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New judge appointed to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia
The Federal Circuit Court and Attorney-General Christian Porter have appointed a new judge who commences in the Melbourne registry.
Tony Zhang
Mr Patrick O'Shannessy SC has been appointed as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
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Judge O'Shannessy is a highly regarded and immensely experienced barrister with over 30 years of experience working in family law.
His honour was sworn in by Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, the Honourable Will Alstergren in the Melbourne registry of the court on 18 September 2020.
Chief Judge Alstergren said the appointment of such a highly specialised family law barrister is appropriate recognition of the level and complexity of family law work performed by the Federal Circuit Court of Australia which currently determines approximately 88 per cent of all family law cases and approximately 92 per cent of all parenting cases nationally (excluding Western Australia).
“Judge O'Shannessy brings over 30 years of experience and skill as a barrister and SC in this important area of the law. He was a highly successful and well sought-after barrister at the Victoria Bar,” Mr Alstergren said.
“As a junior and an SC he appeared in some of the longest and most complex family law cases in Victoria and is highly respected by his peers and throughout the wider legal profession.
“He has been a mentor to many juniors. Judge O'Shannessy is also a highly respected mediator and the court is delighted at his appointment.”
Mr O'Shannessy was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1984, working as a solicitor specialising in family law before becoming accredited as a family law specialist by the Law Institute of Victoria from 1989 to 1991.
Mr O'Shannessy was called to the bar in 1991 where he has continued to practice predominantly in family law, appearing at interim, final and appeal hearings in family law matters, as well as mediation and conciliation conferences. In 2019, Mr O'Shannessy was appointed senior counsel for the state of Victoria.
“I am very pleased and honoured to be appointed to the court. I look forward to getting on with the job,” Judge O'Shannessy said on his appointment.
“On behalf of the government I congratulate Mr O'Shannessy on his appointment and thank him for his willingness to serve the people of Australia as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court,” Mr Porter added.
