Queensland Supreme Court Justice and Senior Judge Administrator Ann Lyons has announced that she will step down on August 23 after serving more than 15 years on the Bench.
Queensland’s Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman, in a just released statement, said Justice Lyons had advised the Government that she had delivered notice to the the Governor and former Queensland Chief Justice Paul de Jersey AC of her resignation as from 23 August 2021.
Ms Fentiman, in a written statement, said: “Justice Lyons is renowned for her mentorship of women within the profession, and her experience and professionalism will be greatly missed.
“I would like to thank Justice Lyons for her tireless dedication to our state’s legal profession and the judiciary. Her wisdom and wealth of experience have been an invaluable asset to the court and earned her the respect and gratitude of her colleagues.
“On behalf of the Government I express my very best wishes to Justice Lyons for her future endeavours.”
Justice Lyons’ stellar legal career began after graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Laws and being admitted as a solicitor in 1977. Her Honour was named Woman Lawyer of the Year in 2004 by the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland for her tremendous contribution to our state’s legal profession.
Justice Lyons is renowned for her mentorship of women within the profession, and her experience and professionalism will be greatly missed.
As a solicitor, her Honour practised principally in criminal law and civil litigation. Justice Lyons also served a valuable role in guiding future generations of legal professionals, having worked as both a tutor and then lecturer in constitutional law and contract law at the Queensland University of Technology’s Law School and Built Environment School during the 1980s.
Justice Lyons worked from 1987 to 1994 with the Queensland Law Society and went on to become an accredited mediator in 1993, before working as an anti-discrimination lawyer, and a legal member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunalfrom 1995-2001.
Following her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2006, her Honour has been the Criminal Listings Judge, member of the Mental Health Court (2008-11), president of the Mental Health Court (2011-14) and currently chairs a number of court committees. In 2017 her Honour was appointed Senior Judge Administrator, responsible for the effective administration of the court’s Trial Division.
Details of any proposed valedictory to celebrate Justice Lyon’s career have yet to be released.
2 Responses
Her Honour will be missed. She and I were classmates through Uni and I know that she will be retiring while she is still young enough to make a difference in the lives of others, post retirement – as has been the case with our other celebrated classmate from the same time, President (as she then was,) Margaret McMurdo.
Why are so many judges leaving the Supreme Court of QLD – Justices McMurdo, Philippides, Lyons?