Marion Thomson

Marion Thomson (née Robertson, 1911 – 1 March 2007) was a New Zealand lawyer. She was the third woman to graduate from the University of Otago with a degree in law.[1]

Thomson was born and grew up in Dunedin. She left high school in 1927 after just two years, and worked as a typist and a legal secretary. She simultaneously studied at night school to gain entry to university, and began her studies in 1932.[1] She completed her studies in 1936 but was not immediately admitted to the bar as she married in 1937 and had children.[2] In 1960 she was admitted to the bar, becoming the fifth woman to be admitted in Dunedin.[1]

Thomson worked in the firm of Rutherford McKinnon and Neil (now McKinnon Aitken Martin), specializing in matrimonial and children’s issues, until she retired in 1979.[1] She was instrumental in establishing the Otago Women Lawyers' Society, and was made a life member for her contributions.[2] In 2008, following Thomson's death, the society founded a Marion Thomson Trust in her memory, to provide opportunities for members to develop their knowledge of family law.[3]