Far North lawyer appointed to bench
Far North lawyer La-Verne King, from Taemaro Bay, will be sworn in as a district court judge, with jurisdiction in the Family Court, on May 31.
Ms King (Nga¯ti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Nga¯ti Paoa) was admitted to the bar in 1989. In 1994, along with Judge Ida Malosi and Ali’imuamua Sandra Alofivae, she established the first Ma¯ori and Pasifika female law firm, KAM legal.
In 2007 she returned to the Far North, going on to establish Doubtless Bay Law.
She was appointed a youth advocate in 1992, Counsel for Child in 1994, district inspector for mental health in 2003, and visiting justice in 2009. In August this year she was appointed as a member of the independent panel considering the 2014 Family Justice reforms.