PM Transcripts

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PRIME MINISTER PRESS STATEMENT NO. 395
4 December 1974
LEGAL ADVISER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam, announced today
that Mr E. Lauterpacht, of the University of Cambridge
had accepted an appointment with the Australian Government
to wprk as Legal Adviser to the Department of Foreign
Affairs. Mr Lauterpacht had been engaged by the Attorney-
General and he would be seconded to the Department of
Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister said that Mr Lauterpacht was
a distinguished international lawyer. He had been closely
associated with the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-
General as one of the Australian Government's counsel in
the Nuclear Tests Case in the International Coiir' of Justice.
The appointment would strengthen the legal
services available to the Government in the field of public
international law and would enable greater specialist
attention to be given to this branch of the law which is
assuming more and more importance for all countries, and
not least for Australia.
Arrangements had been agreed upon regarding the matterp
in the field of public internation~ al law for which Mr Lauterpacht
and the Department of Foreign Affairs would primarily be
responsible and those that would continue to be primarily
the responsibility of the Solicitor-General and the Attorney-
General' s Department.
Mr Lauterpacht's engagement is for a term of three
years. He has been given leave of absence by the University
of Cambridge for this period.
Mr Lauterpacht is 46 years of age. He is married.
He has two children.
CANBERRA. A. C. T.