1. Former high profile lawyer training McKenzie Friends
Vinay Deobhakta is a former high profile lawyer. He studied at Auckland
University and in 1990 graduated with a Bachelors of Laws (LL.B) degree. Vinay
worked as a solicitor in NZ and UK International firms before returning to NZ in
1996 to partner in a Whakatane law firm for a number of years. He then
became a barrister and was based in Tauranga until 2015 when he returned to
his home town of Epsom in Auckland.
Vinay was back in Whakatane and Opotiki recently training budding Mckenzie
Friend applicants as part of his McKenzie Friend consultancy.
A Mckenzie Friend is a “Lay Assistant” who with permission of the court can
provide general support to self-litigants in legal cases including appearing with
the self-litigant in court. A self-litigant’s right to have a McKenzie Friend
support them derives from the famous 1971 English case of McKenzie vs
McKenzie. The NZ and Australian courts have adopted the same principles of
this case.
Mr Deobhakta was struck off the register of lawyers last year resulting from an
altercation he had with a client in 2009. He declined to comment at length on
that matter other than to say he remained “not happy” about the striking off.
“But its Christmas now and I’ve put that matter aside until the New Year, to tell
you the truth….but you are right in raising it because the matter is not quite
over as far as I’m concerned. I think I made that fairly clear at my father’s
public funeral recently.” (His father was Auckland District Court Judge Avinash
Deobhakta (from 1981-2010) who passed away in July this year after illness.)
Ironically, Mr Deobhakta recognised the blot on his otherwise very successful
legal career had matured him as a person.
“One learns a lot of important lessons in life during these ordeals and
ultimately its all for the better. I am now interested in further developing the
McKenzie Friend concept and helping the justice and public sector’s with that
and other similar issues rather than getting side tracked on unproductive
stuff.”

2. Mr Deobhakta, who is New Zealand’s first “McKenzie Friend Specialist”,
emphasised that he is training and supporting applicants who wish to be
McKenzie Friends to a very high standard.
“Not all applications for training are accepted. There are a certain criteria to be
met. McKenzie Friends who train under me will be appreciated for their
assistance to the self-litigants - and also believe it or not - the courts. This will
be a serious improvement to the current system which leaves self-litigants
with little support and places unnecessary pressure on the court to look after
them and ensure they get a fair hearing.”
He said he was impressed with the quality of applicants from Whakatane and
Opotiki and was looking forward to returning in the New Year to further the
training.
Vinay also remains available to act as a McKenzie Friend himself for clients who
have that exceptionally difficult case.
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