When Does Justice Become ‘True Crime’ Spectacle? John Bowie, LawFuel publisher Scandalous criiminal trials have long been the stuff of entertainment and intrigue, but the question of who holds the moral compass when it comes to making popcorn from popular crime is something that is an increasing issue, most recently highlighted with an Auckland Law
Slaughter and May’s Billion-Dollar Dilemma – Expand or Perish John Bowie, LawFuel publisher Slaughter and May, a member of the UK’s elite Magic Circle, has proudly charted a different course to its contemporaries. Rebuffing endless international expansion and a bigger partnership, it has maintained a tightly-knit operation. But is it sustainable? Where Slaughters’ rivals have
Can the Magic Circle’s Most Profitable Firm Survive Its Own Success? Read More »
Paris Travel Beyond the Postcards John Bowie, LawFuel publisher There’s something magnificently perverse about Paris that means every time I arrive, the city is busy tearing itself apart. In 2018 it was the yellow vests blocking roundabouts and setting fire to things. In 2023, Marseilles was ablaze with riots after a police shooting days earlier
From Croissants to Chaos – A Love Letter to Defiant Paris Read More »
John Bowie, LawFuel Publisher The death of former Supreme Court judge Bill Wilson KC in September has been marked by a striking silence within New Zealand’s legal and media circles, a fact that itself seems more noteworthy than any tribute or obituary could be. The Press pubished a respectful piece from Martin Van Beynen, (who
The New Zealand Legal Profession’s Disgraceful Silence Over The Death of Bill Wilson Read More »
ANZ’s Fairness Fantasy John Bowie, LawFuel publisher Few corporate moments are more revealing than watching a major bank discover that equality before the law cuts both ways, especially when the cutting edge is pointed at them. ANZ’s reaction to this week’s Finance and Expenditure Committee report offers a masterclass in selective principle. The bank appears
Senior Partner Exodus At Meredith Connell John Bowie, LawFuel publisher New Zealand’s largest litigation firm is doing what law firms euphemistically call a “strategic review”, which in plain English usually means people are being shown the door with polite smiles and carefully worded press releases. But at Meredith Connell, this isn’t a gentle reshuffle of
What Does The Meredith Connell ‘Strategic Review’ Really Signal? Read More »
The Greens’ Unvarnished, Eye-Swivelling Lunacy John Bowie, LawFuel publisher There was a time the Greens were about rivers, birds and the occasional knitted hat. Now it’s performative rage with a compostable sticker slapped on. The weekend stunt at Winston Peters’ place wasn’t protest but the political equivalent of keying a car and then lecturing the
The Greens Have Gone From Bees to Brickbats at Night Read More »
Will She Stay, Or Will She Go? John Bowie, LawFuel publisher A Judicial Conduct Panel has graciously cleared its diary for a fortnight in February to deliberate whether District Court Judge Ema Aitken’s spirited intervention at the Northern Club – the ‘Clubgate Drama’ – merits her departure from the judiciary a fate which, one notes
Northern Club Judicial Fracas Hearing Set For February Read More »
The Iron Men of Social Media John Bowie, LawFuel publisher I was in Nice with the iron Man champs, by pure happenstance I must add, (the Norwegians swept the top places just in case care) when the Charlie Kirk social media pile-on occurred. And being an Iron Man (in a non-generic sense) is what seems
Charlie Kirk’s Murder – When Debate Dies and the Mob Dances on the Grave Read More »
John Bowie, LawFuel publisher New Zealand has never been shy about exporting its former prime ministers, Jacinda Ardern being the major star-turn on this stage at present, but the latest double-act is something to behold. In a masterclass of geopolitical gymnastics Helen Clark and John Key have demonstrated the fine art of selective moral outrage. For
Former Kiwi PMs’ Selective Outrage and Convenient Blindness Read More »
