It is with great sadness that the members of Chambers note the passing of John Toohey AC, QC on 9 April 2015.
John was one of Australia's foremost jurists with a sharp legal mind and tremendous wisdom. A man of integrity and compassion, skill and wit, he served as an inspiration to the establishment of John Toohey Chambers, whose members strive to conduct their practices as barristers commensurate with the high standards he set for the practice of law in Western Australia.
During the course of his legal career, John was a Justice of the Federal Court, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Presidential Member of the AAT, inaugural Aboriginal Land Commissioner, Member of the Constitutional Commission, Justice of the High Court of Australia, a judge in the justice system of Kiribati and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Fiji.
Following his retirement from the High Court of Australia he was also one of three independent members of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. John also became a Visiting Professor in Law at the University of Western Australia.
John also helped establish the Port Hedland office of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA in 1974. He served as President of the Western Australian Bar Association (1969-1972) and President of the Law Society of WA (1972-1973).
His contribution to the law and its practice both in Western Australia and nationally will serve as his professional legacy. He is survived by his wife Loma, his children and grandchildren.