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Industrial relations commissioner appointed to WA Supreme Court bench
Western Australia has announced that a new judge will join the Supreme Court bench following the retirement of Justice John Chaney.
Melissa Coade
Jennifer Smith will be appointed to the WA Supreme Court bench later this month. Her appointment is effective from 27 June 2018.
WA Attorney-General John Quigley said that he was pleased to announce Ms Smith’s appointment.
“I congratulate Ms Smith on her appointment and wish her well in her new role,” the AG said.
Ms Smith completed her articles of clerkship with the Crown Solicitor’s Office and was admitted to the legal profession in 1987.
From 1988 to 2000, she remained with the Crown Solicitor's Office and was appointed senior assistant crown counsel in 1997.
“Ms Smith has practised in the District and Supreme Court as a crown prosecutor in indictable criminal trials, and provided advice and was briefed as counsel in industrial matters, administrative law, criminal law and personal injury matters,” Mr Quigley said.
“She represented the state of Western Australia and government agencies in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, now the Fair Work Commission; the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission and the Industrial Appeal Court, a division of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The AG noted Ms Smith’s contributions to the Legal Practice Board, where she has previously convened courses and lectured in constitutional law. She has also presented papers on various aspects of employment and industrial law to professional bodies, including the Law Society of Western Australia.
“Ms Smith is a member of the Australian Association of Women Judges, the International Association of Women Judges, the Council of Australasian Tribunals, the Australian Institute of Administrative Law and the Law Society of Western Australia,” Mr Quigley added.
