By John Bowie – The Briefcase ‘Boscars’ – See <a href= LawFuel for NZ Legal Jobs Online
It’s hard to believe it’s Boscars time again. The Briefcase Oscars were last presented before Iceland melted and Wall Street overheated. It seems like yesterday when the prestigious awards were last handed out. So much has happened in so short a time. It’s also been 100 years since New Zealand’s statutes were rewritten. Just where did that century go? It was also a year when new laws – good, bad and often very ugly – have continued to flow from our drafting office. The legal system continues to be tested on almost every front, with challenges and debate over both form and process. But for the Boscars we focus on the most important part of the machinery of the law – the lawyers. Surely no one thought the clients were more important, did they? It is therefore with great pleasure that I am able to open the sealed envelope after the single vote – my own – has been counted and audited by international accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers and placed in escrow with a New York law firm, which has now gone out of existence.
And so to the results.
Legal Drama – “NZLS v. ADLS – A True Story” – The Two Societies
A bitterly fought, high stakes battle with bad blood and backroom maneuverings that move from boardroom to bedroom to courtroom to . . oh, God, everywhere. This is a high-tech, low rent slow train wreck brilliantly set to the “Anything you can do, I can do better” soundtrack. Masterful and disturbing all at the same time.
The Lehman Big Bottom Line Award – Bell Gully
They joined the $100 million club with an estimated $35 million in profits – split that roughly 42 ways and you’ve got a stellar performance in anyone’s language.
Best Musical Performance – “Maidment Uncut” – Keith Berman, Casey Murray and Dan Rawlings
Keith ‘Fingers’ Berman for his keyboard exposition, knockout Kerikeri singer and barrister Casey Murray and barrister Dan Rawlings provided their respective high energy performances at the Maidment in July. ‘Maidment Uncut’ is already an unrecorded cult classic.
Best Art Direction – Simpson Grierson
A great art collection, both inspired and inspirational. Also the only kiwi firm mentioned on the mergermarkets legal advisory M&A table, which lays the door open for some strategic Hotere acquisitions ahead.
Best Cross-Genre Performance By A Lawyer – Brian Henry
His modern interpretation of “Blood Brothers” brought Willy Russell’s musical classic right to the forefront of contemporary life in a startling, yet ultimately life affirming manner. A tragedy touched by comedic brilliance.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Lane Neave
They greedily but self effacingly scooped everyone to every award at the Law Award because of something called “client focus”.
Best All-Round Performance By Anyone, Ever – Mai Chen
Turbo-charged and ready to go, she’s already gone before you’ve had breakfast. Multi-media appearances, hyper-connections, a defamation against Helen Clark, the public law ‘go-to girl’ with a kick-ass attitude and a big swinging award-capturing performance combined with a principal-to-staff ratio that beats everyone else in the known universe hands down. Take a curtsy, Mai.
Best Judge In A Dramatic Role – Justice John Fogarty
Labelled the “stud muffin judge” when introduced recently by none other than a South Island community group that he was to address, we cannot disagree and because his sister makes a superb wiener schnitzel we’re going to complain about neither muffins nor schnitzels. Well deserved.
The Denny Crain TV Lawyer Award – Chris Comeskey
A star who appears on screen more than Denny, Chris Comeskey is dazzled as much by the TV lights as by his own ability to shine beneath them. Representing everyone who’s anyone in trouble his year has been stellar, even if Pumpkin’s father has ju-jitsu kicked him for touch.
The Contact Energy PR Blooper Award – DLA Phillips Fox
To keep something confidential like, hypothetically and for example, making redundancies, you don’t ask lawyers to sign confidentiality agreements. Lawyers are trained to talk, not to shut up.
The Magnanimity Award – Chris Finlayson
Before he had even warmed his seat’s sheepskin in parliament he’d given the nod to Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Jack Hodder, well before his own SC even hits the conveyor belt.
