Karen Fryar

Karen Fryar AM (born 8 March 1956) is a former Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory. She was sworn in as a Magistrate on 6 September 1993.[1][2] She retired on 8 March 2019.[2]

Karen Fryar AM
Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
In office 6 September 1993 – 8 March 2019
Personal details
Born	8 March 1956
Alma mater	Australian National University
Occupation	Jurist

She is the first woman to be appointed as a magistrate in the Australian Capital Territory and also the first woman to be appointed as a judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory.[2]

Early life

Fryar was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1956.[3] She attended Albury High School.[3]

She studied law and Japanese at the Australian National University.[4]

Career

Fryar worked as a solicitor after leaving university.[4] She later worked in the public service at the Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office, the Attorney-General's Department and the Legal Aid Commission.[3][4]

In 1993, Fryar was appointed as a magistrate and became the first female judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory.[2]

She became the co-ordinating magistrate of the Family Violence List and developed the Family Violence Practice Direction.[3][4]

She was awarded the ACT International Women's Day Women's Award in 2008.[3]

In 2010, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia 'for service to the community of the Australian Capital Territory as a magistrate and through contributions to the prevention of family violence'.[4]

Personal life

She has a husband and children.[2]

References

1. "Current ACT Magistrates". ACT Magistrates Court. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
2. Back, Alexandra (8 March 2019). "Karen Fryar, first woman to the bench in Canberra, retires". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
3. "Karen Margaret Fryar". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
4. Pohl, Katherine (26 January 2010). "Honour for ACT magistrate". ABC News. Retrieved 9 March 2019.