About
Court and Tribunal Diversity and Inclusion Advocates
Judge Soulio was appointed to the District Court of South Australia in 2006. His Honour has been the Chair of the Migrant Resource Centre of South Australia since 2003. He was Chair of the Australian Multicultural Council between 2011 and 2014 and in that capacity was a member of the national Access and Equity Inquiry Panel which conducted an inquiry into the availability and accessibility of government services to people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Between 2011 and 2014 he also served as a member of the National Anti-Racism Partnership Strategy. Judge Soulio was previously Deputy Chair of the Australian Multicultural Advisory Council, which provided advice to government on multicultural policy, until the completion of the Advisory Council’s term in 2011.
Justice Berman was appointed to the Family Court of Australia on 18 July 2013. Prior to this, His Honour practised as a barrister in the area of family law and de facto relationships. Justice Berman was appointed Senior Counsel in 2010.
Magistrate Balic was appointed to the Magistrates’ Court of Queensland in 2022. She finished law school in 2005, and was admitted in 2006, after which she commenced work with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). In 2008, Magistrate Balic became counsel and a prosecutor with the ODPP. In her prosecutorial career, she prosecuted child sex offences, property, and other crimes. In the last five years of her work for the ODPP, Magistrate Balic prosecuted murders and large drug trafficking matters and, for two years, appeared exclusively for the DPP in the Court of Appeal. Magistrate Balic has also appeared in the High Court of Australia.
Magistrate Bali is an ambassador for the Women Lawyers’ Association and is a member of the Zonta Club Brisbane. She came to Australia as a refugee in 1996 from war torn Bosnia with no English proficiency.
Born in Singapore of Indian heritage Jay Pandya is a graduate of Adelaide University Law School. She pursued criminal defence work in Adelaide before undertaking an internship at the District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. On returning to Adelaide she accepted an offer at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where she worked as a prosecutor for almost two decades, prior to being appointed to the Magistracy in 2011.
As a Magistrate, she has taken a special interest in the area of domestic violence and during 2018-2020 was the Manager of the Family Violence Court. She is particularly aware of the scourge of domestic violence within our community and has sought to develop improved court outcomes by liaison within the judiciary, information sharing and reviewing administrative processes. She regularly meets with police, the legal fraternity, support services for victims and other relevant agencies. She has undertaken circuits to remote Indigenous communities and other rural regions. She has presented to the judiciary at all levels and other stakeholders extensively locally and interstate.
She is a trained facilitator with the National Judicial College of Australia and is the co-chair of their National Family Violence Program. She is a committee member of the Australian Association of Women Judges and the chair of their Diversity sub-committee. She is also the President of the Magistrates’ Association of South Australia. She is currently the Regional Manager of the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court.
Beyond the office, she is the mother of four children aged 16 to 24, three of whom are daughters. Understanding and recognising the role of women in justice is challenging but vital and she is committed to contributing what she can.
Judge Culver is a judge of the District Court of NSW. She previously was Deputy Chief Magistrate, Magistrate, Crown Prosecutor, Trial Advocate and Solicitor at the NSW DPP, Senior Lawyer at the NSW Crime Commission, litigation lawyer at Mallesons Stephen Jaques and volunteer solicitor at Kingsford Legal Centre. Judge Culver was a member of the Education Committee of the Local Court of NSW and is now a member of the Education Committee of the District Court of NSW.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Daly has been a Tasmanian Magistrate since 2007. Prior to his appointment his Honour was a barrister, practising in criminal, civil and administrative law.
Judge Glancy was appointed to the District Court of Western Australia commencing on 9 January 2018.
Her Honour was appointed as Deputy President of the State Administrative Tribunal for a five year term commencing on 21 October 2020.
Prior to her appointment to the District Court Judge Glancy had spent the entirety of her legal career in public service at the State Solicitor’s Office, where she commenced as an Articled Clerk in 1993. Immediately prior to her appointment she held the position of Deputy State Solicitor.
Her Honour graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Industrial Relations) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours).
