THE VACANT JUDGESHIP.

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 25

THE VACANT JUDGESHIP.

MR THEG. COOPER ACCEPTS THE POSITION. Mr Theo Cooper, of Auckland, has accepted the appointment of Judge of the Supreme Court and President cf the Ai*bitration Court. Mr Cooper, who is about fifty years of age, served his articles to Mr J. B. Russell, barrister, of Auckland, and in 1883 was admitted to partnership with Messrs Russell and Devore. That partnership was dissolved and the business carried on by Messrs Devore and Cooper. Mr Coop’er lias been one of the recognised leaders of the Bar in Auckland, and for the past ten or twelve years has regularly attended the sittings of the Court of Appeal in Wellington as counsel. In most of the more important Supreme Court cases in Auckland during the last fifteen years Mr Cooper fias held briefs, besmes having carried on a very large criminal practice, and met with a degree of success that has attended but few other counsel in the colony. He was one of the counsel in the case arising out of the first appointment of Mr Justice Edwards ; also for the Midland Railway Company in the Midland Railway arbitration before the Hon. Edward Blake, M.P. He acted' as leading counsel for the Bank of New Zealand in the proceedings before the Banking Committee in 189/ (extending over a period of three months), and for the Hon. J. G. Ward in the Awarua election case (in conjunction with the Hon. J. A. Tole). Mr Cooper appeared as prosecuting counsel in the Scott murder case. For the past ten years he lias been an honorary De-puty-Inspector of Lunatic Asylums for the colony. For fifteen years he has been a member of the Auckland Education Board. He has been a member of the Council of the New Zealand Law Society from its formation, and a member of the Council of the Auckland Law Society. For a number of years he has been one of the Council of Law-report-ing in New Zealand’. These positions he will vacate.