New High Court Judge appointed

Wellington barrister Brendan Brown QC has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Justice Brown graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Canterbury in 1976. After employment as a law clerk at Brockett Cameron & Co in Christchurch, Justice Brown joined the Wellington firm of Bell Gully as a solicitor, becoming a partner of that firm in 1982.

In 1992 Justice Brown commenced practice as a barrister sole. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1997, practising from Thomas More Chambers and specialising in intellectual property law, competition law, taxation and Treaty of Waitangi issues.

In 2000 he was counsel assisting the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, and appeared for the Crown in the Wai 262 claims regarding indigenous flora and fauna.

The new Judge will sit in Auckland.