A valedictory ceremony to honour Queensland Supreme Court Justice and Senior Court Administrator Ann Lyons has been scheduled for Friday 20 August.
The ceremony will recognise more than 15 years of judicial leadership that Justice Lyons has given to Queensland and almost 45 years of dedicated service to the legal profession since being sworn-in a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 2 February 1977.
Legal practitioners and members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony in person or via livestream to celebrate Justice Lyons’ retirement. It will be held in the QEII Courts of Law’s ceremonial Banco Court, in George St, at 9.15am.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, invited guests are expected to be seated in the Banco Court prior to the ceremony. Members of the legal profession and public are also invited to attend, but will be required to view the ceremony via live video feeds into Courts 3 and 4 (on Level 3) once the Banco Court reaches capacity.
Attendees will be required to check in using QR codes in the foyer of the QEII Courts of Law Building upon entry, or by physically recording their details on forms provided.
A Pexip conference stream will be available for the ceremony for anyone who cannot attend in person, and will be available on PC in the Google Chrome browser at: https://my.cvjoin.com.au/meet/78231729
The stream can also be joined via the Pexip (My meeting video) app on mobile/tablet device by joining conference number 78231729.
This conference will receive a 1-way stream from the ceremony court, however Pexip conference participants will be able to see and hear each other, so it is requested that they mute the microphone and disable the camera on joining.
On June 24, Queensland’s Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman announced that Justice Lyons had advised the Government of her resignation from 23 August 2021.
Ms Fentiman 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’ 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 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 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 Tribunal from 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.
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