This event is now sold out. If you would like to join the waiting list please email us at contact@wlaact.org.au
Did you know that women make up less than 10% of barristers at the ACT Bar? Have you thought about going to the Bar one day?
Come along to our informal information evening at 5:15pm for a 5:30pm start and hear from members of the ACT Bar about the realities and rewards of a career at the Bar.
Chief Justice Murrell and Justice Loukas-Karlsson will also speak about their experience at the Bar prior to joining the ACT Bench.
This event is jointly presented by the Women Lawyers Association ACT and the ACT Bar Association, and proudly sponsored by Key Chambers.
This event is free for WLA ACT members and $15 for non-members.
Please note that all of WLA ACT's events are child friendly.
Justice Helen Gay Murrell
On 28 October 2013, Helen Gay Murrell was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory.
Her Honour was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW in 1977.
From 1977 to 1981 her Honour practised at the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor’s Office and NSW Legal Aid Commission. In 1981 to 1996 her Honour practised as a Barrister and practised criminal law, administrative law, environmental law, common law and equity. From 1994 to 1996 her Honour was the first Environmental Counsel for the NSW Environment Protection Authority. In 1995 her Honour was appointed Senior Counsel in NSW.
From 1996 to 2013 her Honour was appointed as a Judge of the District Court of NSW. In 1996 her Honour was also an Acting Judge in the Land and Environment Court of NSW and from 1997 to 1999 was President of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal of NSW. At the same time her Honour was Deputy President of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal of NSW, Head of the Equal Opportunity Division. From 1998 to 2003 her Honour was the first Senior Judge of the Drug Court of NSW. In 1999 her Honour was a member of the United Nations Expert Working Group on Drug Courts, Vienna.
Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court of the ACT, her Honour was Deputy Chairperson of the NSW Medical Tribunal from 2005-2013.
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson
On 26 March 2018, Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.
Her Honour was admitted as a solicitor in 1985 and worked for the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Department of Industrial Relations and the Legal Aid Commission prior to being called to the New South Wales Bar in December 1989. Her Honour was appointed Public Defender in 1995 and took silk in 2012. In addition, her Honour was appointed as Acting Crown Prosecutor in 1996.
Her Honour held part time positions as Acting District Court Judge in 1996 and as a Judicial Member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal between 1997 and 2003. From 2003 to 2006, her Honour was counsel before the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in
The Hague.
Her Honour was a Bar Council Member in the New South Wales Bar Association from 1991 to 2003, 2007 to 2012, 2014 and 2016 to 2018. Her Honour was elected to the executive of the New South Wales Bar Council in 2015 and elected Junior Vice President of the New South Wales Bar in 2017. Her Honour was awarded the Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award in 2002 by the Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales, the Senior Barrister Award in 2013 at the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards in Melbourne and Barrister of the Year in 2017 by the Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales.
Ken Archer
Ken Archer is a senior member of the ACT Bar and President of the ACT Bar Association since May 2016.
Prior to coming to the Bar in 2003 he was the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, having acted as a prosecutor for over 15 years. As a barrister, Ken has developed a busy practice in criminal defence work including in the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Ken also specialises in tribunal and coronial work. Ken is Treasurer of the Australian Bar Association and also a Director of the Law Council of Australia
Please note, this is a free event for Members, but when registering the form will ask for credit card details. You do not need to enter your credit card details, the only required details are your name, email address, and postal details.