Founders Story

Here’s how it all started

Vinay Deobakhta McKenzie Friend

FOUNDER VINAY DEOBHAKTA

Vinay Deobhakta

As the Founder and current Managing Director of the Training Education and Mentoring companies McKenzie Friend Professionals and Māori McKenzie Friends Limited, I warmly welcome you!

Whatever the reason you have found yourself visiting our website, the information we have painstakingly gathered for your benefit is respectfully extended to you here.

My background?

I enjoyed an extensive legal background for over 20 years, not only as a Barrister (Court Litigation) and a Solicitor (Commercial Law) but as the son of an English trained former State Attorney of Uganda and the first Judge of Indian origin to preside in New Zealand.

My successful legal career spanned across several jurisdictions in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and Wales. I was popular with both clients and peers alike and excelled with a high profile career.

I earned the position of Partner in 2 legal practices in New Zealand after serving with top tier law firms in New Zealand and London. It has been said by others, that I had a “glittering legal career”.

My why?

Simple – I aim to help people struggling with Self Representation in courts and tribunals. These people are also known as Self Litigants.

In 2010 I received a letter from the New Zealand law society notifying me of a client complaint. Prior to this, I held an exemplary disciplinary record.

I had, in a moment of madness a few months earlier bailed up my client (and former good friend) in the middle of a busy street and marched him into a bank and made him withdraw $4000 he had owed me for 9 months.

I had immediately accepted my behaviour that crazy day in 2009 was not becoming of a barrister of my seniority. I wanted to explain however, that the personal stress I was under at the time had obviously clouded my judgement.

Subsequently I had thrown myself into anger management counselling sessions which had been life changing. My counselling had uncovered years of repressed trauma and anxiety from my childhood experiences and was so helpful it had motivated me to further my studies.

I developed an intense interest in Psychology and the workings of the Human Mind, Metaphysics and Spirituality.

Vinay Deobhakta
McKenzie Friends Professional - Vinay Deobhakta
However when “summoned” before a disciplinary tribunal made up of 5 old “has been” lawyers, it was clear they had already formed a preconceived idea of me and they then ran an absolute farce of a “hearing.” They didn’t even want to hear what I had to say. They had already come to a conclusion and wanted to just “roll me over” without observing any rules of Natural Justice. WOW!!

I knew after 5 minutes in the hearing it was a waste of time explaining my position and it was apparent these awful lawyers were just going to use the fact money was involved ( despite it was my money) to say it’s “serious enough on the financial side” of their administrative rules to strike me off the lawyers list.

What utter rubbish!

Lawyers must usually do A LOT more to get disbarred. Furthermore, this penalty was with NO mitigating circumstances taken into account. They refused to hear me and the decision to strike me off in those circumstances was quite frankly criminal.

These Old Boys abused their powers and knowing there was not an independent and a real judge hearing the complaint they grossly misled the public about my “offensive behaviour.”

It’s also inhumane to cut off a man’s ability to work and earn a living for his family when he hasn’t even committed a crime. I couldn’t even get a job at a gas station in New Zealand!

I finally realised there was no way I was ever going to get justice against the might of the Law Society if I couldn’t afford it.

I had experienced life changing injustice and it was an eye-opener for me – I realised that many others have experienced this situation too. It certainly didn’t taste good.

So my why is simple – I want to help people who are representing themselves by showing them how to do it properly by teaching them the secrets and skills the lawyers will never share.

Vinay Deobhakta

Sharing my knowledge

It took me a few years to debrief properly over my striking off. After the destruction to my life had settled, I realised the Universe had done me a big favour being thrown out of the legal profession in New Zealand.

I was way too good for them.

My eyes had been very clearly opened to the monopoly the lawyers have in the modern marketplace and how they can and do sometimes abuse this monopoly.

The legal profession has set itself up in such a way that people do not have the same access to real justice. Only the rich and powerful do.

This abuse leads to regular everyday miscarriages of justice in courtrooms throughout New Zealand.

The gold standard of Self Litigation

My experience places me in the unique position to pass on my legal and business knowledge to you through my “Vinay Deobhakta Method” training programmes.

My passion is to train people who are representing themselves in the legal system. I also train those who want to be professional support persons known as “McKenzie Friends”.

After all, you can’t “unlearn” being a top performing lawyer…

I choose to impart my knowledge and skills to those looking for fair and just outcomes and who need the court system demystified.

With my Self Litigant’s training you will be empowered to be your own best advocate. You will learn how to effectively communicate your position in and out of court and win successful outcomes. You will also have the option of having an accredited McKenzie friend support you in court.

Choose one of our Accredited McKenzie Friends

After participating in our self-litigants program, you will have the additional option to have one of our Accredited McKenzie Friends (New Zealand Qualifications Framework assessed) to accompany you to your hearing. This will save you unnecessary grief and potentially irreversible damage, not to mention substantial legal fees.

All our accredited McKenzie Friends carry Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Call today,  we look forward to serving you and your community!

From the desk of Vinay Deobhakta