The Hon. Chief Justice David K. Malcolm, AC

Chief Justice of Western Australia

Member of the Society Board of Directors

The Hon.Chief Justice David K. Malcolm, AC, retired, was appointed Chief Justice of Western Australia in 1988.  In 1990 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Western Australia.  In 1992 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. 

He graduated with an LL.B. from the University of Western Australia in 1959 and was Rhodes Scholar from Western Australia in 1960. In 1962, he obtained his BCL. at Oxford with first class honours. 

He was a partner, with the firm of Freehill, Hollingdale and Page and its predecessor firm in Perth from 1964 to 1979. He acted as Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the Asian Development Bank between 1967 and 1970. 

He was admitted to practice in 1964. He was a partner with the firm of Freehill Hollingdale & Page and its predecessor firm in Perth from 1964 to 1979.  He was Queen's Counsel from 1980 to 1988, President of the Western Australia Bar Association from 1981 to 1984 and Vice-President of the Australian Bar Association in 1984. 

He was Vice-President of the Law Society of Western Australia from 1986 to 1988 and Chairman, Town Planning Appeals Tribunal from 1978 to 1986. 

He has been Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Judicial Section of the Law Association of Asia and the Pacific (Lawnet) since 1990. He is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Crime Research Centre at the University of Western Australia since 1990.  He is President of the Western Australian Branch of the International Commission of Jurists.