A remembrance service for Dorien Taylor - a prosecutor who combined a love for the law with a passion for philosophy - will be held on Friday.

Yesterday colleagues continued to pay tribute to Principal Crown counsel Mr. Taylor who died at the weekend, describing him as a well-rounded man who loved to debate current affairs, often throwing in a quote from his favourite philosopher Confucius.

Sometimes he even used the Chinese philosopher's wisdom to try to persuade juries.

Office manager Neville Darrell worked next door to Mr. Taylor. He said: "He was a colleague and a friend and a fine man. I will miss him terribly.

"He was jovial, you could get close to him. I really admired him."

Co-workers remembered how Mr. Taylor enjoyed impromptu pre-work debates about world affairs while fellow Crown counsel Anthony Blackman said his colleague would always read the Bible before beginning work.

Mr. Blackman said he first worked under Mr. Taylor in his native Barbados when the two were both in the Police, but the pair subsequently worked together in other guises before they both wound up in Bermuda.

A desire to improve himself saw Mr. Taylor, 56, enter the legal profession, rising to acting magistrate, before becoming a full-time magistrate in the British Virgin Islands.

He returned to Barbados to take the post of Principal Crown counsel before accepting the same post in Bermuda in 2000.

Mr. Blackman said: "He was dedicated to the job. He loved the law. He was the kind of guy who would express his views fearlessly. He had good intentions.

"We had a lot in common. I knew him for years. I followed him around, and sometimes he followed me. It was a shock he died, not just to me but to all his colleagues.

"He was willing to take criticism, whether constructive or destructive. He would listen. He always sought to do his best."

Fellow prosecutor Graveney Bannister described Mr. Taylor as an excellent lawyer, who was determined and at his best in cross examination.

"He had a sense of humour and was always willing to impart his knowledge," he said.

Mr. Taylor, whose death is believed to have been caused by an aneurysm, leaves a wife and two children. The remembrance service will be held on Friday at Christ Church, Devonshire at 4 p.m. with a viewing from 2 p.m.