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2 new Qld District Court judges appointed
The District Court of Queensland has welcomed two new judges, both of whom are senior legal figures in the state.
Lauren Croft
Current Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) deputy director Philip McCarthy KC has been appointed as District Court judge, and Southport-based Magistrate Dzenita Balic has also been elevated to District Court judge.
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McCarthy KC and Balic both commence their formal appointments today (26 August) and bring decades of legal experience to the court.
McCarthy KC was first called to the Bar in 1997 and was appointed as the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions with the Office of the ODPP in 2021 after being appointed as King’s counsel in December 2019.
He has conducted more than 100 appeals in the Queensland Court of Appeal and appeared as lead counsel in 10 special leave applications in the High Court of Australia. He has also been a member of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce, the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council and a member of the Forensic Services Queensland Interim Advisory Board.
Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Magistrate Balic arrived in Australia as a refugee and was first called to the Bar in 2006 and moved through the ODPP ranks to become the principal Crown prosecutor at Ipswich, Maroochydore and Brisbane.
Her Honour has prosecuted more than 150 criminal trials to verdict and more than 120 appeals in the Court of Appeal. She was appointed to the Magistrates Court Bench in 2022, sitting in Southport.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Yvette D’Ath congratulated the two on their “well-deserved appointments”.
“It is pleasing to see two individuals who have been such significant contributors to the legal profession and the community stepping into such important positions. Both possess significant experience as Crown prosecutors and have appeared in the higher courts on complex and significant proceedings, including the most serious of criminal offences,” she said.
“Their appointments to the District Court are a reflection of their considerable expertise in, and passion for, the law and justice in Queensland. I am confident they will be great assets to the ranks of our Queensland judges.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
