Thursday, 14 October 2010
APPOINTMENT OF SENIOR COUNSEL
The Chief Justice, the Honourable John Doyle AC, today announced the appointment of six new Senior Counsel.
They are Mr William Penn Boucaut, Mr Gregory Peter Gerard Mead, Mr David Michael Berman, Mr Paul Francis Muscat, Ms Liesl Jane Chapman and Mr Adam Peter Kimber.
The Chief Justice made the appointments of Senior Counsel on behalf of the Supreme Court, from a field of 22 candidates who had applied for appointment.
The criteria for selection include the standing of the applicant within the legal profession, experience and skill in advocacy, legal learning, integrity, availability to prospective clients and independence.
Mr Boucaut SC is a barrister at Edmund Barton Chambers and has extensive experience in criminal and civil/commercial litigation in various jurisdictions around Australia and overseas, including in matters relating to international drug trafficking. He was Counsel assisting the Coroner at the Inquiry into the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires. Mr Boucaut also has worked for the SA Director of Public Prosecutions on projects designed to clear backlogs in criminal cases through negotiations with defence Counsel.
Mr Mead SC is Chief Counsel for the Legal Services Commission, appearing in all jurisdictions, including the Youth Court. He has significant experience with the Commission, including managing the Commission’s criminal practice, overseeing 32 lawyers. He has also practised in other fields including bankruptcy, family law, worker’s compensation and employment law.
Mr Berman SC is Head of Campbell Chambers and has practised exclusively in the area of family law and de facto relationships. He has been involved in a number of complex matters involving children’s matters and property issues, in the Family Court of Australia, the Federal Magistrates Court and several State jurisdictions. From 2006, he has also held the position of part time lecturer to post graduate students in the Department of Psychology at the University of Adelaide.
Mr Muscat SC is Head of the Criminal Law Practice Division for the Legal Services Commission of South Australia. He appears as counsel in complex matters, particularly before the various appellate courts. Mr Muscat worked for the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions as prosecuting counsel and conducted appellate work before the Court of Criminal Appeal and the High Court. He sits on the Criminal Justice Ministerial Taskforce, the National Legal Aid Criminal Law Working Group and is an advocacy instructor at The Law Society’s GDLP Advocacy Workshops.
Ms Chapman SC is a barrister at the independent Bar. She has experience in a wide range of legal practice. Ms Chapman worked in the Crown Solicitor’s Office, then as a prosecutor with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. She was trial counsel in many complex trials, including cases involving murder, multiple counts of armed robbery and rape/sexual assault prosecutions based on DNA evidence. She was Counsel Assisting the Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry. She has presented and written numerous papers on expert and child witnesses and the use of DNA evidence.
Mr Kimber SC is the Deputy Director of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, with extensive experience in criminal law, as a solicitor and barrister. A former Associate to The Honourable Len King AC, former Chief Justice of South Australia and State Attorney-General, Mr Kimber has provided complex and sensitive legal advice on a range of topics, including proposed amendments to the criminal law, at the highest levels.
During the selection process, the Chief Justice consulted with the Attorney-General, Judges and Masters of the Supreme Court, the Senior Resident Judge of the Federal Court and of the Family Court, the Chief Judge of the District Court, the Senior Judge of the Industrial Relations Court, the Chief Magistrate, the Senior Resident Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Solicitor-General, and the Presidents of the South Australian Bar Association, the Law Society of South Australia and the Women Lawyers Association.
For further information contact: Sylvia Kriven on 8204 0388 or 0421 617 205
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