The Attorney-General, Hon Margaret Wilson, has announced the appointment of Philip Richard Connell and James Julian Weir, both of Hamilton, as District Court Judges.

Judge Connell will be sworn in at Hamilton District Court on Wednesday 12 April and will sit in Palmerston North from 15 May. Judge Weir will be sworn in on 14 April and sit in Rotorua, also from 15 May.

Judge Connell graduated from Otago University with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1979 and was admitted to the Bar the same year. He has been practising as a barrister sole since 1987, specialising in criminal work. He has been a member of the Crown panel in Hamilton for 5 years and is also a youth advocate. He has been active in legal education, including serving as a faculty member of the New Zealand Law Society litigation skills programme for over 6 years and as honorary lecturer at the Waikato University Law School..

Judge Weir graduated from Canterbury University with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1972 and was admitted to the Bar in 1977. He has been a Partner in the firm of Hemara Weir Law since 1980. His early experience, post graduation, was devoted to practising criminal law, but since 1980 he has been engaged entirely in civil litigation, largely employment law since 1991. Prior to that a major part of his practice was in family law. Judge Weir is a member of the New Zealand Law Society Employment Law Committee and has served as Presiding Member of the Hamilton District Legal Services Subcommittee.

Both Judges are aged 49.

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