List of Sydney Law School alumni
In its over 160-year history, the Sydney Law School has produced a prominent group of alumni. The following is a list of some of these prominent alumni.
Courts and tribunals
International Court of Justice
- Sir Percy Spender: International Court of Justice judge 1958–1964, President 1964–1967
- Sir Garfield Barwick ad hoc judge 1973–1974
High Court of Australia
- Chief Justices of the High Court of Australia (in chronological order):
- Puisne Justices of the High Court (in chronological order):
As of 2017, Sydney Law School has produced 18 out of 52 Justices of the High Court of Australia (with the University of Sydney more broadly having produced 24).[1]
Supreme Court of New South Wales
Chief Justices of the NSW Supreme Court:
- Tom Bathurst (2011–)
- James Spigelman (1998–2011)
- Murray Gleeson (1988–1998)
- Sir Laurence Whistler Street (1974–1988)
- Sir John Kerr (1972–1974)
- Sir Leslie James Herron (1962–1972)
- Dr. H. V. Evatt (1960–1962)
- Sir Kenneth Whistler Street (1950–1960)
- Sir Frederick Richard Jordan (1934–1949)
- Sir Philip Whistler Street (1925–1934)
- Sir William Portus Cullen (1910–1925)
Presidents of the NSW Court of Appeal
- Andrew Bell (2019-)
- Margaret Beazley (2013–2019)
- James Allsop (2008–2013)
- Keith Mason (1997-2008)
- Dennis Mahoney[2] (1996-1997)
- Michael Kirby (1984-1996)
- Athol Moffitt (1974-1984)
- Sir Kenneth Jacobs (1972–1974)
- Sir Bernard Sugerman (1970-1972)
- Sir Gordon Wallace, first President of the Court of Appeal (1966–1970)
Judges of the NSW Court of Appeal:
- Paul Brereton (2018-)
- Richard White (2017-)
- Anthony Payne (2016-)
- Carolyn Simpson (2015–2018); Acting Judge of Appeal (2018-)
- Mark Leeming (2013–)
- Fabian Gleeson (2013-)
- Arthur Emmett (2013–2015); Acting Judge of Appeal (2015-)
- Peter McClellan (2013–2018)
- Julie Ward (2012–); Chief Judge in Equity (2017-)
- Clifton Hoeben (2012–); Chief Judge at Common Law (2013-)
- Reginald Barrett (2012-2015); Acting Judge of Appeal (2016-2020)
- Peter Young AO (2009–2012)
- Robert Macfarlan (2008–)
- Joseph Campbell (2007-2012)
- Ruth McColl AO (2003–2019)
- Kim Santow (2002–2007)
In 1999 legal history was made when Justices Virginia Bell, Margaret Beazley and Carolyn Simpson sat together, forming the first all-female bench in an Australian court. According to the Women Lawyers Association of NSW, there had never been an all-female bench in England or New Zealand.[3]
Judges of the NSW Supreme Court:
- Julia Lonergan (2017-)
- Natalie Adams (2016-)
- Helen Wilson (2014-)
- John Sackar (2011-)
- Peter Garling (2010–)
- Clifton Hoeben (2004–2012)
- Carolyn Simpson (1994–2015)
- Kim Santow (1993–2002)
- Peter Young AO (1985–2001)
Federal Court of Australia
- Nigel Bowen, First Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia (1976-1990)
- Marcus Einfeld (1986–2001)
- Arthur Emmett (1997–2013)
- Peter Jacobson (2002-2015)
- Steven Rares[4] (2006-)
- Geoffrey Flick[5] (2007-)
- Lindsay Foster (2008-2020)
- Jayne Jagot (2008-)
- Nye Perram (2008-)
- David Yates (2009-)
- Kathleen Farrell (2012-)
- James Allsop, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia (2013–)
- Michael Wigney[6] (2013-)
- Jacqueline Gleeson[7] (2014-)
- Stephen Burley[8] (2016-)
- Michael Lee[9] (2017-)
Supreme Court of Western Australia
- Graeme Murphy (3 August 2010)
Solicitors-General of Australia
- Sir Robert Garran (1916–1932)
- Sir Anthony Mason (1964–1969)
- Bob Ellicott (1969–1973)
- Sir Maurice Byers (1973–1983)
- David Bennett (1998–2008)
- Justin Gleeson (2013–2016)
Other legal professionals
- Marie Beuzeville Byles, the first woman to practise as a lawyer in NSW
- Nicholas Cowdery QC, former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions (1994–2011)
- Ada Emily Evans, the first woman in Australia to graduate with an LL.B. (but not permitted to practise)
- Elizabeth Evatt, former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and first Australian to be appointed to the United Nations Human Rights Committee
- Barbara Holborow, magistrate in the New South Wales Children's Court[11]
