New judge for the Supreme Court

Highly experienced legal practitioner Paul Allan Tottle has been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

  • Appointment starts on August 10, 2015 

Highly experienced legal practitioner Paul Allan Tottle has been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Attorney General Michael Mischin said Mr Tottle was well regarded in the legal profession as a highly capable practitioner with broad experience.

"His professionalism and integrity is widely respected and I am confident he will be an asset to the Supreme Court," Mr Mischin said.

Mr Tottle's appointment fills the vacancy left by the recent resignation of Supreme Court Justice John McKechnie.

He completed his legal education at London's College of Law in 1981. For the next two years, he was employed as a solicitor then partner for Beveridge & Co Solicitors in London.

From 1983 to 1986, Mr Tottle was employed as a solicitor and then partner for Knapp Fishers Solicitors in Westminster.

In 1986, he emigrated to Western Australia and spent the next nine years as a solicitor then partner with Clayton Utz/Robinson Cox.

In 1995, Mr Tottle established the firm Tottle Partners. He has served as an elected member of the Legal Practice Board, Council of Law Society of WA, and is a member and co-convenor of the Law Society Education Committee.

Mr Tottle's appointment follows the appointment of District Court of Western Australia Chief Judge Peter Martino as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia earlier this year.

The State Government is spending $27 million to redevelop the Cathedral and Treasury Precinct's 33-storey tower for the new Supreme Court (Civil), which will provide eight courts, 10 hearing rooms, five special trial rooms and numerous interview rooms for civil matters.

Fact File

  • The criminal non-appeal backlog (cases on hand as of June 30, 2014, which have been in the Supreme Court for more than 12 months) account for 5.2% of all cases on hand.  Western Australia had the lowest proportion of cases in backlog, indicating that the majority of criminal cases are being finalised in a timely manner

  • The number of Supreme Court judicial officers per 100,000 people is 1.2 in Western Australia. This is the highest of the comparable States (NSW, Vic, Qld, SA) 

Attorney General's office - 6552 5600