Helen Murrell | |
---|---|
5th Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory | |
In office 28 October 2013 – 4 March 2022 | |
Appointed by | Simon Corbell |
Preceded by | Terrence Higgins |
Succeeded by | Lucy McCallum |
Judge of the District Court of NSW | |
In office 13 September 1996 – 28 October 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 |
Helen Gay Murrell SC is an Australian lawyer and judge who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. [1]
She is the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice. [2] [3] [4]
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]
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 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]
Murrell retired as Chief Justice in March 2022. [6] She has served as a part-time commissioner of the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption since August 2022. [7]