The Honourable Raymond Finkelstein QC and Rowan Russel will commence the positions in January 2012.

Finkelstein, an alumnus of Monash, was admitted to practice in 1971 and called to the Bar in 1975. Specialising in equity commercial and corporate law, he was appointed Queens Counsel in 1986, was solicitor general for Victoria in 1992, and judge of the Federal Court in 1997, retiring in June this year.

"Mr Finkelstein's judgments have been highly influential in commercial law, giving rise to new approaches in insolvency, competition law and class actions," said Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Arie Freiberg AM.

Russel is a debt capital markets specialist and partner of Mallesons Stephen Jacques in Sydney. Prior to working in the firm's Sydney office, Russel worked in the London office and was a managing partner based in Melbourne. He has been a member of the Board of the Monash Law School Foundation between 1999 and 2001 as well as the Consumer Credit Committee of the Business Section of the Law Council of Australia for 10 years.