Obituary — Zev Wagen

Zev had an extensive history working in youth justice, as a nurse with intellectually disabled youth and as a nurse educator. He developed a method of teaching non-verbal children to communicate by using a picture communication board.

Zev came to the bar in 2002, having completed a law degree at Monash University and the Leo Cussen Course. He read with Dr David Neal S.C., whom he impressed with his thoroughness and attention to detail.

Given his background in youth justice and working with disadvantaged young people, Zev was a natural fit for working in the extremely challenging area of the Children’s Court.

Zev was a passionate and fearless advocate of unwavering integrity who had no time for nonsense and who never let the emotional toll of his work interfere with the case at hand. He was well respected for his commitment to his work; putting in countless hours to ensure that he was across every detail, no matter how small.

To those who knew him, he was a great intellect and a great friend, always prepared to lend an ear and provide support. He had a group of friends across the world, from Israel to New York, that would meet online every week to discuss the problems in the world and he was widely read and aware of issues in all the countries where members of that group live.

After a short illness he passed away on 3 January and was buried at a Jewish cemetery on 4 January in keeping with his Jewish heritage.

Zev’s laugh and support will be greatly missed by those who knew him.