Proud as son steps into judge’s arena
IT WAS a clear cut case of “all in the family” when veteran Cairns District Court Judge Dean Morzone, KC, watched his son Luis being admitted into law on Friday.
Luis, 24, was admitted into law by his uncle Errol Morzone, KC, a Brisbane-based barrister.
Luis graduated with a double degree in law and marketing and is aiming to do a stint working in the United States.
He said working with the Dominos Pizza legal team during university sparked a passion for business.
“I was fascinated by the commerciality, and the marketing minds behind it,” he said.
“I’m hoping to get a visa and really just explore opportunities over there in business and law or a combination of the two.”
Luis did plenty of work experience with his father during secondary school years.
“I was always very curious about law,” he said.
“It was a very special day, having grown up and seen all the work that Dad and Errol do.”
Luis worked as an associate for Judge Brad Farr, SC, at Brisbane District Court.
He said he didn’t relax until he received a certificate from the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board to say he would be admitted.
Judge Morzone and his brother Errol were raised in Mareeba, where their father had a pharmacy and their mother ran a beauty parlour along side it.
Judge Morzone became a solicitor in 1991, a barrister in 1994, in Cairns, and took silk in 2012, when he became Queen’s Counsel (QC) – changed instantly to King’s Counsel (KC) upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“It is surreal, we are getting used to it,” Judge Morzone said of the switch from QC to KC.
“At one point the government was casting aside the monarchy and we all became SC (senior counsel) but the LNP got back in and converted us back to QC in 2013, and the moment the Queen passed, we instantaneously became KC.”
Judge Morzone specialised in commercial, civil and planning and environment law before being appointed to the bench in 2014.
“Errol is four years older and he was effectively my inspiration, he broadly does public litigation, a very different trajectory,” he said.
He admitted presiding over criminal proceedings could take a toll.
“We are becoming more and more aware of judicial wellbeing, there’s presently Judge (Tracy) Fantin and myself and the workload is fast exceeding our capacities … we are on the cusp of needing three judges,” Judge Morzone said.
“The first thing is getting on top of the workload during the day and staying abreast of it during the course of a trial.
“And the other aspect of it is the decision-making aspect,” he reflected.