Ceremonial Sitting in Memory of the Late the Honurable Sir Kenneth Jacobs KBE QC

This special sitting of the High Court of Australia was convened to honour the memory of the late Sir Kenneth Sydney Jacobs KBE QC, a former Justice of the Court who passed away on 24 May 2015. The sitting was attended by members of the Court, the Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth, representatives of the Law Council of Australia and the Australian Bar Association, and other members of the legal profession. The Court extended its sympathies to Sir Kenneth's family and partner.

The proceedings did not involve a legal dispute requiring determination by the Court. Instead, the purpose of the sitting was to commemorate the life and career of Sir Kenneth Jacobs. The speeches delivered focused on his significant contributions to Australian law, his distinguished judicial service, and his personal qualities.

The addresses highlighted Sir Kenneth's early life, education at Knox Grammar School and Sydney University, and his military service during World War II. His successful legal career at the Bar, marked by his influential textbook "The Law of Trusts in New South Wales" (later "The Law of Trusts in Australia"), was discussed. His appointments to the Supreme Court of New South Wales, first in Equity and then to the newly established Court of Appeal, where he eventually served as President, were noted. The speeches also detailed his appointment as a Justice of the High Court of Australia in 1974, his significant judgments, particularly in constitutional law and trusts, and his early retirement in 1979 due to illness. His judicial philosophy, characterised by a principled yet pragmatic approach, a respect for legal method, and an emphasis on civil liberties, was also a key theme.