- Kate O'Regan, Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1994 to 2009
- Geoffrey Robertson QC, former President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, human rights lawyer, author and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers
- Kim Santow, Justice of Appeal in the New South Wales Supreme Court and former Chancellor of the University of Sydney (2001–2007)
- Mark Tedeschi QC, Senior Crown Prosecutor for New South Wales
- Lucy Turnbull, lawyer and former Lord Mayor of Sydney
- Bret Walker SC, leading silk and former President of the Law Council of Australia
Politics
- President of the United Nations General Assembly:
- Dr. H. V. Evatt (1948–1949)
- Governors-General of Australia (in chronological order):
- Sir John Kerr
- Sir William Deane
- Prime Ministers of Australia (in chronological order):
- Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- Federal Opposition Leaders (in chronological order):
- Attorneys-General of Australia (in chronological order)
- Governor of New South Wales
- Margaret Beazley (2019-)
- Premier of New South Wales (in chronological order):
- Premier of Queensland:
- Sir Samuel Griffith
- Ambassadors:
Business
- James Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank Group
- Rene Rivkin, entrepreneur
- Allan Moss, banker
- John Coates, Vice-President, International Olympic Committee
- David Gallop, Chief Executive, Football Federation Australia
Academia
Rhodes scholars
24 Rhodes scholars including:[12]
- Vincent John Flynn (1927)
- David Hargraves Hodgson (1962)
- Geoffrey Robertson (1970)
- Malcolm Turnbull (1978)
- Tony Abbott (1981)
Vinerian Scholars
- Peter Cane[13][14] (1976), Magdalen College, Oxford
- Andrew Bell SC[15] (1993), Magdalen College, Oxford
- Naomi Oreb[16] (2012), Magdalen College, Oxford
- Luca Moretti[17] (2019), Christ Church, Oxford
- Alyssa Glass[18] (2020), Magdalen College, Oxford
Arts, media, and entertainment
- Richard Ackland, journalist and publisher
- Janet Albrechtsen, columnist
- Alex Cubis, actor
- Julia Leigh, writer and film director
- Chas Licciardello, comedian
- David Marr, writer
- Julian Morrow, comedian
- Andrew O'Keefe, entertainer
- Craig Reucassel, comedian
- Peter Weir, film director
Sport
- Nick Farr-Jones, former Wallabies captain
References
- 17 of the 24 justices studied for law degrees at the University of Sydney; the remainder studied at the University at a time before the Sydney Law School offered a full programme of legal study.
- https://www.sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/university-archives/honorary-awards/m/the-hon-dennis-mahoney-ao-qc.pdf
- "Media Watch" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/about/judges/current-judges-appointment/current-judges/rares-j
- http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/NSWBarAssocNews/2007/63.pdf
- "News | The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- "Archived copy". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/about/judges/current-judges-appointment/current-judges/burley-j
- https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/about/judges/current-judges-appointment/current-judges/lee-j
- "Role & Curriculum Vitae of The Lieutenant Governor". Governor of Tasmania. State of Tasmania. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- "Estate of Barbara Holborow". Penguin Books. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- "Sydney Law School: Rhodes Scholars 1904-2013". Sydney Law School.
- "Professor Peter Cane | Squire Law Library". squire.law.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- "Institute of Advanced Study : Professor Peter Cane - Durham University". dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- "Eleven Wentworth | Eleven Wentworth". elevenwentworth.com.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- "News | The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- https://www.sydney.edu.au/law/news-and-events/news/2019/10/02/our-scholar-exceeds-at-oxford-.html
- https://www.sydney.edu.au/law/news-and-events/news/2020/08/10/two-sydney-law-school-alumni-top-at-oxford.html