Our Profession, Our People
30 Jan 2015 · LawTalk 857
One benefit of such a programme, he says, is that the students will be more likely to respond positively to a jury summons in the future. The students wrote the script for the trial, chose their parts, and even made very authentic looking gowns for the trial. Just like in any trial there was a court usher, judge, jury, prosecutors, defence counsel, witnesses, the defendant and a public gallery (including people on the press bench). There were openings, examinations, cross-examinations, objections, the judge’s rulings, closings and the judge’s summing up before the jury retired to consider its verdict. And just like in any Left: Minnie Deans, played by Sam Robinson, celebrates trial, the deliberations after the jury foreman announced the “not guilty” verdict. of the jury were held Photograph: Andrew Jacombs. behind closed doors. While the jury was deliberating, LawTalk spoke to a number of the students who had taken part in the trial. They said they had Tama Hovell has joined the learned a lot from the partnership of Atkins Holm process and that they Majurey, environmental and had enjoyed it a lot. public law specialists. Tama This was not the first specialises in environmenmock trial Mr Harcourt tal, resource management has organised for stuand Treaty/Māori law. dents. The first two, Tama Hovell Senior Russell McVeagh however, were trials of fictional character Scar partner Derek Nolan has from the Lion King, and left the firm and moved the possibly fictional to Bankside Chambers in Robin Hood. Auckland, where he works The 4 December trial as a barrister focusing on was the first of an historenvironmental, natural ical character accused of resources and resource a crime. management law as well Derek Nolan as local government and the Williamina “Minnie” Dean was the only Public Works Act. Derek is one of New Zealand’s woman to receive the best-known and experienced environmental death penalty in New and resource management lawyers and was Zealand. She was hanged a founder of the Resource Management Law in Invercargill on 12 Association. He is also a past president of that August 1895 after she organisation and recipient of an “outstanding was found guilty of person” award from the association. Described murdering one-year-old in Chambers and Partners Global as a “top perDorothy Carter. ▪ former in environmental law” with “particular praise for his depth of knowledge and strategic vision”, Derek is the editor and author of the award-winning textbook, Environmental and Resource Management Law.
On the move
Jury finds Minnie Dean not guilty Minnie Dean was not guilty of murder, a jury found in the Old High Court in Wellington on 4 December. It was no ordinary jury, however. The 12 jurors were year 10 social studies students from Wellington High School. The novel idea of the students running a trial was developed by their teacher, Michael Harcourt, as a way to demystify the courts process. “As well as teaching them about important concepts such as burden of proof and beyond reasonable doubt, the idea is to teach them about the role of the jury in democratic society,” Mr Harcourt says.
Computer Forensics NZ Ltd
Computer Investigations
0800 LOST FILES
Data Recovery
0800 5678 34
www.datarecovery.co.nz
Since 1999
Naahi Taiaroa has been promoted to associate with Simon Stock Lawyers. She has been with the firm since 2012. Naahi’s specialties include residential and commercial conveyancing, business sales and acquisitions, commercial leasing, trusts, asset protection, relationship property and estate planning. Continued on next page...
13