Me drafting the pro forma notice of appeal: “I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future.”

"Who's a good boy?" "I'm going to need you to stop asking. That's operationally sensitive and the dog hasn't waived his anonymity." www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nzsas-inq...

Our society will not be safe until we close the Northern Club.

The extremely-Wellington special counsel to the Judicial Conduct Panel keep going to what is hands-down the worst cafe in the vicinity of the court, but no one is telling them.

“Counsel, what is this Northern Club you speak of?”

This column is hiding the point it wants to make. We haven’t had a head of bench at DC, HC or CA level in station for longer than six-ish years in the last 25. It’s really a column against limits for CJ. www.nzherald.co.nz/business/why...

What is te reo for 'Where do you usually go?'

Constitutional dialogue except it's the Court of Appeal menacing medical regulators who aren't parties about hypothetical future actions because that's what the rule of law requires apparently. www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...

Most people don't know that the promissory note was invented in 1736 by John Promiss, a Bristolian merchant and qualified solicitor.

Re: signing under a Cloud - the law of electronic signatures.

Before writing anything, first check to see whether someone else has had the same idea.

I’m part of a team of lawyers putting together some urgent subs which is stressful but fun. My role is mainly to remember old Hammond J zingers that are directly on point.

As Speaker, this chap did daily videos to camera reading out what the business of the House would be that day. I used to watch them on my lunch break because I found them very calming and they helped with anxiety. I thought he was great!

This is a lack of imagination. When Sir Alexander Herdman retired as AG he appointed himself a Supreme Court judge.

Will I understand Marty Supreme if I haven’t seen Marty High and Marty Appeal?

Can't believe Dean Knight cyberbullied the Prime Minister into announcing the election date.

Asking for your land to be treated like Māori land when you live in Taranaki is certainly something.

House meeting.

In the New Zealand justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and for some reason employees of private law firms who prosecute the offenders but aren't subject to the Official Information Act. These are their stories.

First day back & I'm casting through the past year's judicial review cases to see if there's anything interesting that's passed me by, in preparation for my presentation at the NZCPL Govt Law Year in Review seminar on 18 Feb. Do consider coming, NZ govt nerds. Online attendance *is* an option!

First proper day back at work, by which I mean at home trying to find the Strictly Obiter Cat of the Year 2025, who escaped this morning while some glaziers were repairing a broken window.

Experience levels for the Regulatory Standards Board? I don’t mean to brag but I’ve been subject to the regulations of New Zealand my entire life.

A sentence in the other side's submissions uses the word "but" three times.

Personally, I don't believe we should be pandering so heavily to the wants and desires of @acgeddis.bsky.social

Strictly Obiter knighthood. Strictly Obiter knighted. Knight Strict Obiter. New Year Honour for Strictly Obiter. Strictly Obiter for services to law. Strictly Obiter best person to knight. Knighthood for Strictly Obiter.

We’re going back to corsned.

Neighbourly Ltd v Unknown Defendants [2026] NZHC 1.

Over the holidays I made possibly the worst financial decision of my life to get into Magic the Gathering, but on the plus side I just professionally networked with another lawyer at the inner-city card shop when he asked me about the copy of the Wilberg text I was carrying.

I read this (all of it!) over the break because I have to write a review of it. Team, it is so good! It replaces the JR Handbook as my first port of call.

The first thing we do, let's thrill all the lawyers.

Opinion from the University of Otago: Is it best to buy your shovel, lye and rubber gloves directly from Mitre 10 or speak to a man in a pub about a 'rat' problem you need help solving?

University of Auckland Law School resolutely not stating which lecturers teach which courses on any public-facing part of their website. Presumably so people like me do not then email them!

For services to legal fees.

Commiserations to everyone appearing on the LawFuel Power List 2025.

Someone in this latest season of Brokenwood Mysteries is using the 6th edition of the ADLS standard agreement for sale and purchase. We’re up to the 11th in the rest of the country!

The year is 2025 and I am begging everybody across the political spectrum to understand the cab rank rule and role-differentiated morality.

Okay even I think judicial review needs to chill for a second.

Grinder and Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee and PATHA interim relief and the Corrections mandamus case and (not fitting with the meme because it was on the Crown side) LCANZI and probably others I'm missing.

Mandamus alert. www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...

Ministry of Melling Infrastructure.

“What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Russian meal?”

Agree with Andrew - great Christmas idea and helps transition to a coal-free economy.

High Court holds Michael Jordan is "infamous". R v Tuira [2025] NZHC 3958

Proud to be named law firm of the year by something that sounds like the news service from Bluey.

Dump all my stock in Russell McVeagh.

Off to the Australia New Zealand Legal Ethics Colloquium at Otago. A colloquium is like a conference except it’s worth more points in Scrabble.

Picture of me and the staff who operate my Bluesky account.

I'm in Dunedin, I'm with my much more talented wife, I've got a coffee, I'm writing slides for a presentation at a legal ethics conference about the divide between professional and personal misconduct. Life's pretty good sometimes!