The Family Court of Australia (FCoA) and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (FCC) are delighted with today's announcement to appoint Judge Tom Altobelli to the FCoA and Ms Kylie Beckhouse as a judge to the FCC.
Judge Altobelli has been a FCC judge in NSW since November 2006. This appointment will see his Honour elevated to the FCoA, commencing 23 November 2020. His Honour has a long and distinguished career in the law, a Masters of Law at the University of Sydney and a Doctorate in Juridical Science. He has been a past member of the executive of the Family Law Section of the LCA, a former family law solicitor including as a partner in his own firm and a special counsel at Watts McCray Lawyers. His Honour has been managing a large docket of cases in both the Sydney and Wollongong registries.
Ms Kylie Beckhouse is currently the Director of Family Law with NSW Legal Aid and is a highly regarded family law practitioner. Ms Beckhouse commences with the FCC on 30 November 2020. Ms Beckhouse was the NSW Women's lawyer of the Year in 2017, awarded a Churchill Fellowship medal in 2015 and is a past member of the Family Law Council and the NSW Children's Court Advocacy Committee. Ms Beckhouse is currently leading one of Australia's largest family law practices and family dispute resolution services.
Chief Justice Alstergren congratulated each of the new judges and said the Courts were delighted at these new appointments. His honour said the appointments come at a critical time for the Courts as they implement a significant number of reforms and initiatives aimed at reducing delays and enhancing risk assessment in family law matters.
"Now, perhaps more so than ever before, the Courts are determined to continue to focus on reducing delays and placing significant priority on the health and safety of families involved in parenting disputes.
"The appointment of such incredibly well respected and highly skilled family law practitioners further compliments the current cohort of outstanding and dedicated judges of the FCoA and FCC.
"The judges of our Courts are some of the most hard-working judges in Australia and these appointments are a very welcome addition to the bench," Chief Justice Alstergren said.