The Honourable Justice Lincoln Crowley holds a Bachelor of Laws from James Cook University, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Queensland University of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science, from the University of New England. He was admitted to practice in Queensland in 1997. His first role after admission was as a solicitor with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, initially in Townsville and then later in Brisbane.
After several years he moved to New South Wales, where worked as a senior solicitor within the New South Wales Crown Solicitor’s Office, and later was called to the Sydney private bar. There he practised in both civil and criminal fields before returning to the public sector as In-House Counsel with the Sydney Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
After several years in that role his Honour returned to Queensland to take up a position as a Principal Crown Prosecutor for the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, before finally settling into practise at the Queensland private bar, where he specialised in crime and all areas of public law for many years. In 2018, his Honour became the first Indigenous person appointed as Queen’s Counsel in and for the State of Queensland. On 13 June 2022, Justice Crowley was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, becoming the first Indigenous judge appointed to a superior court in Australia.
Judge Blake was appointed to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia on 30 January 2019.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Blake was a Partner in large law firms where he practised in the areas of Employment, Discrimination, Workplace Safety and Industrial Law matters.
His Honour was consistently recognised as a leading practitioner in these areas. He was considered to be a pre-eminent practitioner in Australia by Asia-Pacific Legal 500 in the area of Employment Law. He was year after year recognised as a leading practitioner by Best Lawyers and Doyles Guides.
Since his appointment, Judge Blake hears cases across the jurisdictions of the Federal Circuit Court including employment disputes, migration, family law, bankruptcy and administrative law.
Justice Bowskill was appointed to the Supreme Court of Queensland on 10 July 2017. Her Honour previously served as a Judge of the District Court of Queensland from November 2014, in that capacity also sitting as a Judge of the Children’s Court of Queensland and the Planning and Environment Court. Her Honour served as the Associate to the Honourable Justice Drummond of the Federal Court of Australia in 1996, and completed articles of clerkship with Minter Ellison in 1997. Her Honour was admitted as a solicitor in January 1998, and as a barrister in July 1998. She commenced practice at the private Bar in Brisbane in July 1998. Her Honour took silk in November 2013. As a barrister, she practiced widely in public, administrative and commercial law areas, with a particular focus on Native Title law.
A Principal Member of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Anne is a member of NCAT’s Appeal Panel and Guardianship, Occupational, Administrative and Equal Opportunity divisions. For two decades Anne has held senior roles in State and Commonwealth Tribunals, including as a Senior Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Deputy President of the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal and Chairperson of the Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal. Anne taught in the Masters’ program at UNSW Law School and has significant experience in governance roles, including as a former director of the NSW Legal Aid Commission and the Communications Law Centre. Anne is the Chair of the Council of Australasian Tribunals (National).
Justice Judith Kelly completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 and a Diploma of Education in 1976, working as a teacher in Batchelor, in the Northern Territory, from 1977 to 1982. She graduated in Law with honours from the University of Queensland in 1985 and was first admitted as a barrister in Queensland in 1986, then worked as a solicitor in the Northern Territory, becoming a partner of Morris Fletcher and Cross (later Philip & Mitaros, then Clayton Utz). She went to the independent bar, joining William Forster Chambers in Darwin, in 1996. Her practice had a focus on commercial litigation, banking and insolvency with some insurance, construction, admiralty and native title law. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008 and a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in 2009.
Associate Judge Verity McWilliam was sworn in as the Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory on 26 June 2017. Her Honour was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2002, and interspersed with her employment as a solicitor, she served as the Associate to Justice Finn in the Appeal Division of the Family Court of Australia, and Justice Beaumont and Justice Madgwick in the Federal Court of Australia.
Her Honour was called to the NSW bar in 2006, where she developed a diverse practice across the areas of commercial/equity, criminal, employment, environmental/planning, public law and torts. Her Honour also lectured variously in public law, federal constitutional law and litigation at the University of NSW from 2010 until 2017, and in public law at the University of Sydney from 2010 to 2012.
