Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith, who followed his father's footsteps into the ADF by joining the Australian Army in 1996, has been awarded the nation's highest military honour for his actions in Afghanistan last year, which involved exchanges of machine gun and grenade fire with the Taliban.

Appointed as a Queen's Counsel in 1989 and sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2000 and Court of Appeal judge in 2004, Len has led a distinguished civil and military legal career since graduating from Adelaide University in 1969.

In 2002, he became the Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force with the rank of Major General and was appointed to a five-year term as Commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission in 2007.

Throughout his career, Len held various positions in the public and private sector, including deputy resident of the WA Equal Opportunity Tribunal and foundation director of the Legal Aid Commission of WA.

He was also the first public prosecutor of Papua New Guinea upon its independence in 1975, having held various legal positions in the PNG Crown Law Department since 1970.