LAWYER'S CODE OF HONOUR

Grey River Argus, 25 April 1911, Page 2

LAWYER'S CODE OF HONOUR

INTERESTING SPEECH.

Ihe high code of honour which should be maintained in the legal profession was a theme emphasised by Mr H. R. Curlewis in a lecture on I "The Brotherhood of the Law," de- - hvered IJast week to the University Law Society in Sydney. He said' he was not sure that they were not a little Tax in Australia in this regard. If ; a man in the profession did somethng- which placed him outside the pale of common decency they owed it to the honour of the profession not to do as was too often done— to trea* him as he had "been treated before. In offier countries there seemed to be a hdalthier tone. Men such as the' man who (defended the Tichborne claimant — who ttried to rob an infant of its inheritance and to fix shame on »an hououraßle woman — ought to be cast out, not only from the profession, "but from the fellowship of the profession. A man declared unworthy of "the profession ought not to be allowed to canvass its members for signatures to a petition for his reinstatement! He would not ladvocate keeping a man who made one slip out of the profession for ever, but his petition should be laid on the table of (Tie Law Institute, so that those! wno wished to sign it could do so without canvjass. Honorable men dislike hurting- a man's feelings, and; tor that reason often signed such petitions when canvassed. It was often s!aid that" the law was a close corporation — a union. But the union o* the law, whatever it" was designed tor, worked for' the protection of the public rather than for the legal profession.