Chief Judge Morris was appointed to the Local Court in the Northern Territory in 2010. Prior to that her roles included appointments as Deputy Coroner, Executive Director of Racing, Gaming and Licensing and Deputy CEO of the Department of Justice in the Northern Territory. She was named the NT’s Children’s Lawyer of the Year in 1999 and formerly worked as a barrister and solicitor with the NT Legal Aid Commission, predominantly in crime.
Chief Judge Morris is the Chair of the Board of the NT Legal Aid Commission and maintains positions on, amongst others, the National Domestic Violence Bench Reference Committee and the Courts Technology Committee. As well as degrees in Law and Arts from the University of Sydney, she has a Graduate Certificate in public sector management, is a graduate of the ANZSOG Executive Fellows Program and holds an Executive Certificate in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare from Georgetown University.
Judge Catherine Muir was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in February 1991. In the following years, she developed a broad range of experiences as a solicitor including as a criminal defence solicitor/ advocate with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Legal Service and as a solicitor in commercial litigation and insolvency. At the Bar, her Honour established a broad civil and commercial practice acting for a wide range of clients. In 2015-2016, her Honour assisted in the Commission of Inquiry into the closing of the Barrett Adolescent Centre, and acted for the Special Purpose Liquidators in the Queensland Nickel public examinations. In November 2016, she was appointed as a judge of the District Court of Queensland, the Childrens Court of Queensland and the Planning and Environment Court of Queensland.
Justice Raper was appointed to the Federal Court in 2022. Prior to her Honour’s appointment, she was a barrister for 17 years practising primarily in employment and industrial disputes, and discrimination and administrative law matters. Her Honour was made Senior Counsel in 2019. Her Honour has been a lecturer at the University of Sydney – Law School for many years, lecturing in the undergraduate and post-graduate programmes primarily in employment and discrimination law. Her Honour together with Chris Ronalds AO SC, has co-authored two editions of the legal text Discrimination Law and Practice (Federation Press).
Malcolm Schyvens was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 1997. Malcolm holds degrees in law and commerce from the University of Tasmania. Malcolm is a past president of the Law Society of Tasmania (2007– 2008), having been in private practice in Hobart for 11 years. He was also a part-time member of the Guardianship and Administration Board (Tas), the Forensic Tribunal (Tas) and a Director of the Centre for Legal Studies in Hobart. He also held the position of President of the Board of Cosmos Inc (2003–2008), Tasmania’s largest provider of day services for persons with an intellectual disability. Malcolm was appointed as the Deputy President of the Guardianship Tribunal of New South Wales in October 2008 and was subsequently appointed as President of the Tribunal in September 2011. Upon the establishment of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) on 1 Jan 2014 he was appointed as a Deputy President of NCAT and the Division Head for Guardianship. He is a member of the NSW Law Society’s Elder Law and Succession Committee and is currently the Convenor of the Council of Australian Tribunals, NSW Chapter and Chair of the Australian Guardianship and Administration Council.
Mr Reynah Tang, AM is a full time senior member at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and is Deputy Head of the Legal Practice List. He is the Member (Diversity) of VCAT’s Member Advisory Group, which was established in 2020 to support the President and Vice Presidents of VCAT to make strategic decisions. In 2013, he served as the President of the Law Institute of Victoria, a director of the Law Council of Australia and was a founder and inaugural president of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association, a national association focused on promoting cultural diversity in the law and legal profession. In 2019, Mr Tang became a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the law and professional legal associations.
Magistrate Louise Taylor was appointed to the ACT Magistrates Court in September 2018. Immediately prior to her appointment Louise was the Deputy CEO of Legal Aid ACT. She is a former senior prosecutor with the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions as well as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. She was a long time Chair of the Women’s Legal Centre ACT, a past member of the ACT Domestic Violence Prevention Council and former Chair of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women. Louise is a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Indigenous Legal Issues Committee as well as an associate of the Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW. Louise is a Kamilaroi woman born and raised in inner city Sydney.
Justice Marcus Solomon was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia as a Judge of the Court on 4 August 2021.
