THE DOMINION LAW SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 853, 27 June 1910, Page 8

THE DOMINION LAW SOCIETY.

o IMPOHTAXT CHANGES SOUGHT. f Two important matters affecting tie o legal profession throughout the Domin--0 ion were the subject of a deputation ' from the New Zealand Law Society to 1 the Attorney-General (lion. Dr. Find- • lay) on Saturday. Air. Stafford said that the object of • the deputation was to ask the Govern- - meut to introduce a Jiill to amend the f Law Practitioners Act in various direc- .'' tions. The most important amendment - suggested was that tho New Zealand t Law Society should have power to levy 3 contributions upon the various district ■ law societies for the. upkeep of a judges' - library in Wellington. At present there i- was a small library of the kind in WJel- - lington, but the contributions towards t its "'maintenance were purely voluntary. - Then, again, it was desired that the , New Zealand Law Society should Iμ i given the power to institute tho necess sary proceedings in all cases of professional misconduct. At present each 1 district law society brought its own i cases. The various societies had gener- , ally approved of the proposal, and there - seemed to be no objection on principle f to the Government introducing such a i Bill. Dr. Findlay, in reply, said that he - was in sympathy with both the proposals. It seemed to him, with regard to tho, proposal with reference to proceedings in cases of professional misconduct, that they sboujd lie with the 0 central body, for such cases did not af--1 feet merely the district in which the 5 practitioners resided, but the wholo I- profession. He thought that the spirit y of the rule in England was in confornin ity with what had just been suggested. g Although the matter had just been I! brought under his notice, his present s disposition was to advise tho Govern- ■- ment to give legislative effect to the 0 proposal. As regards the proposal for 0 a compulsory contribution on the part ■' of eaeb district law society towards the ',' maintenance of a judges' library in Wellington, he wished to say that it " appeared to him to be a fair one. Alf though some of the law societies in tha p different districts desired to have somo :. modification of the proposal, they were r pretty well all in agreement' with the 1 principle itself, and he did not see. hoir f tlx'V could bo otherwise. There would s. hnve to be a necessary distinction between tho contributions of the variowj societies. , ilr. Stafford: The Council of the New . Zealand Law Society will take care that t no undue burden is placed on any so- ' ciety. i Dr. Findlay added that in tJuifc event ' tho proposal' would be qiuto unobjec- ' fioiiiible, and would have his support. ' If further iMiisideration presented Uμ matters in the same light as was now : I hi! case, ho would do his best to sea that effect was given -to them.