Humour gets you through anything By Sasha Borissenko Nelson criminal barrister Mark Dollimore has been in the business for over 24 years and thanks to the support of his legal community, a passion for representing the underdogs of society, and always having a great sense of humour, he’s not going anywhere. Because of financial restrictions, Mark completed his law degree part-time over 13 years doing odd jobs including being a charge hand of hard jubes at a sweets factory before graduating to the liquorice allsorts section. It wasn’t until he was in his thirties when he tried his hand at being a corporate lawyer for three months that he decided to “ditch it in favour of the criminal law”. After graduation, he started work at a Nelson law firm, which gave him the opportunity to take on “rats and mice” cases other lawyers didn’t want to deal with. He has always had a soft spot for his clients and working in criminal law really resonated for him, he says. “You know, you’re dealing with people who are not looked at pleasantly by society but someone’s got to do it. Doctors and undertakers do it. I actually quite like it. “Most people are intrinsically good at the end of the day and the majority of people I see are either disenfranchised or extremely affected by drug abuse or poverty. “I’m privileged in the sense I get to see reports about the history, upbringing, mental health and psychological and police assessments, which gives a lot of context. “You are dealing with people with broken lives, there’s no doubt about that.” The job can be very trying, he says, and it’s no use not having a great sense of humour. He recalls issuing a topless calendar in 1997, titled “keeping well abreast of all legal matters”. It was both a “sophisticated marketing tool” and an attempt to challenge the “stuffy” image of the profession, he says. But his professionalism was called into question as a consequence, which was “perhaps regrettable”, he says.
Mark Dollimore with friend and colleague Ian Miller.
“I have never really liked the professional snobbery, it’s about connecting with your client base. I’ve noticed [this snobbery] has diminished now over the years, which is wonderful.” He recalls a hard time sitting at home watching television with his three girls when a segment on the news described him as “a scumbag lawyer”. “My girls said, ‘is that you daddy?’ and I said ‘yup darl, that’s me’.” His greatest struggle to date came in December 2013, when Mark was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Almost a year and countless treatments later, he is now in remission. He has been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the legal community, he says. He remembers getting a visitor, a wellknown judge, while he was in Wellington Hospital who sent him a text saying, “either
you’ve moved beds or you’ve died”. Thankfully it was the former and not the latter, he says. “That’s the thing about humour, it gets you through anything and everything. “It’s so funny, people regard lawyers as shark-types or rat bags but I’ve been so surprised to see lawyers, my competition, who have kindly offered to help run the practice free of charge. Even my clients have come to the party – giving me free firewood and fish and offering to help prune my garden. “Nelson is such a nice and welcoming place. It’s a bit of a quirky community. I suppose that’s why I am well suited here.” And while he has reduced his hours he has no intention to “shut up shop” because he still loves the work and loves the stimulus of using his brain. “It’s a no brainer, really.”
LawTalk 853 · 24 October 2014 ·
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