The decision in Craig v Slater (2017) NZHC 874 is a very interesting one for access to legal assistance. The case involves two now notorious characters – Colin Craig, a politician, and Cameron Slater, a blogger. My interest here is in the decision to allow a paid McKenzie friend to sit next to Mr Craig …
Continue reading Junior Barristers as McKenzie Friends – a new form of affordable legal assistance?
Litigants are not "customers". Litigation is a public good and language from the Ministry that suggests otherwise is something we should all be worried about.
Triage is a concept long associated with managing medical emergencies. The OED defines it as: The assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses in order to decide the order or suitability of treatment. Triage is done is three categories (hence the “tri”) with “1” being the most urgent and “3” the least. The …
Continue reading Triage – a clinical cover for under-resourcing?
I’ll come clean now about the fact that one of my favourite things to do in whatever town or city I’m in is to go into a court that is in session and watch. It isn’t everyone’s idea of tourism but I love to see the different styles of courtrooms, watch the local lawyers, and …
I’m suggesting we drop the inaccurate, elitist analogy of "Rolls Royce justice" and choose our words and images more carefully. We use analogy because it is powerful; so let’s find a better one.
