The Government is to introduce legislation abolishing the prestigious title of Queen's Counsel.
The proposal, which has horrified monarchists and some QCs, is to be included in the Law Practitioners and Conveyancers Bill.
It was first floated in a discussion document in 2002.
A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Margaret Wilson said if the bill
was passed the title change to Senior Counsel would reflect differences in appointments.
The Government is proposing that Senior Counsel could be chosen from law firms as well as sole practitioners to ensure the best lawyers received the position.
The title of QC bestows huge mana within the legal profession. One said it was like the "law profession's hall of fame".
"If you are arguing a case in court, you often take on a QC to give your case intellectual grunt."
Lawyers said similar moves in Australia had not been welcomed by the profession there.
"The greatest concern is that the Government will change the rules of appointment," said one QC.
The move to allow QCs to be appointed from firms jeopardised the future independence of the role, as they commonly worked for Government and large businesses.
Noel Cox, editor of Monarchy New Zealand, said he was surprised and horrified to hear of the proposals.
"There can be no justification for the change. The sole reason is that the Cabinet is dominated by republicans, who wish to remove all connections of reference to the monarchy."
Dr Cox accused the Government of keeping quiet about its decisions ahead of the general election.
Ms Wilson's spokeswoman disagreed, saying the option of dropping the QC title was canvassed in a September 2000 discussion document. After 180 submissions were received, the Cabinet agreed to propose the change in March and June last year.
The Government is proposing that Senior Counsel will be appointed in the same way as QCs were in the past. Current QCs will have the option of retaining their title.
- NZPA
