Famous Australian Lawyers

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 1 
Julie Bishop
(Jurist, Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer)
Julie Bishop
4
Birthdate: July 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lobethal

Julie Bishop is an Australian former politician who once served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. For several years, she was the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. She studied law at the University of Adelaide and worked as a commercial lawyer before venturing into politics. In 2020, she became the first woman chancellor of the Australian National University.  

 2 
Bill Shorten
(Politician, Lawyer, Trade unionist)
Bill Shorten
5
Birthdate: May 12, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Melbourne

Bill Shorten is an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 2013 to 2019. He was also the Leader of the Opposition during this period. He is considered a senior figure in the right faction of the Labor Party. He studied law at Monash University and pursued a legal career before joining politics. 

 3 
Waleed Aly
(Radio personality, Television presenter, Lawyer, Songwriter)
Waleed Aly
5
Birthdate: August 15, 1978
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne

Waleed Aly is an Australian writer, lawyer, and TV personality. He completed his International Baccalaureate from Wesley College and furthered his education at the University of Melbourne. Besides pursuing a legal career, he also hosts several popular programs on TV and radio. He is married to  feminist author and academic Susan Carland.

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 4 
Quentin Bryce
(Teacher, Lawyer)
Quentin Bryce
3
Birthdate: December 23, 1942
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brisbane

Quentin Bryce is an Australian academic and politician. She served as the 25th Governor-General of Australia from 2008 to 2014 and is the first woman to have held the position. She attended the University of Queensland, where she studied law and became one of the first women accepted to the Queensland Bar. Following a legal career, she entered politics. 

 5 
Gina Liano
(Australian Reality Star and Businesswomen)
Gina Liano
4
Birthdate: May 18, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Australia
 6 
Andrew Peacock
(Diplomat, Politician, Lawyer)
Andrew Peacock
3
Birthdate: February 13, 1939
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Melbourne

Andrew Peacock was an Australian politician and diplomat who became the leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions. He studied law at the University of Melbourne and ventured into politics while simultaneously practicing law. He was appointed to cabinet in 1969 and held a variety of portfolios, including that of the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1980. 

 7 
Peter Costello
(Economist, Politician, Lawyer, Investment banker)
Peter Costello
3
Birthdate: August 14, 1957
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne

Peter Costello is an Australian former politician and lawyer. From 1996 to 2007, Costello served as the Treasurer of Australia, becoming the longest-serving Australian Treasurer in history. Costello had an illustrious political career; from 1990 to 2009 he was an important member of the House of Representatives and from 1994 to 2007, he served as the Liberal Party's Deputy Leader.

 8 
Robert Holmes à Court
(Australia’s First Billionaire and One of the World's Most Feared Corporate Raiders through the 1980s)
Robert Holmes à Court
2
Birthdate: July 27, 1937
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Died: September 2, 1990

The Great Acquirer, Robert Holmes à Court was Australia’s first billionaire. The South African-born later studied forestry in New Zealand, before moving to Australia to study law. He proved his business acumen by using a loss-making AWM as a tool to acquire Bell Brothers, and turning it into Bell Group Ltd.

 9 
Michael Kirby
(lawyer, Judge, Jurist-consultant, Solicitor)
Michael Kirby
3
Birthdate: March 18, 1939
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Sydney

Michael Kirby is an Australian jurist and academic. He was the Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1996 to 2009. He has also served on the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and the CSIRO. After retirement, he was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to lead an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea.  

 10 
Eric Abetz
(Lawyer, Politician)
Eric Abetz
2
Birthdate: January 25, 1958
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Stuttgart

Eric Abetz is an Australian politician. He has been serving as a senator for Tasmania since February 1994. He represents the Liberal Party and has been the Minister for Employment and the Leader of the Government in the past. He was a barrister and solicitor before entering politics. He has been accused of sexist behavior by politician Sue Hickey. 

