Queen’s Counsel appointed
Attorney-General Margaret Wilson today announced the appointment of Michael Ring, Harry Waalkens and Miriam Dean, all of
Auckland, and Wellingtonian Francis Cooke as Queen’s Counsel.
Michael Ring graduated from Auckland University and was a partner with McElroy Milne. He has been practising as a
barrister sole in Auckland since 1999 and specialises in insurance law.
After graduating from Auckland University Harry Waalkens joined Bell Gully Buddle Weir. He has been practising as a
barrister sole since 1994 and specialises in medico legal law.
Miriam Dean graduated from Auckland University and gained an LLM from Harvard Law School. She was awarded the Clearly
Memorial Prize in 1982. She was partner with Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartlett & Co before going out as a barrister sole in 1995. Miriam Dean is a contributing author to Gault on Commercial Law and
co-author for Competition Law, The Laws of New Zealand.
Francis Cooke graduated from Victoria University of Wellington and with a Master of Laws from Cambridge University. He
was elected Honorary Senior Scholar of Gonville and Caius College Cambridge. He joined the firm of Chapman Tripp, and
spent some time at the London office of Ashurst Morris Crisp. Francis Cooke has been a barrister sole since 1994 and
specialises in public and commercial law litigation.