- Attorney General welcomes appointment of new Solicitor-General
- Jean Shaw SC becomes first woman appointed as Solicitor-General of Western Australia
- Ms Shaw brings strong background in public law after 23 years at the State Solicitor's Office
Jean Shaw SC has been appointed Solicitor-General of Western Australia.
She becomes the first woman to hold the office of Solicitor-General after being the first woman to serve as State Counsel with the State Solicitor's Office (SSO).
Admitted to practice in 2005, her career at the SSO spanned 23 years.
Ms Shaw's SSO roles included acting State Counsel, Adviser to the State Counsel, and Senior Assistant State Counsel.
She was appointed State Counsel in November 2024.
As State Counsel and in her other roles, she appeared as counsel on complex matters for the State across all courts. This included appearing in the successful High Court defence of constitutional challenges to the Iron Ore Processing (Mineralogy Pty Ltd) Agreement Amendment Act 2020.
She led and was a senior member of the SSO's counsel section, which includes the high-risk serious offenders and criminal law (mental impairment) team.
Ms Shaw also contributed to the management and legal leadership of the SSO and, since 2023, has been the SSO's nominated Commissioner on the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia.
She also spent several years as an adviser, solicitor, and counsel in the SSO's policy and public law section as well as working extensively in the public law space.
Her counsel practice involved trials, appeals, judicial review hearings, mediations, inquests, and pre-trial hearings.
Ms Shaw also provided government with high-level legal advice in areas including environmental, administrative, constitutional and criminal law, education and care services, and Corruption and Crime Commission matters.
She was appointed a Senior Counsel in 2024 and will start in her new role on 5 January 2026.
As stated by Attorney General Dr Tony Buti:
"I congratulate Jean Shaw SC on being appointed Solicitor-General of Western Australia.
"Ms Shaw performed with distinction at the State Solicitor's Office where she advised government on complex issues across a wide range of matters.
"Her work with the Premier, the Attorney General, other Ministers, various departments, statutory authorities, and Commissioners makes her eminently qualified to serve as Solicitor-General.
"The appointment of Ms Jean Shaw SC as the first woman to the role of Solicitor-General of Western Australia marks a significant milestone in the State's legal history.
"Ms Shaw's distinguished career and depth of expertise in public law ensure she is exceptionally well qualified to assume this important, constitutional role."
