Greg Hollister-Jones, Paul Mabey and Rob Ronayne have each made impressive strides in their legal careers in recent years, each being appointed district court judges. Photos/file
Greg Hollister-Jones, Paul Mabey and Rob Ronayne have each made impressive strides in their legal careers in recent years, each being appointed district court judges. Photos/file
Three of Tauranga's brightest legal minds have be appointed district court judges in the past four years.
Following on from the promotions of Tauranga Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne to the bench in March 2013 and Paul Mabey QC in April last year, Tauranga's Crown solicitor Greg Hollister-Jones was last week appointed acting district court judge.
Acting Judge Hollister-Jones, who became Tauranga's first Crown Solicitor in 1998, was a founding partner of Ronayne Hollister-Jones Lellman law firm, now Hollister-Jones Lellman.
He will retire from the firm on March 31 and be sworn in as a judge in the District Court at Tauranga on April 5, but will sit in the District Court of Rotorua.
As a consequence of his appointment, Judge Mabey QC, who originally sat in Tauranga until his recent move to Rotorua will return to sit on the Tauranga bench.
Anna Pollett, a senior partner in Hollister-Jones Lellman, has been appointed acting Crown solicitor.
Anna Pollett, acting Crown Solicitor for Tauranga. Photo/supplied
"We're delighted for Greg. He's one of most experienced, talented and highly respected advocates in the country, and he deserves his elevation onto the bench.
"I'm sure Greg's transition to his decision-maker role will be a smooth one, and we wish him all the very best."
To have three of the "most talented and skilled legal advocates" in Tauranga appointed to the bench was testament to the high calibre of the local legal fraternity, she said.
"I think Greg will make an excellent judge, as he is a very experienced and skilled litigator both in the defence and prosecution roles, and he has been one of most talented, and dedicated advocates in the country."
Ms Adams said it was a real coup for Tauranga to have three members of the criminal bar appointed to the bench in just four years
"We are so fortunate to be able to keep Greg in this region, " she said.
Tauranga senior defence barrister Tony Balme agreed.
"Greg's appointment is really well deserved as he has huge experience in criminal law, particularly as a prosecutor and as a defence lawyer.
"Knowing him personally gives me a huge level of confidence that he will make an excellent judge," he said.
Ms Pollett confirmed she would be applying for the Tauranga Crown Solicitor role, but the selection process was a contestable appointment decided by the Crown Law office.
Prior to joining the Tauranga firm, Ms Pollett had been a senior Crown prosecutor at Meredith Connell in Auckland where she worked for well over a decade.
