Lorraine Walker

Lorraine Anne Walker is the Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory and an Acting Judge of Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

The Honourable Acting Justice

Lorraine Walker
Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
Assumed office
13 October 2011 (2011-10-13)
Appointed bySimon Corbell
Preceded byJohn Burns
Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
Assumed office
1 August 2019 (2019-08-01)
Appointed byGordon Ramsay
Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
In office
19 July 2010 (2010-07-19) – 12 October 2011
Appointed bySimon Corbell
Personal details
BornUnited Kingdom
NationalityAustralian
British
Children4
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationLawyer
Jurist
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceRoyal Australian Air Force

She was sworn in as a Magistrate on 19 July 2010 and as Chief Magistrate on 13 October 2011. On 1 August 2019, Walker was appointed an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court for 12 months to establish the Territory's Drug and Alcohol Court.[1][2]

She is the first woman to be appointed Chief Magistrate.[3]

Early life

Walker was born in the United Kingdom.[4] She travelled between the United Kingdom and Australia as a child.[4]

She studied at the University of Sydney.[5]

Career

After graduating, Walker enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a legal officer.[3][5][6][7]

She then worked in the United Kingdom as a prosecutor and defence lawyer.[5][7]

In 1996, Walker returned to Australia and worked as a partner at Barker Gosling.[5][7]

She then became a barrister in 2000 practising in the Australian Capital Territory.[3][5][6][7]

Walker has served on the board of the ACT Law Society, the ACT Bar Association and the Canberra Institute of Technology.[5] She has also tutored at the Australian National University.[5][6][7]

In 2010, she was appointed to the Magistrates Court.[8] In 2011, she was appointed Chief Magistrate.[9] By virtue of her appointment as Chief Magistrate, she is also the Chief Coroner of the Australian Capital Territory.[10]

In 2019, Walker was appointed to the Supreme Court as an Acting Judge to establish the Territory's Drug and Alcohol Court.[1][2] As her appointment as an Acting Judge is only for one year, she will continue to formally hold the role of Chief Magistrate.[1][2] Magistrate Glenn Theakston has been appointed as Acting Chief Magistrate during her appointment.[1][2]

Personal life

She has four children and a partner.[4]

References
  1. "Lorraine Walker appointed as Acting Judge of the Supreme Court". ACT Government. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  2. Back, Alexandra (30 July 2019). "Bench shuffle as chief magistrate moves into new drug court role". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. "New chief magistrate". The Canberra Times. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. Cummins, Jamie (1 February 2012). "Canberra Conversations: Lorraine Walker". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  5. Corbell, Simon (28 November 2011). "On the occasion of the appointment of Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker" (PDF). Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  6. "Walker named 1st female chief magistrate". ABC News. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  7. "ACT Law Society Welcomes Appointment of Magistrate Lorraine Walker". ACT Law Society. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  8. "Magistrates Court (Magistrate) Appointment 2010". ACT Government Legislation Database. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. "Magistrates Court Appointment 2011". ACT Government Legislation Database. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  10. Coroners Act 1997 (ACT) (PDF).
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