Announcing the appointments, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock commented on the pair’s “outstanding abilities and expertise in their respective fields of Commonwealth law”.

The CEO of the AGS, Rayne de Gruchy, congratulated Bennett and Howe on behalf of all of their colleagues. “It is wonderful to see this significant recognition of their professionalism and expertise,” de Gruchy said.

Bennett has been involved in Commonwealth advising work for 26 years, and has led AGS’s constitutional litigation practice for the past 15 years.

Since 1992, he has been directly involved in over 300 constitutional cases for the Commonwealth, including nearly all major constitutional cases in the High Court of Australia in that period and a number of significant cases in other superior courts around Australia.

For the last 20 years at AGS, Howe has concentrated on litigation and advocacy work. He was appointed AGS’s chief counsel litigation in 2002, and has appeared as counsel for the Commonwealth in many key cases before the High Court and other Australian courts and tribunals including the Federal Court, the Supreme Courts of the states and territories, and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Howe has also advised and appeared for the Commonwealth in various inquiries and commissions.