History of the Law Society of Western Australia

At a meeting held in the Supreme Court Library in on 15 June 1927, Mr T.A.L. Davy moved “that an association of legal practitioners of Western Australia be formed”.

This motion was seconded by Mr M.G. Lavan. After a short discussion in which Messrs Kott, Nicholson and others joined, the motion was put and carried unanimously.

Thus the Law Society of Western Australia was formed…

The first Annual General Meeting of the Society was held in the Supreme Court Library on Monday, 3 October 1927. There were 96 founding members of the Society.

Early Minutes of the Society show that the concerns were similar to those that now engage the Society, being:

• The activities of non-lawyers;
• Appointment of the judiciary;
• The defence of the profession;
• Amendments to the Legal Practitioners Act;
• Costs; and
• Agreements with the forerunner of the AMA regarding medical witnesses.