Lawyer's Laws

Feilding Star, 29 June 1886, Page 2

Lawyer's Laws

Writiko the subject of the Law Practitioners Act, introduced bj Sir Gkohob Grkt, and the opposition given to the measure by the members of the profession in the House, the Wellington Press says :—" We" are quite willing to believe that they are not afraid of competition at all. But they are . most tremendously afraid that if Sir George G&ky's Bill becomes law, not only will the privileges of the profession of the law be abolished, but; the whole cloud of mystery and antiquated formulary which veils, the practice of the law from the understanding of the people, will speedily be swept away. To lawyers, of course, that mystery and that antiquated formulary have great attractions; for they are the source of their power and their profit; and the love of power and profit is one of the strongest setatiments that sway the human heart. But to the people, we are convinced; they are an unmitigated evil, and are every day becoming more actively repugnant. We trust the time may come when some, eminent . lawyer, casting aside the narrow bands of his cloth, will, have sufficient clearness of ( mind to take this view and sufficient greatness of jnind to advocate it irresistibly.'] In this connection we notice that a Bill has been introduced in the French Chamber of Deputies to abolish the legal profession as a business. Fnder\ the proposed new state of 'affairs every litigant is to oonduct his own case* or get a, friend to do so for him. The. Judges are to study the law and be\paid well for it, but lawyers are to be done away with. Takjng a brcwi view of the matter, it appears as if v the poor lawyers were going to have a bad time ef it during the current decade