Michael Sexton, SC (Born 24 September 1946) is the current Solicitor General for New South Wales, having served in the office since 1998. [1] After graduating from the University of Melbourne and University of Virginia, Sexton worked as an academic lawyer before joining the New South Wales Bar in 1984. [2] [3] He is the author of Australian Defamation Law and Practice, and On the Edges of History: A Memoir of Law, Book and Politics in addition to books on Australian history. [2] Sexton is married with one child. [4]
Michael Sexton | |
---|---|
Solicitor General for New South Wales | |
Assumed office 1998 | |
Appointed by | Governor of New South Wales |
Preceded by | Leslie Katz |
Personal details | |
Alma mater | University of Melbourne,University of Virginia |
Sexton was born in 1946 in Melbourne,and spent his childhood in Surrey Hills. After secondary school,Sexton studied law at the University of Melbourne,from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1969. [4]
After his studies,Sexton then worked at the High Court of Australia,where he was an Associate to judge Sir Edward McTiernan for one year at the Court,and then for a further six months in London where McTiernan sat on the Judicial committee of the Privy Council. Sexton describes his time at the Court as one which allowed him to "[see] the best advocates in every jurisdiction...[the] experience [gave me] an idea of the best of the law and the sort of standards that [one tries to aim] for in future years". [5] Following his time at the Court,Sexton attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Master of Laws. [4]
Sexton then worked for the Attorney-General,and in 1976 became a lecturer at the University of New South Wales,eventually becoming a senior lecturer. [3]
Sexton was called to the Bar in 1984 when he was thirty eight years old. [4] In 1998,Sexton was appointed Senior Counsel.
Appointed Solicitor-General in 1998 by the Carr government,Sexton is second to the Attorney-General in the hierarchy of New South Wales law officers,meaning he is the chief legal adviser to the government of the day,arguing cases in court on behalf of the state. [4]
Sexton was previously active in the Australian Labor Party,where in 1982 he ran for preselection in the now abolished federal seat of Phillip,east of Sydney. Sexton "knew [he could not] win that ballot" but does not regret the attempt. [4] He ceased being active in the party in 1990,and provided advice to then Premier of New South Wales Bob Carr,whose government eventually appointed him Solicitor-General. [4]
Sexton has a wife,Gae,with whom he shares a son named Jack. [4]
Mary Genevieve Gaudron,is an Australian lawyer and judge,who was the first female Justice of the High Court of Australia. She was the Solicitor-General of New South Wales from 1981 until 1987 before her appointment to the High Court. After her retirement in 2002,she joined the International Labour Organization,serving as the President of its Administrative Tribunal from 2011 until 2014.
William Montague Charles Gummow is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia,the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. He was appointed to the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong on 8 April 2013 as a non-permanent judge from other common law jurisdictions.
John Dyson Heydon is a former Australian judge and barrister who served on the High Court of Australia from 2003 to 2013 and the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 2000 to 2003,and previously served as Dean of the Sydney Law School. He retired from the bench at the constitutionally-mandated age of 70 and went on to chair the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption between 2014 and 2015.
Sir Daryl Michael Dawson,is a former Australian judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1982 to 1997. Before being appointed to the High Court,he served for periods as a legal officer in the Royal Australian Navy and as Solicitor-General of Victoria.
Sir Owen Dixon was an Australian judge and diplomat who served as the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A judge of the High Court for thirty-five years,Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the English-speaking world and is widely regarded as Australia's greatest-ever jurist.
Sir Edward Aloysius McTiernan,KBE,was an Australian lawyer,politician,and judge. He served on the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1976,the longest-serving judge in the court's history.
Gordon Jacob Samuels,was a British-Australian lawyer and judge who served as the 36th Governor of New South Wales from 1996 to 2001.
Albert Bathurst Piddington KC was an Australian lawyer,politician and judge. He was a member of the High Court of Australia for one month in 1913,making him the shortest-serving judge in the court's history.
Sir Frank Walters Kitto,,Australian judge,was a Justice of the High Court of Australia.
Sir Alan Russell Taylor KBE QC was an Australian judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1952 until his death in 1969.
Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton,Victoria,Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school,and offers J.D.,LL.M,Ph.D,and LL.D degrees. In 2021–22,THE World University Rankings ranked the law school as 5th best in the world and first both in Australia and Asia-Pacific.
Ronald Sackville is the Chair of the Royal Commission into Violence,Abuse,Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. He is a former acting judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and also a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
Keith Mason,is a former President of the Court of Appeal of New South Wales,the highest civil court in the State of New South Wales,Australia,which forms part of the Australian court hierarchy,serving between 1997 and 30 May 2008.
Virginia Margaret Bell is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia,the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. She was sworn in on 3 February 2009,and retired on 28 February 2021.
Sir Percy Ernest Joske,CMG QC was an Australian lawyer,politician and judge. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1951 to 1960,representing the Liberal Party. He subsequently served on the Commonwealth Industrial Court from 1960 to 1977,as well as on the supreme courts of the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. He was a prolific author of legal textbooks.
George John Williams is an Australian academic specialising in Australian constitutional law and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Planning and Assurance at the University of New South Wales. He was formerly the Dean of the Law Faculty.
Thomas Frederick Bathurst,is an England-born Australian jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1 June 2011 to 5 March 2022. He has served as Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales from 1 February 2012 to 5 December 2022.
Stephen John Gageler is a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He was previously a barrister based in Sydney and the Solicitor-General of Australia,the Commonwealth's second-ranking law officer.
Peter Garling,RFD is an Australian judge,a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales,the highest court in the state of New South Wales.
John Garland was a Scottish-born Australian politician.