 11 
George Brandis
(Australian Politician and Lawyer)
George Brandis
3
Birthdate: June 22, 1957
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
 12 
Glenn McMillan
(Actor and Lawyer best known internationally as Dustin)
Glenn McMillan
2
Birthdate: October 5, 1984
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 13 
H. V. Evatt
(Former Justice of the High Court of Australia (1930 - 1940))
H. V. Evatt
2
Birthdate: April 30, 1894
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: East Maitland, Australia
Died: November 2, 1965

H. V. Evatt was an Australian politician and judge who served as a judge of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940. He was appointed the attorney-general in 1941. He was also active in politics and was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the Opposition from 1951 to 1960. 

 14 
Robert French
(12th Chief Justice of Australia)
Robert French
2
Birthdate: March 19, 1947
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Perth, Australia

Robert French is a prominent Australian lawyer and judge. He served as the twelfth Chief Justice of Australia from 2008 to 2017. He was appointed to the Federal Court in 1986 and was soon elevated to the High Court. After stepping down as the Chief Justice, he was appointed as the chancellor of the University of Western Australia. 

 15 
Nick Farr-Jones
(Former Australian Rugby Union Footballer)
Nick Farr-Jones
2
Birthdate: April 18, 1962
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia
 16 
Julian Burnside
(Lawyer)
Julian Burnside
0
Birthdate: June 9, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Apart from being a successful barrister, Melbourne-based Julian Burnside, now a Living National Treasure, is also a famed human rights activist. A lover of the arts, he is a passionate collector of paintings and sculptures and has also chaired Chamber Music Australia. An author too, he has penned a children’s book.

 17 
Wayne Goss
(Politician, Lawyer)
Wayne Goss
0
Birthdate: February 26, 1951
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mundubbera, Australia
Died: November 10, 2014

Wayne Goss was an Australian politician cum lawyer who served as the  Premier of Queensland from 1989 to 1996. He was a member of the Labour Party. He worked as a solicitor before entering politics and was a key figure in the civil liberties fight against the Bjelke-Petersen Government. He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001. 

 18 
Mick Dodson
(Australian Barrister, Academic, and Member of the 'Yawuru People')
Mick Dodson
1
Birthdate: April 10, 1950
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Katherine, Australia

Mick Dodson is an Aboriginal Australian barrister and academic. He is a member of the Yawuru people of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1974, he became the first Indigenous person to graduate with a law degree in Australia. He has worked as a criminal solicitor and is a legal adviser in native title and human rights. 

 19 
Garfield Barwick
(Former 7th Chief Justice of Australia (1964 - 1981), Attorney-General of Australia (1958 - 1964))
Garfield Barwick
1
Birthdate: June 22, 1903
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died: July 13, 1997

Garfield Barwick was an Australian judge remembered as the longest-serving Chief Justice of Australia. As the head of the high court, Barwick made important decisions on several constitutional cases, including cases pertaining to the constitutional basis of taxation. Barwick, who held the office from 1964 to 1981, also served as a minister from 1958 to 1964 in the Menzies Government. 

 20 
Gerard Brennan
(10th Chief Justice of Australia)
Gerard Brennan
0
Birthdate: May 22, 1928
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
 21 
Roma Mitchell
(Lawyer)
Roma Mitchell
1
Birthdate: October 2, 1913
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Died: March 5, 2000

Roma Mitchell was an Australian lawyer and judge. She became the first woman to hold a number of positions in Australia, including the country’s first female judge. She was also the first woman to be a Queen's Counsel and the governor of an Australian state. She was a pioneer of the Australian women's rights movement as well.

 22 
Mark Weinberg
(Judge of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Victoria)
Mark Weinberg
0
Birthdate: May 13, 1948
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Trelleborg, Sweden
 23 
Jon Stanhope
(5th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory)
Jon Stanhope
1
Birthdate: April 29, 1951
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Gundagai, Australia

Jon Stanhope is an Australian former politician who served as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister from 2001 to 2011. During his time in office as ACT chief minister, Stanhope came up with the Human Rights Act 2004, which established newly held human rights.

 24 
John Toohey
(Judge, Lawyer)
John Toohey
0
Birthdate: March 4, 1930
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Western Australia
Died: April 9, 2015
 25 
Rowan Downing
(Judge, Barrister)
Rowan Downing
0
Birthdate: November 20, 1952
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Unknown