Excursions in the law / Peter Heerey.

Annandale, N.S.W. : Federation Press, 2014.

86070

Law and literature -- Australia.

Law -- Philosophy.

Lawyers -- Australia -- History.

Sociological jurisprudence -- Australia.

Tasmanian stories

The justice business

In other lands

Law and literature

Publius.

Peter Heerey is a former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. This is an interesting and entertaining collection of short pieces drawn from fact and fiction. The book is a cornucopia of different works ranging from serious analysis to humorous comments, poems, and recollections. Heerey was born and educated in Tasmania and he commences the book on a more serious note with a profile of Tasmanian politician Andrew Inglis Clark as one of the architects of the Australian constitution. A brief history of the first one hundred years of the Tasmanian Supreme Court follows. Heerey then draws on his more than forty years in the law as either a barrister or a judge and provides a number of papers under the heading 'The Justice Business'. This includes talks that Heerey has given to various bodies during the course of his career, such as the always reflective and insightful talks he has given to readers commencing at the Bar. There is an interesting article entitled 'The Judicial Herd: seduced by suave glittering phrases?', which offers a number of opinions in relation to the way Courts of Appeal function, in particular a criticism of the 'now fashionable judicial conference' as well as the practice of circulating draft judgments. There are short, biographical pieces on Owen Dixon and Abraham Lincoln and a number of witty rhyming poems including 'The Ballad of Briginshaw'. In a section called 'In Other Lands' Heerey offers personal glimpses of his various experiences abroad such as a Privy Council Appeal and his time as an acting judge in Vanuatu. Peter Heerey writes in a clear pithy style and admits to being informed of Blaise Pascal's declaration from 1657: 'Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte'. It is wise counsel for all lawyers. Heerey's book is an enjoyable read that demonstrates his wide range of abilities as a wordsmith and his love of the English language.

9781876861131

282 p. ; 22 cm