Login
Justice Philip McMurdo to step down from Qld Supreme Court
His Honour Philip McMurdo is set to retire in 2023 from the Supreme Court of Queensland, with the state’s A-G lauding his “visible legacy”.
Jerome Doraisamy
In a statement, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman acknowledged the “valuable contribution” made by Justice Phillip McMurdo to the state’s justice system, noting that His Honour had “demonstrated a life-long commitment to the law, the profession and educating the next generation of practitioners in a career spanning more than 45 years, including nearly two decades on the bench”.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
“His Honour has been a strong defender of the courts and judicial independence and is acknowledged as being collegiate and of the utmost integrity and honesty among his fellow judges and the wider legal profession,” Ms Fentiman said.
“Appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 27 February 2003, His Honour brought his vast courtroom experience to the bench.
“His Honour was in charge of the court’s Supervised Case List from 2003 to 2007, then sat on Commercial List matters as well as hearing criminal and other civil cases until his appointment to the Court of Appeal in 2015.
“His Honour’s elevation to the appellate court created Queensland legal history. With his wife Margaret serving as president of that court, they became the first married couple to simultaneously hold commissions in the jurisdiction at the same time, though they never sat on the same matter to avoid any apprehension of bias.”
McMurdo J was admitted as a solicitor in 1977, before being called to the bar.
“In private practice, His Honour was a busy and successful counsel, specialising in commercial work, administrative and intellectual property law,” Ms Fentiman said.
“He handled some of the most difficult and complex briefs, and his expertise was recognised in 1992 when he was appointed Queen’s counsel.
“During his time at the bar, His Honour served as a member of the Bar Council, was a director of Barristers Chambers Limited and lectured in law part-time at the Queensland University of Technology.
“He was also a member of the Supreme Court Library Committee from 1998 to 2003, before becoming chair of the committee when at the bench in 2019.”
His Honour leaves a “visible legacy”.
“Legal minds of the calibre of Justice McMurdo enhance the community’s confidence in our legal system, and I thank him on behalf of all Queenslanders for his dedication to helping them obtain access to justice,” she said.
Justice McMurdo will officially retire on 8 April 2023.
