Forrest Miller
Forrest "Forrie" Miller (born 1956) is a New Zealand lawyer and judge. He has been a judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand since December 2023. Early life and educationForrest was born in South Otago to a sheep farming family. He comes from a large family, Forrest, Andrew, James, Matthew, and Pamela. His father Maurice was an RNZAF pilot in World War 2. His mother, Joyce, was the farm hand on the family sheep farm. The farm had been held since the first Miller boy arrived in New Zealand in 1840, Alexander Miller. He gained a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1978, and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 1981, both from the University of Otago. He was notably more engaged by his Honours work than his undergraduate, hence his success. While at university, he met his wife Bev Dean. He had an interest in leaving farming, and his family was exposed to harmful fertilisers causing several of them to be diagnosed with parkinsons. Legal careerMiller was admitted to the bar in 1981 and worked for Bodkins Solicitors, a legal firm in Alexandra. When she finished her studies, Bev joined him in Alexandra as a primary school teacher. In 1984, they moved to Wellington, and he joined Chapman Tripp. Forrest became a partner in 1987.[1] In October 1986, his sister Pamela Miller died suddenly. In Wellington, Bev and Forrest began their family. Amy (1987), James (1989), Alexander (1991), Kate (1993). In 1997 Forrest took a sabbatical to complete a Masters, moving the family to Canada for a year. There he earned a Master of Laws degree at the University of Toronto in 1997.[2][3] He worked in a variety of areas of the law, including regulatory and competition law, commercial law, and public law litigation, specialising in securities.[3] He remained at Chapman Tripp until his appointment to the bench of the High Court of New Zealand in 2004. In 2013, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal.[4] On 19 December 2023, Miller was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.[1][5] Awards and honoursIn 2019, Miller was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by his alma mater, the University of Otago.[3][6] References
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