Diana Bryant

Diana Bryant AO QC (born 13 October 1947) is an Australian jurist. She was appointed Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia on 5 July 2004.[1]

The Honourable Justice Diana Bryant AO QC
3rd Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia
In office 5 July 2004 – 12 October 2017
Preceded by	Alastair Nicholson
Succeeded by	John Pascoe
1st Chief Federal Magistrate
In office 11 May 2000 – 4 July 2004
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	John Pascoe
Personal details
Born	(1947-10-13) 13 October 1947
Nationality	Australian
Education	Firbank Girls' Grammar School Melbourne University Monash University
Occupation	Judge, Lawyer

Early life and education

Bryant was born in Perth, Western Australia and attended Firbank Girls' Grammar School in Melbourne.[2] Bryant holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Melbourne University, and a Master of Laws degree from Monash University.[3]

Career

She was admitted as a legal practitioner in Victoria in 1970. From 1977 to 1990, Chief Justice Bryant was a partner with the firm of Phillips Fox in Perth where she practised as a solicitor and counsel specialising in family law. She was also a Director of Australian Airlines from 1984 to 1989.[4]

From May 2000 she was the inaugural Chief Federal Magistrate of Australia, the head of the Federal Magistrates' Court, thus being the first woman appointed to the position.[5]

Prior to her appointment, Chief Justice Bryant had practised at the Victorian Bar from 1990 where she specialised in family law and de facto property disputes, particularly at the appellate level. She was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1997 and was a founding member of Chancery Chambers, Melbourne.

Chief Justice of the Family Court Diana Bryant says the court process is not working. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-05/family-court-chief-justice-diana-bryant/7551078

In February 2009 Chief Justice Bryant was appointed Patron of Australian Women Lawyers, after founding Patron Mary Gaudron QC, in recognition of her support for women lawyers and efforts to promote equality of opportunity for women in the community.

Bryant retired as Chief Justice on 12 October 2017 reaching the constitutional retirement age of 70.[6]

Honours

In 2012 Bryant was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the judiciary and to the law, particularly to family law policy reform and practice, through the establishment of the Federal Magistrates Court, and to the advancement of women in the legal profession".[7] She was inducted into the Western Australian Women's Hall of Fame in 2018.[8]

References

1. "Chief Justice". Family Court of Australia. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
2. Shiel, Fergus (26 June 2004). "Cool head leaps into legal hot seat". The Age. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
3. "The Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant (LLM 1999)". Melbourne: Monash University. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
4. Silverii, Jason. "Courting respect - New Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant". Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. (2004) 78(8) Law Institute Journal 18.
5. "Diana Bryant". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
6. Constitution (Cth) s 72 Judges' appointment, tenure, and remuneration.
7. "Bryant, Diana". Australian Honours search facility. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
8. "WA Women's Hall of Fame Inductees - 2018". WA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 May 2018.

 

Legal offices
Preceded by Alastair Nicholson	Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia 2004–2017	Succeeded by John Pascoe
New title	Chief Federal Magistrate 2000–2004	Succeeded by John Pascoe