Actor/director Mel Gibson’s lawyer appeared before a judge yesterday, presenting his client’s abiding by his probation terms.

Blair Berk, lawyer of Hollywood star Mel Gibson, appeared before a judge in Malibu, California, to prove that his client has been honoring the conditions of his three years of probation for his infamous drink driving incident last summer.

Berk presented documents that proved Gibson, 51, attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He is now attending them voluntarily.

Gibson is required to present the progress of his probation to the court periodically.

Judge Lawrence Mira expressed appreciation for the way the actor is handling his alcohol abuse problem. He asked that Gibson, who was not present yesterday in court, be present at the next hearing on February 15, 2008.

Mel Gibson will probably be haunted by accounts of his drunken anti-Semitic tirade in front of the police officers that arrested him for the rest of his life.

The public outcry was enormous when reports of Mel Gibson’s tirade surfaced in July 2006. He was arrested on Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway, inebriated. He was under heavy criticism for his anti-Semitic slur and there are still many who do not seem to have forgiven him.

Gibson has apologized repeatedly for his words.

Under the terms of his three-year probation, the actor must not commit any criminal offences or drive after having consumed alcohol. He can also be submitted to random drug or alcohol tests within the remaining 24-month period.

Gibson’s lawyer also provided documents yesterday proving that the actor paid $1,400 in fines, according to the AP.

Mel Gibson has not made many public appearances after the July 2006 incident.

He directed “Apocalypto,” a historical epic about the downfall of the Mayan empire, released in December 2006. He was criticized once more due to his new project, particularly by Native American groups that considered the film to be discriminating.

Gibson is perhaps best known for his roles in box office hits during the 1980s and 1990s: the “Mad Max” series; the “Lethal Weapon” series; “Maverick”; “Braveheart” and “Ransom.”

Gibson has left his mark on the 2000s with films such as “The Patriot,” “What Women Want” and “Signs,” as well as the controversial “The Passion of the Christ,” which he directed.