Make QC Appointments Transparent Say Lawyers

Chief legal officers of the country’s largest organisations say keep the rank of Queen’s Counsel, but make appointments more transparent.
That’s the result of Corporate Lawyers Association of NZ survey in response to Government’s review of the rank of Queen’s Counsel which is assessing whether QC appointments should continue, and if so, on what basis.
Some key findings of the CLANZ survey are:
?Lawyers still want mark of distinction for outstanding lawyers.
?Appointments should be made on new, more transparent basis.
?The name given, whether Queen’s Counsel or Senior Counsel, isn’t material.
?Although those who appoint QCs do so responsibly, respondents feel the criteria isn’t always clear.
?The selection of outstanding lawyers should be strongly merit-based and bestowed on relatively small number of truly outstanding lawyers by transparent set of criteria.
?Those responsible for selecting QCs should consult widely but in focused manner.
Corporate organisations were selected from the top companies listed in Management’s Top 200 companies.