Brian Bourke interview 10 October 2005

All I can say to you is that I think that the vision of lawyers is extremely limited. Everybody is self-interested here, everybody is concerned about their case. It's refreshing to meet fellows like Lou Voumard, Neil McPhee, those sort of men who were interested in your case, as well as their own.

Most people are only interested in their own case, they're only interested in getting the brief, they're only interested in what it's worth. The Bar's been split into different sections, we've got the commercial Bar, the criminal Bar and all that. I think that's a bad step because it means that not only do you just have barristers, you only have particular barristers or barristers who are interested in particular matters and I think that's a very limiting thing. I think most barristers have got little or no outlook, little or no concern. There's a distinction between criminal barrister and the criminal's barrister. Anyone can be a criminal barrister - he gets a brief to go and appear for somebody but you've got to get to know the crims. You've got to get to know those sort of fellows to be able to understand their real drive or what it is that makes those people (tick).

I must say this: I've got enormous respect for the Bar Council in that those people who year after year go to meetings and all that sort of stuff. I've got nothing but regard for the chairman or chairwoman of the Bar. Well I think she probably calls herself the chairman, that's at least what Sue Crennan did, those people just devote their whole time (to the profession) and make an enormous sacrifice to it.

Conducted for the Bar Oral History project by Juliette Brodsky in Owen Dixon Chambers East and filmed by Stewart Carter (People Pictures)