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New judge appointed to WA District Court
A new judge has been appointed to the District Court of Western Australia, bringing with him two decades of legal experience.
Lauren Croft
Seamus Rafferty SC has been appointed as a judge of the District Court of Western Australia and commences his new role as of this month.
First admitted to practice in 2002 and appointed senior counsel in November last year, Rafferty has over two decades of experience as a trial advocate and as appeal counsel in the criminal law jurisdiction. Prior to joining the District Court, he was an independent barrister at Geoffrey Miller Chambers, appearing as counsel in numerous criminal proceedings.
Rafferty also previously led a private legal firm for more than 13 years, in addition to serving as a state prosecutor at Western Australia’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from 2002 to 2009, prosecuting serious offences in the supreme and district courts.
West Australian Attorney-General John Quigley congratulated Rafferty on his new appointment.
“Mr Rafferty is highly regarded in the legal profession and eminently qualified to continue his distinguished career in the judiciary. He has acquired deep knowledge and extensive expertise in criminal law across more than 20 years, having worked as counsel on a multitude of complex criminal cases,” he said.
“Mr Rafferty was also a former chairperson of the Liquor Commission of WA and former member of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal. His addition to the District Court bench will help it continue to effectively manage the workload.”
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.
