Justice Keane will begin his appointment in March as the third Chief Justice ever appointed, and the first from Queensland.

Keane is currently a Court of Appeal judge at the Supreme Court of Queensland, an office which he has held since 2005.

Previously, Keane was Solicitor-General for Queensland and was Deputy Chairman of the Queensland Law Reform Commission between 1990 and 1992. He practised at the Queensland Bar between 1978 and 2005, mainly in commercial and constitutional matters.

Keane was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1988 and awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003.

Chief Justice Michael Black AC will retire in March after 19 years of service.

Check back with Lawyers Weekly for more on this story