Karen Fryar | |
|---|---|
| Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory | |
| In office 6 September 1993 –8 March 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 March 1956 |
| Alma mater | Australian National University |
| Occupation | Jurist |
Karen Fryar AM (born 8 March 1956) is a former Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory. She was sworn in as a Magistrate on 6 September 1993. [1] [2] She retired on 8 March 2019. [2]
She is the first woman to be appointed as a magistrate in the Australian Capital Territory and also the first woman to be appointed as a judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory. [2]
Fryar was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1956. [3] She attended Albury High School. [3]
She studied law and Japanese at the Australian National University. [4]
Fryar worked as a solicitor after leaving university. [4] She later worked in the public service at the Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office, the Attorney-General's Department and the Legal Aid Commission. [3] [4]
In 1993, Fryar was appointed as a magistrate and became the first female judicial officer in the Australian Capital Territory. [2]
She became the co-ordinating magistrate of the Family Violence List and developed the Family Violence Practice Direction. [3] [4]
She was awarded the ACT International Women's Day Women's Award in 2008. [3]
In 2010, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia 'for service to the community of the Australian Capital Territory as a magistrate and through contributions to the prevention of family violence'. [4]
She has a husband and children. [2]
