Former Blake Dawson Waldron litigation head and Master of the Supreme Court David Newnes will take up the role of judge on June 25, Attorney General Jim McGinty announced today.
Former Blake Dawson Waldron litigation head and Master of the Supreme Court David Newnes will take up the role of judge on June 25, Attorney General Jim McGinty announced today.
Former Blake Dawson Waldron litigation head and Master of the Supreme Court David Newnes will take up the role of judge on June 25, Attorney General Jim McGinty announced today.
The full text of a ministerial announcement is pasted below
Master of the Supreme Court David Newnes has been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
Attorney General Jim McGinty said 55-year-old Master Newnes was highly regarded within the judiciary and the legal profession for his vast experience in commercial litigation, particularly in the field of defamation.
"Master Newnes' extensive experience in case management and commercial litigation will add significantly to the calibre of the judicial resources available to manage and try the commercial cases that are a regular feature of the Supreme Court's caseload," Mr McGinty said.
"Since his appointment as a Master of the Supreme Court in 2003 he has demonstrated a great capacity and enthusiasm for judicial work.
"He has efficiently carried a very substantial caseload and the quality of his judgements has increased the respect held for him by his profession and his colleagues on the court.
"Appeals from his decisions have been rare, and successful appeals even rarer."
Master Newnes was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor after completing articles with Muir Williams Nicholson in 1978.
He practised as a solicitor there until 1982, after which he worked as a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques until 1985 and then as a litigation partner at the firm until 1994.
Between 1995 and 2003 he was a litigation partner with Blake Dawson Waldron and head of the litigation group in the firm's Perth office.
His work there covered a broad range of civil litigation in the Supreme Court and some work in the Federal and District Courts.
Master Newnes will take up his new position on 25 June. This will bring the number of Supreme Court judges to 21