Dunedin lawyer Michael Ray Radford is up before the court next week, Attorney-General Mick Cullen blurted to CaseLoad today.

Mr Radford has been appointed a District Court Judge.

After admission Mr Radford joined Cruickshank Pryde & Hay in Invercargill.  Later he became a partner of Gallaway Son & Chettleburgh in Dunedin until he left to practise on his own account in 1980. 

Attorney-General Cullen says Mr Radford joined Aspinall Joel & Co in Dunedin in 1985 and until very recently (when one of his staff solicitors joined him as partner) his firm (Aspinall Joel Radford Bowler) comprised himself as Principal and seven staff solicitors.  Mr Radford has been operating the main office in Dunedin as well as spending half of each week in Timaru. 

Since 1972 Mr Radford’s practice has been in litigation, with his personal practice now three quarters litigation, equally divided between civil and criminal.  His non-litigation work is mainly trusts and commercial work. 

Mr Radford has been a member of the Legal Aid Board and the Otago Legal Aid Committee.  He is also a former District Inspector under the Mental Health CAT Act.  In the 1980s he served as President of the Otago District Law Society, on the Council of the Otago District Law Society and the NZ Law Society and as a member of the NZ Law Society Ethics Committee.

Mr Radford will be sworn in on October 31 and will sit in Wellington.

Views on what sort of judge Mike Radford will make (usual discretion assured) are welcome to jockanderson@ihug.co.nz