Wellington Queen’s Counsel and former partner of what is now Minter Ellison Ken Johnston has been appointed an Associate Judge of the High Court.
The appointment was announced by Attorney General David Parker.
Ken Johnston practised from Lambton Chambers and has handled extensive arbitration work, as well as commercial and criminal trial and appellate work.
Following periods at the Crown Law Office in Wellington and practising criminal law in London, in 1981 he joined the Wellington Office of Watts & Paterson, one of three firms that merged to form Rudd Watts & Stone, which is now part of the Australasian Minter Ellison Group.
The press release from David Parker’s office also noted career information about the new Associate Judge, saying he had retired from Minter Ellison to join the independent bar in September 1997, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2016.
He has experience in criminal work, as both a prosecutor and defence counsel in jury and appellate trials, and in civil work, including general civil and commercial litigation, trusts and estates, construction, employment, family and professional disciplinary litigation.
Between 2005 and 2016 Associate Judge Johnston was Chair of the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal, and since mid-2014 he has been a Deputy Chair of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
He is regularly appointed as an arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator in civil and commercial disputes.
The new Associate Judge will sit in Wellington.
