KEY POINTS:
A hearing to decide whether disbarred lawyer Christopher Harder can resume practising is in limbo while he decides whether he will object to new evidence of his previous misconduct.
Mr Harder was struck off the law practitioners' roll in February 2006 after admitting professional misconduct, including an incident in which he took a client to a brothel and made him simulate the sexual violence he had been charged with committing.
A 10-day NZ Law Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal hearing of the case began in Auckland yesterday.
But it was adjourned after Mr Harder's lawyer, Colin Pidgeon, QC, indicated his client would seek a High Court judicial review of a tribunal decision to hear evidence from complainants not heard in earlier misconduct hearings.
Auckland District Law Society and NZ Law Society lawyers had argued the evidence should be heard to help decide whether Mr Harder was a reformed character.
Mr Pidgeon argued the evidence - from "a huge number of people" - was "not appropriate" for the hearing.
When chairman Pete Radich said the tribunal had decided to allow the evidence, he gave Mr Pidgeon until noon today to decide what he would do.
Chris Morris, for the Auckland law society, argued for the hearing to proceed because of the inconvenience caused by an adjournment.
He also believed there was little chance that an appeal to the High Court for a review would succeed.
NZ Law Society lawyer Stuart Grieve, QC, said the hearing should continue because of the expense involved in getting the matter to tribunal.
Mr Harder's legal team had known that the law society would seek to use the new evidence, Mr Grieve said.
"The whole thing is unsatisfactory, and I object strongly."
Mr Pidgeon said a High Court review could take "some months".
