Login
NSW Local Court appoints 8 new magistrates
The Local Court of NSW appointed eight new magistrates to its bench, which brings a total of 150 years of legal experience to the local court.
Naomi Neilson
Attorney-General Mark Speakman said barristers Allison Hawkins and Holly Kemp, as well as solicitors Sally McLaughlin, Kevin Hockey, Lisa Viney, Jillian Kiely, Janine Lucy and Michael Love will begin in Sydney before relocating to regional courts.
The latest appointments have boosted the number of female magistrates to a record of 65. Mr Speakman said “it is pleasing to see the gender gap closing”, and noted the female appointments has now made up 46 per cent of magistrates.
Mr Love started as a clerk in the Supreme Court Criminal Registry and has spent the majority of his 30-year career working in the criminal justice system. He has worked in the NSW Ombudsman’s Office, Department of Juvenile Justice and Rural Fire Service.
Ms Viney is a managing solicitor “in charge of one of the trial groups and managing up to 30 lawyers”, and appeared “as an advocate in summary prosecution and committal matters”, according to NSW Justice Department.
Having represented clients in the Local, Children’s, District, Supreme and High Court of Australia, Ms McLaughlin has experience in “offences like murder, sexual assault, drug importation and manufacturing”. Ms Kemp has appeared on behalf of the National Rugby League in matters relating to female players charged with infringement.
Ms Kiely was most recently the acting solicitor in charge of Sutherland Office of Legal Aid NSW and has appeared regularly in the Local Court on matters ranging from drink driving to murder. Ms Hawkins has extensive experience in civil and criminal law and has appeared in cases involving murder, sexual assault and kidnapping.
After time as a former prosecutor of NSW Police Force, Mr Hockey’s practice areas of law includes criminal and family law. Ms Lacy has been a solicitor with the DPP, where she worked for more than 14 years, appearing in Local, Children’s and District Courts.
Mr Speakman said the Local Court has some of the country’s hardest working judicial officers, “who continue to deliver fast, fair and accessible judgement”.
“The Local Court is the workhorse of the legal system, dealing with 96 per cent of all matters from start-to-finish and continues to be a national leader in managing its huge workload,” Mr Speakman said.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
