New District Court Judge

The Minister of Justice, Hon D.A.M. Graham, today announced the appointment of Palmerston North Queen's Counsel Leslie Herrick Atkins as a District Court Judge.

Judge Atkins will be sworn in at Palmerston North District Court on 16 December and will sit in Palmerston North from 2 February 1998.

Judge Atkins graduated LLB from Victoria University in 1970 and LLM in 1977. He was admitted to the Bar in 1974.

He began his career as a legal research officer with the Department of Justice. He was appointed Junior Lecturer at Victoria University in 1972 and Lecturer at Canterbury University in 1975.

From 1976 till 1987 he practised as a Barrister and Solicitor in Manawatu. He has been a barrister sole since 1987. He was a member of the Manawatu District Law Society Council in 1988.

Judge Atkins was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990. He was a member of Crime's Consultative Committee in 1990.

He was a part-time Law Commissioner from 1992 to 1997.