By The Hon David K Malcolm AC CitWA,
Chief Justice of Western Australia
I am pleased to announce the appointment of the following six persons as Senior Counsel in Western Australia, being the first such appointments to be made following upon the abolition of the office of Queen's Counsel in and for the State of Western Australia:
Kimberley Robert Wilson was born on 26 May 1950 and educated at Guildford Grammar School and the University of WA. He graduated LLB in 1972. He was admitted in Western Australia on 20 December 1974. He was then employed by Ilbery Barblett & O'Dea and became a partner of that firm in 1979. He left Ilbery Barblett in March 1998 to establish his own firm. Mr Wilson practises as in-house counsel for his firm Kim Wilson & Co. His practice is in family law. He accepts external briefs from the profession from firms both in the metropolitan area and in the country. His practice involves advice and litigation in respect of complex issues arising out of financial and other family law disputes. He is quite regularly briefed to appear as counsel by outside firms. Mr Wilson was President of the Family Law Practitioners Association from 1991 to 1993 and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Fifth National Family Law Conference in Perth in 1992. He was one of the key speakers at the Ninth National Family Law Conference held in Sydney in July 2000 on Trial Preparation and Trial Management in the Family Court. Mr Wilson has provided an undertaking that he will make himself available to receive instructions from members of the profession generally.
Mr Zilko was born on 29 October 1951 and educated at St Louis School (now John XXIII College). He graduated LLB and M.Phil from the University of Western Australia. He was admitted in Western Australia on 20 December 1974. He practised with Phillips Fox for two years and was a member of the firm Durack & Zilko until he commenced practice solely as a barrister in 1997. In the meantime, he had developed a broad-based practice in both civil and criminal jurisdictions, although the majority of his work has been civil. He has appeared before the Commonwealth and State Industrial Commissions, the Liquor Licensing Court, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the Equal Opportunity Tribunal. He has appeared in a number of appeals to the Full Court both as counsel and as junior counsel. He has undertaken appeals before the Full Bench of the Industrial Commission at both State and Federal level, as well as in a range of commercial arbitrations. He has conducted upwards of 150 criminal trials as counsel for the prosecution or defence counsel in a wide range of cases, many of which were in the District Court, as well as appearing in both single Judge appeals in the Supreme Court and appeals to the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Mr Chaney was born on 26 February 1953 and educated at Aquinas College and the University of Western Australia, where he graduated B.Juris in 1975 and LLB in 1976. He was a partner in the firm of Northmore Hale Davy & Leake, later Minter Ellison & Co, from 1980-1994. In July 1994 he commenced practice at the Independent Bar and joined the WA Bar Association. He was Convenor of the Law Society Education, Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee for many years, a Councillor of the Law Society of WA and President of the Law Society in 1991. He has been a member of various Committees of the Law Council of Australia. He was a member of the Faculty of Law at the University of WA from 1988-1991.
He has been a member of the Murdoch Law School Board and various Committees of that Law School in the period from 1988 to 2000. He has also been a foundation member of the Notre Dame Law School since 1996 and a Director of the Australian Advocacy Institute Ltd since 1991. He was Chairman of the WA Municipal Association Taskforce on the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Commercial Activities of Government.
Mr Chaney has served as a Commissioner of the District Court in 1995 and 1996. He was appointed a Foundation Board Member of the WA Municipal Workcare Scheme in 1995. He has been the Acting Deputy Chairman of the Town Planning Appeal Tribunal since 1997 and the Editor of the Law Society's Brief magazine since March 1997. In the year 2000 Mr Chaney was counsel assisting the Gunning Inquiry into matters related to complaints against Finance Brokers and the Finance Brokers' Board. Mr Chaney practises widely in the fields of Contract Law, Commercial Law and Administrative Law.
Mr Edmonds was born on 19 September 1947. He graduated LLB and BA from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand in 1971. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1973. In 1976-1978 he was employed as Crown Counsel in the Attorney General's Chambers in Hong Kong. In 1978-1980 he was engaged by the Commonwealth Secretariat and appointed as Legal Adviser (Taxation) to the Government of Kenya. He arrived in Perth in September 1980 and was admitted to practice in WA on 23 December 1980.
He was employed by Jackson McDonald & Co and became a partner of the firm in 1983. In 1985 he and another member of the firm set up practice as in-house counsel instructed by solicitors largely but not exclusively from within the firm. Mr Edmonds joined the Independent Bar in 1998. He has appeared as junior counsel in a series of major cases. He appeared as counsel for SECWA in the Royal Commission into the Commercial Activities of Government and later in the proceedings by Bond Corporation against the Government of Western Australia, WA Government Holdings Limited and SECWA and other very substantial litigation. He has continued to appear regularly in major commercial litigation.
Mr Colvin was born at Narrogin on 12 November 1960 and educated at Churchlands Senior High School. He graduated B.Juris with First Class Honours in 1983 and LLB with Honours in 1984 from the University of WA. He was admitted in Western Australia on 21 December 1984. He served articles at Robinson Cox and in 1985 served as Associate to the Hon Justice Toohey. He returned to Robinson Cox in 1986 and became a partner of Clayton Utz in 1990. In 1993 he obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia. He has been a Tutor in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce in 1984 and a Visiting Fellow of the Faculty of Law at the University of WA in 1994-1995. In 1995 he joined the Independent Bar and has been a member of Francis Burt Chambers since then. He has been a Director of WA Bar Chambers Limited since 1997, a Reporter for the Western Australian Law Reports since 1998, a Consultant to the WA Law Reform Commission in 1998 and a Section Editor on Enforcement and Remedies for the Trade Practices Law Journal. He has a general commercial practice, particularly in the areas of Competition Law, Contract Law, Administrative Law, Equity and Trade Practices.
Ms Braddock was born in Salford, Lancashire on 25 September 1956. She graduated BA (Cantab) in 1978 and was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in 1981. Between 1981 and 1984 she practised as a solicitor in Lancashire and London. In 1985 she was appointed Crown Counsel in the Attorney General's Chambers in Hong Kong. She was admitted to practice in Western Australia in 1988. In 1988 she was employed by Downing & Downing and joined the Legal Aid Commission in 1989. In 1990 she joined the Independent Bar and commenced practice at Wickham Chambers. She has practised widely in Criminal Law and Family Law matters, as well as in Inheritance, Wills, Family Provision and Equal Opportunity cases. She was Referee, Retirement Villages Disputes Tribunal from 1994-1998 and has been a member of the Racing Penalties Appeals Tribunal since 2000. She has held various offices in the WA Bar Association, the Law Society of WA and the Australian Advocacy Institute. Ms Braddock was a member of the Women Lawyers of WA Committee from 1989-2000, Treasurer in 1991 and President 1992-1994 and 1997. She was a member of the Steering Committee and a founding member of the Board of Australian Women Lawyers from 1996-1998. She has been a member of the Criminal Lawyers Association since 1988 and a member of the Committee from 1996-1998. She has been an active member of LAWASIA, the Criminal Law and Family Law Sections of the Law Council of Australia, an adviser to the Youth Legal Service from 1988-1993 and an active member of the Australian Criminal Lawyers Association since 1990.
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