Mr Blake was most recently a partner at Minters, having commenced his career at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst) and rising to senior associate, before becoming a team leader, practice group head and then partner at Maddocks.

Over the course of his legal career, Mr Blake has been “recognised as a leading practitioner in industrial relations and employment law”, Mr Porter said.

“On behalf of the government, I congratulate Mr Blake on his appointment and thank him for his willingness to serve the people of Australia as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia,” he added.

The appointment follows the news of two additional part-time commissioners – the Honourable Michelle May AM QC and the Honourable Cheryl Edwards AM GAICD – being appointed to the Australian Law Reform Commission to assist with the review of the family law system earlier in December.