The Law Council of Australia has welcomed the appointment of Mr Stewart Anderson QC and Ms Wendy Abraham QC as judges of the Federal Court of Australia.
President of the Law Council, Arthur Moses SC, said today's appointments were timely and will provide the Federal Court with valuable expertise and resources.
"These appointments come at an important time following the Government's announcement of its proposal to expand the Federal Court's jurisdiction to include corporate crime. They will also assist the court to manage an anticipated increase in cases following enforcement action by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission," Mr Moses said.
"Mr Anderson and Ms Abraham are respected counsel and will be valuable additions to the Bench. The Law Council thanks Commonwealth Attorney-General Christian Porter for these quality appointments and for listening to the concerns of the profession in equipping the court with much-needed resources to support its important and expanding work.
"Mr Anderson is a commercial law specialist and has practiced at the Bar for more than thirty years with particular expertise in corporations law, banking and finance, superannuation, property, contracts, equity and trusts."
Mr Anderson will commence in the Court's Melbourne registry on 6 May 2019.
"Ms Abraham is a highly regarded advocate with extensive experience in the criminal law jurisdiction. Her impressive national practice has focused primarily on criminal appellate casework in the High Court of Australia and intermediate appellate courts," Mr Moses said.
"Ms Abraham was retained by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions as full-time national appellate counsel from 2005 to 2009. She appeared in numerous High Court cases of significant importance, including appearing for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in R v Tang (2008) 237 CLR 1, being the first conviction of a slavery offence in Australia.
"Ms Abraham's knowledge and expertise will contribute to the significant regulatory and criminal jurisdictions of the Federal Court."
Ms Abraham will commence in the Sydney registry on 7 May 2019. "The Law Council congratulates Mr Anderson and Ms Abraham on their appointments and wishes them both well," Mr Moses said.
"Their respective skillsets and experience will be an asset to the Federal Court and the legal profession looks forward to the contributions they will make to the Court and to the community."
