Helen Murrell
Helen Gay Murrell SC is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.[1]
Helen Murrell | |
|---|---|
| 5th Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory | |
| Assumed office 28 October 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Simon Corbell |
| Preceded by | Terrence Higgins |
| Judge of the District Court of New South Wales | |
| In office 1996–2013 | |
| Senior Judge of the Drug Court of New South Wales | |
| In office 1998–2003 | |
| Acting Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales | |
| In office 1996–1996 | |
| President of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal of New South Wales | |
| In office 1997–1999 | |
| Deputy President of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal of New South Wales | |
| In office 1997–1999 | |
| Deputy Chairperson of the New South Wales Medical Tribunal | |
| In office 2005–2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Helen Gay Murrell |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Lawyer Jurist |
She is the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice.[2][3][4]
Early life
Murrell grew up in Seaforth, New South Wales.[5]
She then studied at the University of New South Wales and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws.[1][4]
Career
Murrell was admitted to practise in 1977.[2]
She first worked at the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor's Office and then at Legal Aid NSW.[2][4]
In 1981, Murrell was called to the bar and was appointed senior counsel in 1995.[1][2][4] She also attended the University of Sydney and graduated with a Diploma of Criminology.[1][4]
In 1996, she was appointed a Judge of the District Court of New South Wales.[2][3][4] She was also an Acting Judge in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales during this year.[1][4]
She served as President of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal and as Deputy President of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal of New South Wales from 1997 to 1999.[1][2][3][4]
In 1998, Murell was involved in establishing the Drug Court of New South Wales.[2][3][4] She was the first Senior Judge of that court and served until 2003.[1][4]
In 2005, she was appointed the Deputy Chairperson of the New South Wales Medical Tribunal.
On 12 September 2013, Attorney-General Simon Corbell announced the appointment of Murrell to replace the retiring Chief Justice Terence Higgins.[2][3][4]
Murrell was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory on 28 October 2013 and is the first woman to have been appointed to that role.[1][2][3][4]
She currently also serves on the committee of the National Judicial College of Australia.[1][4]
References
- "Chief Justice Helen Gay Murrell Biography" (PDF). Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- Inman, Michael. "Introducing the ACT's first female Supreme Court Chief Justice". Canberra Times. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- "ACT appoints first female Chief Justice". ABC News. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- "Helen Gay Murrell". Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- Morcombe, John (19 September 2013). "Peninsula woman to be Chief Justice in the ACT Supreme Court". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2019.