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2 silks appointed to Federal Court bench, partner named as FCFCOA judge
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has named two senior counsel as judges of the Federal Court of Australia, while a firm partner has been appointed as a judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA).
Jerome Doraisamy
Jane Needham SC (pictured) and Stephen McDonald SC have been appointed as Federal Court judges and will serve in the NSW and South Australian registries, respectively.
Needham – who was called to the Bar in 1990 and took silk in 2003 – will start her role on 5 July, while McDonald – who was called to the Bar in 2011 and became a senior counsel in 2020 – will commence on 8 July.
Elsewhere, Rostron Carlyle Rojas Lawyers partner Tuskeen Jacobs has been appointed to the Brisbane Registry of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2).
Jacobs has served as a partner at the Brisbane-based firm for nearly 13 years and serves as the head of the firm’s family law practice.
FCFCOA Chief Justice William Alstergren said: “Ms Jacobs is a highly experienced solicitor who has worked exclusively in family law throughout her career.
“Her reputation as an incredibly capable lawyer with a professional and pragmatic approach to helping separating families resolve their disputes will be a very welcome addition to the court.”
She will start her new role on 8 July.
In a statement, A-G Dreyfus said: “On behalf of the Australian government, I congratulate Ms Needham, Mr McDonald and Ms Jacobs on their appointments and thank them for their willingness to serve the people of Australia as judges of the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2), respectively.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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