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Dr John Kennedy McLaughlin AM was a long time Master in Equity and then Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (1989-2010). He was admitted to the Bar in 1961 after serving as Associate to Sir Cyril Walsh. John was heavily involved in the legal profession throughout his entire career, including with the Sir Thomas More Society and the Francis Forbes Society for Australian Legal History. He was a deeply devout man and was created a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 2010. In 2009 John was conferred with an Honorary Fellowship of the University of Sydney, and he was a Councillor of the Sydney University Union Foundation. John was also President (and Fellow) of the Society of Australian Genealogists and a Councillor of the Royal Australian Historical Society. John was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2014 “for significant service to the judiciary and to the law, particularly through the documentation and preservation of Australian legal and constitutional history, and to the community”. Sadly, John passed away in 2023 before the publication of his book The Immigration of Irish Lawyers to Australia in the Nineteenth Century: Causes and Consequences could be finalised. John is remembered most fondly by all at The Federation Press for his kindness, modesty, charm and generosity of spirit. The book was based on his PhD dissertation.