New District Court Judge appointed

The Minister of Justice, Hon D.A.M. Graham, today announced the appointment of Auckland Barrister and Solicitor Merelina Letitia Spring Forbes Burnett as a District Court Judge.

Judge Burnett will be sworn in at the Auckland District Court tomorrow and will sit in Hamilton from 24 February.

Judge Burnett graduated LL.B (Hons) from Auckland University and was admitted to the Bar in 1981. She has a Diploma in Criminology and was Senior Scholar of Law at Auckland University in 1980. She was awarded the Senior Prize in 1980.

She practised in three law firms before being appointed litigation principal in a national law firm in 1988. In 1992 she became Barrister Sole.

Last year Judge Burnett lectured in litigation, advocacy and ethics at the Institute for Professional Legal Studies, Auckland.

She is a former President of the Auckland University Law Students Association, a former Council Member of the NZ Law Students Association and a former student member of the Law Society's Young Members Committee.

Before studying law, Judge Burnett was in the clothing industry in NZ and the UK. In 1970 she graduated top student in NZ at the Auckland Technical Institute, gaining a study bursary and the NZ Clothing Institute Golden Shears award.