Garry Keith Downes (born 7 January 1944) is a former

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

and former President of the

Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is an Australian tribunal that conducts independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT review decisions made by Australian Gover ...

Education

Downes attended

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

(1956-1960) and graduated from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

in 1967. His first job was as associate to then Chief Justice of Australia,

Sir Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick, (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a ...

Legal career

Downes was called to the Australian Bar in 1970 and appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1983. He was also a member of the

English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

. His practice was concentrated on commercial law, administrative law and international arbitration. Downes was Chairman of the Federal Litigation Section of the

Law Council of Australia The Law Council of Australia, founded in 1933, is an association of law societies and bar associations from the states and territories of Australia, and the peak body representing the legal profession in Australia. The Law Council represents mo ...

and Chairman of its Administrative Law Committee. He has served international and national organisations in various capacities, including as President of the

Union Internationale des Avocats The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) or International Association of Lawyers is an international non-governmental organisation, created in 1927, that brings together more than 2,200 legal professionals from all over the world. Historical ...

, Founder and Patron of the Anglo-Australasian Lawyers' Society, Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Australia, Member of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Council of the

NSW Bar Association The New South Wales Bar Association is a professional body of lawyers responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The body administers the bar examination in accordance with the Legal Profe ...

and Chairman of the NSW Council of Law Reporting. Downes was appointed

of the

and President of the

in 2002. He is the immediate past Chair of the Council of Australasian Tribunals (COAT) and a past member of the Council of the Australian Institute of Judicial Administration (AIJA). In November 2007 he assumed, with Chief Justice Michael Black of the Federal Court, co-presidency of the International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ). On 15 May 2012, Downes retired from the Bench. In February 2014, Downes was retained by the

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) was a government statutory authority tasked to protect Australia's sporting integrity through the elimination of doping. The authority was part of the Department of Health's portfolio and was ...

(ASADA) to review its investigation into supplements use at

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL) club

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

and

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

(NRL) club the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...

Honours

In the

1997 Australia Day Honours The 1997 Australia Day Honours are appointments Australian honours system, to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1997 by the Governor General of Australia, Will ...

Downes became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "In recognition of service to the law as a barrister, educator and Executive Officer of many legal organisations, including President of the International Association of Lawyers".

References

External links

Justice Garry Downes AM Retirement speech May 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downes, Garry Living people People educated at Newington College Members of the Order of Australia Judges of the Federal Court of Australia Australian King's Counsel 1944 births Judges of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island 21st-century Australian judges