SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 120, 25 May 1925, Page 6

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

MR. A. FAIR APPOINTED

RAPID RISE OF A YOUNG LAWYER.

The announcement was made by the Prime Minister this afternoon that Cabinet has decided to offer the appointment of Solicitor-General to Mr. A. Fair, at present Principal Law Officer. The office of Principal Law Officer was created temporarily when the Solicitor-Generalship became vacant two years ago, and is not to be refilled.

Mr. Arthur Fair, LL.B., qualified as a solicitor in 1007, at the age of twentyone, and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in the same year. He was born at Charleston, near Westport, and received his education in the State schools at Westport and Charleston, obtaining a scholarship which took him to Nelson College, where he received his secondary education from 1000 until 1903. While studying for the law, Victoria, College he was employed by Messrs. Skerrett and Wyhe al ,d a{ter passillg , ]is examiua . tions he became head of the Common Law department of Messrs. Chapman, Skerrett, Tnpp, and Blair's office. He was in England when the war broke out, and ho joined up with Kitchener's Aimy, obtaining a commission in the Suffolk Regiment. He served in Egypt, Syria, and_ Palestine with the Suffolk* from the beginning of 1916 until July 1919 and was awarded the Military Cross Q « ii Ca l ? tt 111 1 .ilnd adiutant of the Fifth Suftolk Battalion. Mr. Fair was present uth his battalion in the suppression of the Egyptian nots in 1919, and sat on a fwT , 0?, Courts-martial and Military Courts which ined rioters who assassinated some Bnbsh soldiers and caused d', st. l'!' bance generally. Here he trih, 1 exPei'iellce> »» some of the rf ™fe quite internationalist in diameter. For instance, on one Court C ' was. £ ry"ig some Egyptians, Ueeks, and Portuguese sat an Enclisl barrister, an Australian barrister" and a French lawyer and Egyptian, Austraasnordenrdie^gllSh S°ldierS ™* *M to\ °Ct 7be, r ' i 9l9 ' Mn Fail< r^".ed nf IQ9n ,Zealand' and «f the beginning of 1920 he resumed the practice of hi! profession .m' Wellington. He continued m .practice until March, ■ 1921, wWhe jvas appointed Crown .Solicitor in the Crown Law Office. In September, 1923! the Attorney-General announced upon the appointment of Mr. W C Afar gregor to the Supreme Court "Bendi to fill' *iWM «°' ProPosed immediately W fIeAT OfB??- of Solicitor-General! but that Mr. Fair would be advanced Officer "ew office of Principal Law Mr. Fair is amember of the Victoria College Gounci, the Wellington CitizensWar Memorial Committee, and he is a. past president of the Graduates' and last Students' Association of Victoria Lollege.