Jim Kennan, a prominent Victorian Queen's Counsel and former state attorney-general, died yesterday (4 August) after a battle with cancer, aged 64.

A lawyer and parliamentarian, Kennan worked on a number of high-profile cases during his career - including the Jack Thomas terrorist trial and the Australian Wheat Board Royal Commission - and recently acted as counsel to Christine Nixon in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

Kennan joined the Victorian Bar in 1971 and was appointed as Queen's Counsel in 1987.

Between 1983 and 1993, Kennan held several ministries with the state Labor party, including a period as deputy premier in Joan Kirner's Labor government between 1990 and 1992, and a brief stint as opposition leader in 1993.

Kennan left politics in 1993 and spent several years working as a consultant until returning to the law in 2001.

He was the also the chair of the Australian Government's bilateral foreign relations Council and the Australia India Council between 1995 and 1999, and the coordinator of the Global Foundation's Asia Pacific Round Table, held at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., in 2000.

A state memorial service will be held for Kennan in the Great Hall at the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday, August 13, 2010, commencing at 11am..

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