Victoria Appoints new County Court Judge and SA Appoints Judicial Watchdog
Wednesday 28 September 2016 @ 11.05 a.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure
The South Australian Government has seen the appointment of its first Judicial Conduct Commissioner. The former Federal Court judge Bruce Lander QC has assumed the role as the SA judicial watchdog as an avenue for serious complaints against judicial officers. Meanwhile, in Victoria, Samantha Marks QC has been appointed as a judge of the County Court.
South Australian Judicial Watchdog
South Australia legislated to institute the judicial watchdog role as a formal, independent mechanism to address “substantial complaints made against judicial officers, such as judges and magistrates”. Essentially, the Commissioner will have the power to report very serious matters to parliament that may lead to the suspension or expulsion of a judicial officer.
South Australian Attorney General John Rau has said that he is committed to making the justice system more transparent. The appointment of Mr Landers, he said, would create more transparency for the state justice system. Mr Lander has had a rich legal career and has served previously as the State’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption and will serve both positions concurrently until 1 September 2020.
Victorian County Court
Ms Marks was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1989 and has since led a rich legal career. She was most recently appointed Queen’s Council in 2014 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role of County Court Judge according to Victorian Attorney General Martin Pakula.
Ms Marks' experience in commercial law includes banking and finance, contracts, corporations law, equity, insolvency, insurance, trade practices, securities and managed investment schemes. She has also acted in a series of cases stemming from all legal practices ranging from intellectual property, discrimination, employment, family law and probate matters.
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