About Garrett & Associates
Prior to 2001, lawyers in Tonga in private practice were something of a mixed bag; they ranged from persons with an LL.B or better from an accredited Commonwealth law school to persons such as an ex-policeman with no qualifications at all. Garrett & Associates – formerly Attorneys and Accountants Legal, and before that McDonald Appleby – has operated in Tonga since February 1999, and our lawyers have always held, as a minimum, a Diploma in Law from the University of the South Pacific, but more commonly an LL.B or better. (All lawyers in Tonga admitted to the bar after 2001 must have an LL.B from an accredited law school)
The principal of the firm is David Garrett, BA; LL.B (Hons) (Cantab.) who was admitted to the New Zealand High Court bar in 1992, and to the Tongan bar in 1999. In 2006 Mr Garrett was appointed Senior Counsel in Tonga (equivalent to the same rank in Australia and New Zealand, and to a QC in England). Mr Garrett is currently resident in New Zealand, but visits Tonga when required for client business, particularly trials in the Supreme Court.
Ms Paea Tohi, the holder of a Diploma in Law from the University of the South Pacific, is now a consultant to the firm, having formerly been its main resident Tongan lawyer. The firm also employs Tongan support staff who are well connected to the Tongan community, and are thus able to achieve things – such as service of documents on elusive defendants – which palangis (foreigners) would have difficulty achieving.
The firm aims to provide legal services of a standard equivalent to a leading provincial law firm in New Zealand in what is still a third world environment. (See tab “Areas of Practice”) elsewhere on this website. Many cases conducted by the firm are to be found in the Law Reports of Tonga. The results of those cases speak for themselves.
Please e-mail all enquiries to Mr David Garrett SC at: d.garrett@xtra.co.nz
Prior to 2001, lawyers in Tonga in private practice were something of a mixed bag; they ranged from persons with an LL.B or better from an accredited Commonwealth law school to persons such as an ex-policeman with no qualifications at all. Garrett & Associates – formerly Attorneys and Accountants Legal, and before that McDonald Appleby – has operated in Tonga since February 1999, and our lawyers have always held, as a minimum, a Diploma in Law from the University of the South Pacific, but more commonly an LL.B or better. (All lawyers in Tonga admitted to the bar after 2001 must have an LL.B from an accredited law school)
The principal of the firm is David Garrett, BA; LL.B (Hons) (Cantab.) who was admitted to the New Zealand High Court bar in 1992, and to the Tongan bar in 1999. In 2006 Mr Garrett was appointed Senior Counsel in Tonga (equivalent to the same rank in Australia and New Zealand, and to a QC in England). Mr Garrett is currently resident in New Zealand, but visits Tonga when required for client business, particularly trials in the Supreme Court.
Ms Paea Tohi, the holder of a Diploma in Law from the University of the South Pacific, is now a consultant to the firm, having formerly been its main resident Tongan lawyer. The firm also employs Tongan support staff who are well connected to the Tongan community, and are thus able to achieve things – such as service of documents on elusive defendants – which palangis (foreigners) would have difficulty achieving.
The firm aims to provide legal services of a standard equivalent to a leading provincial law firm in New Zealand in what is still a third world environment. (See tab “Areas of Practice”) elsewhere on this website. Many cases conducted by the firm are to be found in the Law Reports of Tonga. The results of those cases speak for themselves.
Please e-mail all enquiries to Mr David Garrett SC at: d.garrett@xtra.co.nz