programmes.