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Victorian County Court receives 6 new judges
As part of the Victorian government’s $210 million investment to speed up resolution of court matters, six new appointments have been made in the County Court.
Naomi Neilson
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes announced the six new appointments, including early replacement of four judges. The County Court will soon welcome Stewart Bayles, Angela Ellis, Kate Hawkins, Daniel Holding and Nola Karapanagiotidis.
New appointee Mr Bayles has been a barrister for more than two decades, having regularly appeared in matters involving homicide, terrorism, major drug importation and commercial crime. He is currently lead counsel in Victoria Legal Aid’s Trial Development Program and has contributed to the training of young lawyers.
Ms Blair currently operates as a senior criminal barrister out of Gorman Chambers. Her career spans three decades, including 11 as a solicitor advocate. For the last 19 years, Ms Blair has appeared in criminal law matters across all jurisdictions.
New judge Ms Ellis has been a Crown prosecutor since 2018 where she has prosecuted serious indictable offences. It follows 13 years as a barrister during which she regularly appeared on behalf of the Office of Public Prosecutions, Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and WorkSafe Victoria.
Ms Hawkins will bring her 20 years as a magistrate to the role. During her last role, Ms Hawkins was the inaugural member of the Online Magistrates’ Court established during the pandemic and has led the Magistrates’ Court’s submissions to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and implementation of its recommendations.
Having completed 100 jury trials in the County and Supreme Courts, Mr Holding will bring extensive experience into his new role. He has regularly acted on behalf of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in complex federal cases, including on international drug trafficking, immigration fraud and forced labour offences.
Finally, Ms Karapanagiotidis has been a barrister for close to two decades, practising across the Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts and appearing in the Federal Court, High Court and coronial inquests. She previously worked at Victoria Legal Aid and as a solicitor advocate with a wide range of volunteer legal positions.
Ms Symes also commented on the outgoing judges: “I thank retiring judicial officers Judge Damian Murphy and Judge Paul Lacava as well as Judge John Smallwood, who will retire in September, for their significant service to the court and community.”
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
