Just rewards Congratulations to Fiona Guy Kidd (1986) who was appointed to the rank of Queen’s Counsel by the Attorney General in November 2018. In February this year, Fiona was called to the Inner Bar at a ceremony held in the High Court at Invercargill and presided over by then-Chief Justice of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias. The rank of Queen’s Counsel was introduced into New Zealand in 1907. The overarching criterion for appointment is excellence as a barrister. It is a hardearned, lifetime rank held by fewer than one percent of New Zealand lawyers. Fiona describes being made a QC as the highlight of her career to date, and a very special acknowledgement of a lot of hard work over the years. But that hard work is far from over. “In being called to the Inner Bar, I made the undertaking to serve to the best of my knowledge and ability,” she says. “This is a weighty responsibility and it means I can’t slacken off!” It was fitting that a fellow Dio Old Girl, the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias – herself one of New Zealand’s first two female Queen’s Counsels – should preside over Fiona’s admission ceremony. Fiona says Dame Sian has lived the Ut Serviamus motto and given so much of her time to the law.
L to R: Emma Gibbs, Fiona Guy Kidd and Charlotte Findlay. Fiona wears the special black silk gown of a QC, rather than the wool/cotton gown worn by a standard barrister and solicitor. The first time the gown is worn by the new QC is at the ceremony calling them to the Inner Bar, hence the term ‘taking the silk’.
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“She has been a supporter of those working in the area of criminal law, and she is brave – she was never afraid to express a different opinion to other judges. Having Dame Sian preside over the ceremony added a significant link to my childhood in Auckland.” Two more Dio Old Girls, Emma Gibbs, barrister in Manukau, and Charlotte Findlay also attended the ceremony. “Emma, Charlotte and I all went to the University at Otago, and have been friends through the years, so it was fabulous to have them with me at the ceremony,” says Fiona. “I don’t think Dame Sian realised our shared Dio background until my
Two Dio Old Girls, the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias and Fiona Guy Kidd, have both achieved outstanding feats in the legal profession. Powerpoint presentation at the Bar Dinner that night when I put up a photo of myself, Emma, Charlotte and Debra O’Neil from the 1980s in Dio school uniform.” Emma sat in the front of the court with the other lawyers, while in the jury box to witness the ceremony were members of Fiona’s family. They included her parents, Anne and Kerry Guy, along with her husband Hamish and sons Robert and Cameron.
A powerful endorsement In her address at Fiona’s Admission to the Inner Bar, Dame Sian explained that the rank of Queen’s Counsel is reserved for those who are upright, learned and brave.
