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):
1. Sir Garfield Barwick
2. Sir Anthony Mason
3. Murray Gleeson
Puisne Justices of the High Court (in chronological order):
1. Sir George Rich
2. H. V. Evatt
3. Sir Edward McTiernan
4. Sir Dudley Williams
5. Sir Frank Kitto
6. Sir Alan Taylor
7. Sir Victor Windeyer
8. Sir Cyril Walsh
9. Sir Kenneth Jacobs
10. Lionel Murphy
11. Sir William Deane
12. Mary Gaudron
13. Michael Kirby
14. William Gummow
15. Dyson Heydon
16. Susan Crennan
17. Virginia Bell
18. Jacqueline Gleeson
19. Jayne Jagot

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)
Roddy Meagher (1989–2004)
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 Tasmania

Alan Blow (Justice 2000–2013; Chief Justice 2013–)[10]

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):
- Sir Edmund Barton
- Sir William McMahon
- Gough Whitlam
- John Howard
- Tony Abbott
- Malcolm Turnbull
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- Lionel Bowen
Federal Opposition Leaders (in chronological order):
- Dr. H. V. Evatt
- John Howard
- Malcolm Turnbull
- Tony Abbott
Attorneys-General of Australia (in chronological order)
- Dr. H. V. Evatt
- Sir Garfield Barwick
- Sir Nigel Bowen
- Tom Hughes AO QC Legion of Honour
- Lionel Murphy
- Kep Enderby
- Bob Ellicott
- Lionel Bowen
- Philip Ruddock
- Robert McClelland
Governor of New South Wales
- Margaret Beazley (2019-)
Premier of New South Wales (in chronological order):
- Sir Thomas Bavin
- Neville Wran
Premier of Queensland:
- Sir Samuel Griffith
Ambassadors:
- John McCarthy, Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See
- Joe Hockey, Ambassador of Australia to the United States

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

Academics

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 ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Media Watch" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
^ "Biography of Justice Steven Rares". 25 October 2021.
^ http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/NSWBarAssocNews/2007/63.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "News | The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
^ "New Federal Court judge a chip off the old block | Lawyers Weekly". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ "Biography of Justice Burley". 15 March 2021.
^ "Biography of Justice Lee". 25 February 2022.
^ "Role & Curriculum Vitae of The Lieutenant Governor". Governor of Tasmania. State of Tasmania. 31 January 2017. 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.
^ "Our Scholar exceeds at Oxford".
^ "Two Sydney Law School alumni top at Oxford".

[1] 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.

[2] ttps://www.sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/university-archives/honorary-awards/m/the-hon-dennis-mahoney-ao-qc.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[3] "Media Watch" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2017.

[4] "Biography of Justice Steven Rares". 25 October 2021.

[5] ttp://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/NSWBarAssocNews/2007/63.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[sydney-6] "News | The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

[7] "New Federal Court judge a chip off the old block | Lawyers Weekly". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

[8] "Biography of Justice Burley". 15 March 2021.

[9] "Biography of Justice Lee". 25 February 2022.

[10] "Role & Curriculum Vitae of The Lieutenant Governor". Governor of Tasmania. State of Tasmania. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2021.

[11] "Estate of Barbara Holborow". Penguin Books. Retrieved 10 February 2022.

[12] "Sydney Law School: Rhodes Scholars 1904-2013". Sydney Law School.

[cam-13] "Professor Peter Cane | Squire Law Library". squire.law.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

[dur-14] "Institute of Advanced Study : Professor Peter Cane - Durham University". dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

[elevenwentworth-15] "Eleven Wentworth | Eleven Wentworth". elevenwentworth.com.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

[sydney2-16] "News | The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

[17] "Our Scholar exceeds at Oxford".

[18] "Two Sydney Law School alumni top at Oxford".

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