Congratulations to the Hon Chief Justice Peter Quinlan on the sixth anniversary of his appointment as Chief Justice of Western Australia.
Chief Justice Quinlan is the fourth former member of Francis Burt Chambers to hold the position following in the footsteps of the Hon Sir Francis Burt AC KCMG QC, the Hon David Malcolm AC QC and the Hon Wayne Martin AC KC.
Chief Justice Quinlan is also lieutenant governor, serving as deputy to the Governor of Western Australia and acting in the position in the Governor’s absence.
The office of Chief Justice was created in 1861 when the Supreme Court was established through the amalgamation of the Court of Quarter Sessions and the Civil Court. The first Chief Justice was also a Burt – Sir Archibald Burt, a lawyer, politician and judge. In 1977, Sir Francis Burt was appointed Chief Justice of WA and served in the position until 1988.