The Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC MP announced on 27 September 2024 the appointment of Ms Lisa Doust and Ms Vanessa-Jane Leishman as Judges of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) (Division 2).
Judge Doust has been appointed to the Sydney registry of the Court and Judge Leishman has been appointed to the Canberra registry. Both appointments will commence on 14 October 2024.
The Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2), the Honourable William Alstergren AO, said that the appointments of Judges Doust and Leishman are warmly welcomed.
"Judge Doust comes to the Court with a wealth of experience across many areas of civil law, including administrative, commercial, employment and human rights law, and will no doubt prove an exceptional addition to the bench."
"Judge Leishman's depth of experience in family law and specialist knowledge of family and domestic violence law will be a welcome addition to the Court."
"On behalf of the Court, I am delighted to welcome Judge Doust and Judge Leishman to the Bench. Their Honours will play a critical part in the Court's commitment to providing access to justice to the people of Australia, and importantly, to the communities living in Sydney and the ACT" the Chief Justice said.
Biographical details:
Ms Lisa Doust received her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of NSW in 1993 and was admitted to practice in the same year. Ms Doust worked as a Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn from 2004 to 2008, and was called to the NSW Bar in 2008. Ms Doust has practiced in areas such as administrative and public law, employment and industrial law, commercial law, civil and human rights and workplace health and safety. Ms Doust has also been a member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the NSW Bar since 2018. Ms Doust has been appointed to the Sydney William St Registry.
Ms Vanessa-Jane Leishman was awarded a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in 1993 from Auckland University and a Master of Applied Law (Family Law) in 2012. She was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1994. Ms Leishman has been Principal at Leishman Legal and Director at Leishman Legal (NZ) since 2014. Prior to this, Ms Leishman was special counsel and Head of the Family Law Team At Thynne & Macartney from 2011 to 2014. Ms Leishman was admitted as a legal practitioner to the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia in 2011. Ms Leishman has been appointed to the Canberra Registry.
