Donated artefacts shed light on WA's legal and administrative history over the past 150 years
Global firm Squire Patton Boggs has donated a diverse collection of historical documents and artefacts to the Parliament of Western Australia, the State Library of Western Australia, and the Old Court House Law Museum.
The formal gifting ceremony to the recipient institutions took place in the firm’s Perth office on 2 October. Tony Chong, Perth managing partner, and others at the firm hosted representatives from these Western Australian public institutions, as well as members of some of the families associated with the historical artefacts and documents.
“We are delighted that they will now have a permanent home in the official collections of the Parliament of Western Australia, the State Library of Western Australia and the Old Court House Law Museum to be preserved for future generations,” Chong said in a press release from Squire Patton Boggs.
The collection sheds light on the legal and administrative history of Western Australia over the past century and a half, the press release said. The collection features multiple legal documents primarily from the 1890s and 1900s, including letter books regarding Perth City Council matters and letters of administration relating to the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
The historical collection also includes items associated with Sir Luke Samuel Leake (1828–86). He was a merchant, a public figure, and first Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Council. In 1829, his family migrated to Western Australia and went on to play a significant role in developing the original colony, the press release said.
Notably, the collection features an original box bearing the official coat of arms granted to Sir Leake after he received his knighthood in 1876. The box is stamped with the royal initials V.R.
Collection’s history
Squire Patton Boggs shared in its press release that this collection had been passed down from generation to generation, dating back to when the firm originally planted its roots in this country.
“Our firm can trace its roots in Western Australia back to the late 19th century and has had a long, close association with the City of Perth and the WA state government,” Chong explained in the press release.
“These special artefacts reveal those close connections and highlight the various ways in which the legal community has shaped our modern society, which our firm is very proud to be a part of,” Chong added.
In 1890, John Horgan and Frederick William Moorhead, who were Irish lawyers, established the firm Horgan and Moorhead in Perth. Moorhead became a city solicitor to the Perth City Council eight years later.
In the decades that followed, the firm grew, adopted a different formal name, and welcomed new partners. Many of them served as Supreme Court judges, Western Australian commissioners, and attorney-general, among other public roles.
Francis Walpole Leake – great-nephew of Sir Leake and son of George Leake, former Western Australian premier – joined the firm in the 1920s. At that point, the firm became known as Northmore, Hale, Davy & Leake.
Presently, Squire Patton Boggs has over 1,500 lawyers across more than 40 offices in locations spanning four continents. The firm’s clients through the years have come from North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
