Noted in Passing

Compelling Tributes

Tributes have been flowing in posthumously for barrister, Greg King.  Some of them are impressive, given their source.

We did not know Mr King personally at all.  We have only known him through the filtered eye of the media.  By reputation he was one of the leading defence barristers in the country.  Here is a summary of some of the more significant tributes:

Firstly, from the parents of murdered Sophie Elliott.  King defended at trial the subsequently convicted murderer, Clayton Weatherston.
 

The mother of Sophie Elliott, murdered by Clayton Weatherston whom Mr King defended, said she was "shattered" by his death.  While the family might not have appreciated Mr King's "tactics" during Weatherston's trial, the lawyer earned their admiration and respect.

His personal side was sympathetic, generous, passionate and humane, she said. She had attended justice forums at which Mr King was a lone voice on some issues. He was prepared to be at odds with others, but the "great thing about him" was an ability to listen and engage.  Sophie's father, Gil Elliott, said Mr King was extremely intelligent, courteous and friendly. "He admired Sophie, he told me that."

Such words speak volumes when coming from the mouth of a trial "opponent".  As do these words from Simon Moore, Auckland Crown Solicitor--and, therefore, professional opponent of Mr King in many instances:

Contemporaries agreed. Auckland Crown Solicitor Simon Moore, SC, said the thing he most admired about Mr King was his "completely principled approach to everything he did". He had a "sense of proportion" which made him such an effective advocate.  "He understood what juries liked and what juries didn't like. But I think it's important to remember it wasn't just before juries, but also in tribunals, and I'd appeared against him at the Court of Appeal ... He was very much a man for all seasons.

"His word was his bond."

A very rare quality indeed in these days of universal thenardierism.

Then consider this--from convicted double murderer John Barlow:

Convicted double murderer John Barlow told 3 News: "In prison, people talk about lawyers a lot. There's only one lawyer that came up a lot and every single time people praised him, whether he'd won their case or not."

In addition, from Ben Vanderkolk, his "opponent" in the recent Ewen Macdonald trial:

Ben Vanderkolk, who was the lead Crown prosecutor in the Ewen Macdonald trial this year, said he had a feeling of ''tragic numbness''.  ''He was a lawyer in his prime and his life has been cut short.''

Vanderkolk said he had faced King in three murder trials over a decade and was impressed with his planning. ''He always knew his case inside out before it went to trial.  ''He was a brilliant strategist with an agile mind. ''He would have a plan and stick to it, because he was confident it was the right one.''

King was also easy to deal with outside the courtroom before a trial, which Vanderkolk said made the process much easier. ''You could settle things a long way out from a trial with him and know what to expect.  ''All his trials were incredibly focused.''

When one's professional opponents speak so highly the attestation is pretty compelling.