Justice Solomon graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Western Australia, and commenced his legal career in 1991, where he completed his articles of clerkship at Dwyer Durack. From 1992-2000, Justice Solomon continued at Dwyer Durack, attaining partnership in 1995. From 2000-2006, he worked at Gadens Lawyers, where he was the managing partner and senior property and litigation partner. In September 2006, Justice Solomon joined the Independent Bar. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2013, undertaking a wide commercial practice until his appointment to the Bench.
Alongside his judicial career, Justice Solomon remains a teacher of Jewish studies and the senior rabbi of the Beit Midrash of WA Inc., an institution dedicated to advanced Jewish studies and Talmudic law for both children and adults. He is the first rabbi to be appointed as a Supreme Court justice in Australia or elsewhere. Justice Solomon is also the Governor of the Carmel School Board, the community school of the Perth Jewish community where he taught Jewish studies prior to completing his legal studies.
Justice Hament Dhanji was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW on 20 September 2021.
Justice Dhanji graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degrees before beginning his career as a solicitor for Legal Aid NSW.
He was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1990 and practiced as a solicitor at the Legal Aid Commission of NSW before being called to the Bar in 1997. He took silk in 2010.
He was a barrister in private practice at Forbes Chambers engaged predominantly in criminal defence work. In addition to first instance work across the range of criminal matters including complex corporate crime matters he had a substantial appellate practice. He appeared as lead counsel in a number of important cases in the High Court and appeared in approximately 350 cases in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
In addition to his defence work Justice Dhanji also conducted prosecutions on behalf of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, appeared as counsel assisting the coroner and represented clients before the Police Integrity Commission and the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Justice Wood was appointed to the Supreme Court of Tasmania on 9 November 2009. Prior to this appointment Her Honour served as a Magistrate, and was the first woman appointed to that role in Tasmania. Previously, Justice Wood practised in criminal law as Crown Counsel with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and later in civil litigation as a barrister and solicitor with a Hobart law firm. Her Honour has a longstanding interest in human rights and equal opportunity matters, having served as Chairperson of the Sex Discrimination Tribunal (1996-1999) and the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (1999-2009).
Deputy President Jan Redfern PSM is Division Head of the Migration & Refugee Division. Ms Redfern was appointed as a Deputy President of the Tribunal and as Division Head on 21 March 2016 for a term of seven years. Ms Redfern has previously served the AAT as a Senior Member from 2009 to 2014. She served as Principal Member of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s Guardianship Division and Appeal Panel from 1 January 2015 and before that as a legal member and then Deputy President of the NSW Guardianship Tribunal. Prior to these appointments Ms Redfern held a number of senior executive positions with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission from 1999 to 2008. In 2007 she was awarded a Commonwealth Public Service Medal for outstanding service to corporate and financial services regulation and enforcement. Ms Redfern was previously in private practice for a number of years and was a partner of a national law firm for 10 years.
Ian Irving was appointed a Judicial Registrar of the Supreme Court of Victoria in March 2016. Ian served as Judicial Registrar for the Court of Appeal from 2016 to 2020. Since 2020 Ian has been responsible for supervising the work of the Court’s ADR Centre.
Ian was a registrar of the Federal Court of Australia from 2005-16 where he was the National Registrar responsible for specialist case management and mediation of the Court’s native title cases. Ian also coordinated the Federal Court’s national mediation practice.
From 2006-11 Ian was deputy registrar of the Australian Competition Tribunal.
Ian commenced legal practice in 1996. In 2001 he joined the Kimberley Land Council where he was Principal Legal Officer until 2005.
Judge Nell Skinner was appointed as the President of the Children’s Court of New South Wales and a Judge of the District Court in November 2021.
Her Honour served as a Magistrate of the Local Court of New South Wales from 2009 and was appointed as a specialist Children’s Magistrate in 2017. Prior to her appointment to the bench Judge Skinner worked as a criminal lawyer at the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Legal Aid NSW and the Aboriginal Legal Service.
Judge Skinner graduated in Arts and Laws from the Australian National University and was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1999. Judge Skinner is committed to working with government and service providers to improve outcomes for children and young persons who come before the Children’s Court.