Lawyers in the picture
UNDER the formal wigs and robes worn by the region’s legal figures are everyday Far Northerners whose hobbies are celebrated in an insightful and amusing new photography display.
The fourth floor corridors of the Cairns Courthouse have been filled with the works of Danielle Hodgens and Joseph Jacobs, in an exhibition titled Practitioners at Play.
Both lawyers themselves s and photographers in their r spare time, Ms Hodgens and Mr Jacobs have involved more than 30 of their legal peers in the project.
Many of the region’s judges, solicitors, prosecutors and barristers are pictured enjoying their hobbies while dressed in courtroom attire.
Mr Jacobs said the exhibition brought a human element to those usually seen in formal settings.
“You’re looking at normal human beings who just happen to dress up in a different way when they go to work – you could apply that to just about every profession,” Mr Jacobs said.
“A lot of them thought it was a bit of fun and they were quite happy to volunteer for it.”
Who knew that criminal law barrister Dereck Kordick was a military history buff, or that Cairns District Court judge Dean Morzone participated in boxing as a means of keeping fit.
As depicted in the display, Supreme Court judge Justice Jim Henry bears a striking resemblance to Santa Claus when dressed in his shoulderlength judicial wig and red gown, and standing beside a Christmas tree.
Practitioners at Play is a reprisal of an idea by renowned Sydney prosecutor and photographer Mark Tedeschi QC.
The exhibition will be on display at the Cairns Regional Gallery for two weeks starting February 12.