- Two barristers named new Judges of the District Court of Western Australia
- Darren Renton SC brings to the position extensive criminal law trial expertise
- Hayley Cormann comes to the role with a strong background in litigation
Attorney General John Quigley has appointed Darren Renton SC and barrister Hayley Cormann as new Judges of the District Court of Western Australia.
The pair fill the two vacant positions created by a resignation and the appointment of a District Court Judge to the Supreme Court. They will commence their new roles on 20 January 2025.
Admitted to practice in 1994, Mr Renton is a Federal and State criminal law specialist with more than 25 years of trial and appellate experience.
Prior to joining the Bar in 2010, he served as an in-house counsel and as a principal legal officer for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) for about a decade.
He conducted numerous complex trials and appeals during his time at the CDPP involving drug importation and trafficking, fraud, terrorism, cybercrime and other serious Federal offences.
As a barrister, Mr Renton conducted a host of trials and appeals in Commonwealth and State cases for defence and prosecution briefs.
These included drug importation, trafficking and manufacturing, terrorism and national security, cybercrime, murder, competition cartels, corruption, white-collar crime, stealing and fraud.
Mr Renton also made numerous appearances before the Corruption and Crime Commission as both counsel assisting and on behalf of those appearing.
He was appointed as a Senior Counsel in October 2021 and has been recognised as a leading, recommended or pre-eminent WA criminal law barrister in the Doyle's Guide. Mr Renton has also served on a range of boards and committees, including with the Australian Bar Association and the Law Society of Western Australia.
Only four years after her admission to practice in 2007, Ms Cormann became a senior associate at one of Australia's largest law firms.
She worked there for 13 years primarily as a lawyer in commercial, professional negligence and healthcare law litigation as well as in disciplinary proceedings brought by regulatory bodies.
Ms Cormann specialised in common law claims of negligence in the health and medico-legal sectors and was also involved in the conduct of large-scale commercial litigation disputes.
Between 2012 and 2015, Ms Cormann served as a Council member of the Law Society of Western Australia. Ms Cormann also served as Treasurer (2015), Senior Vice President (2017) and President (2018) of the Law Society.
She joined the Bar in 2019 and in the intervening period practised across a range of general commercial and insurance disputes and personal injury and professional negligence claims.
Ms Cormann has delivered legal education to solicitors and barristers and, from 2020 to 2022, served as a director of the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation. Ms Cormann has also served as a member of the WA Bar Association's Bar Council since 2023.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"I am pleased Darren Renton SC and Hayley Cormann have decided to swap their barristers' robes for Judges' robes to preside in the District Court of Western Australia.
"Both are highly respected in the legal profession and have worked on complex matters across multiple jurisdictions with distinction over their careers.
"Mr Renton is recognised as an expert in criminal law and Ms Cormann for general commercial litigation and the defence of professional negligence claims against medical practitioners.
"Ms Cormann is also a former president and vice-president of the Law Society of WA and since 2023, Mr Renton has been Chair of the Australian Bar Association's criminal law committee.
"Their intimate knowledge of the court system will help enhance the District Court's capacity to manage a substantial caseload in a timely fashion. I wish them well."
