ARTICLED CLERKS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 110, 17 March 1870, Page 5

ARTICLED CLERKS.

(To the Editor of the Tuapeka Times.) Sir, — Your reporter has omitted to give you a statement made by our Resident Magistrate from the Bench on Monday week last, and as it is only right that the public should be aware of it, I will now supply the omission. When the case of Griffin v. Buchanan was called on in Court, Mr. Mouat stated that he appeared on behalf of one of the parties, when the Magistrate stated to him that he could not for the future allow articled clerks to appear as solicitors in his Court, as we had now a qualified solicitor resident in the district ; and added that when he had been down in Dunedin Judge, Ward had addressed some very strong remarks from, the Bench on the subject, and had expressed the view that articled clerks had no right to act as solicitors until they became solicitors in the usual way. Not only so, but after the Court was over he ("Judge Ward) had sent fot the Resident Magistrate, and in his private chambers had called his attention very seriously to the matter. Mr. Keen then appeared, and the same remarks were repeated to him. The following extracts from the- " Law Practitioners Act, 1861," show the matter in a very clear light : — "No person shall act as a solicitor in " any Court in New Zealand who is not " at the time of his so acting a solicitor " enrolled according to the provisions of " the Act ; and any person who shall " offend against this provision shall be " deemed to be guilty of a contempt of " the Court in which he shall so act, and " may be punished accordingly, and shall " also be liable to a penalty not exceeding " fifty pounds for every such offence." " If any man, not being a barrister or "solicitor of the Court, shall act as a " conveyancer, he shall forfeit and pay for " every such offence any sum. not exceed"ing the sum of fifty pounds." — I am, &c, John Copland, Solicitor* Lawrence, March 14, 1870.