Particularly special

Rebecca Dempsey’s ad-mission ceremony, in the Whanganui High Court on 23 April, was particularly special. Rebecca’s mother, Kathryn Crooks, moved the admission and the presiding judge was Rebecca’s aunt, Justice Sarah Katz. 

Rebecca graduated from Otago University last year with a first class honours degree in law, having completed her degree requirements in Canada. She will be working at Simpson Grierson in Auckland. 

It is not just her mother and aunt whose footsteps Rebecca is following. Her great grandfather was Dr Roy McElroy, a partner of McElroy, Duncan and Preddle in Auckland. Dr McElroy was also Mayor of Auckland from 1965 to 1968. Rebecca’s mother is a partner of Armstrong Barton and a former President of the Law Society’s Whanganui branch.

Second annual moot

The New Zealand Law Foundation is the primary sponsor for the Wellington Young Lawyers’ Committee’s second annual mooting competition.

The competition, which is also supported by the New Zealand Bar Association, starts this month and will conclude in June. The Bar Association will provide group training to all participants and mentoring for semi-finalists and finalists.

The mooting competition will simulate an appellate court hearing in which teams of two counsel will be pitted against each other. Counsel will be required to submit points of appeal and written submissions before the hearing. 

The heats will feature 12 teams. The four highest ranking appellant and respondent teams will compete in the semi-finals. In turn, the two highest ranking teams will compete for the title of the New Zealand Law Foundation YLC Mooting Competition Champions 2014.