Philip Lewis Griffiths KC (30 September 1881 – 4 June 1945) was an eminent Australian jurist.
Education Educated at Caulfield Grammar School, he studied for a Master of Arts degree at the Trinity College of the University of Melbourne.
Journalist He then wrote for The Mercury in both Hobart and Launceston.
Law He studied law at the University of Tasmania, earning an LLB.Acting Judge Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1938, p7 While working as a lawyer, he also lectured at the University of Tasmania from 1913 to 1930, focusing on torts and criminal law.
In 1930 Griffiths was appointed as the Solicitor-General of Tasmania, and in August 1933 he was made a King's Counsel. From August 1938 to March 1939 Griffiths was acting Chief Judge of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea; he then became the Second Judge of New Guinea, serving in the acting Chief Judge position again during 1940.
Death He died, in Hobart, on 4 June 1945.Obituary: Mr P. L. Griffiths, Chief Judge of New Guinea, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Tuesday, 5 Jun 1945), p. 9.
See also List of Caulfield Grammar School people
Footnotes
References
New Guinea Judge: A Tasmanian Appointed, The West Australian, (Friday, 16 June 1939), p. 18.