Natalie Jane Adams (born 1965) is an Australian judge. She has been a judge of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...

since 2016. Adams was born in

Narrandera Narrandera ( ) until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell and Sturt highways, adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River, and ...

, and was educated at St Joseph's Convent Primary School,

St Francis de Sales Regional College St Francis De Sales Regional College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day and boarding school, located in the Riverina town of Leeton, New South Wales, Australia.. Founded in 1956 by the Marist Brothers, the College is ...

at Leeton and the

Kincoppal School , motto_translation = One Heart , established = , type = Independent early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Roman Catholic , religious_affiliati ...

in Rose Bay,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. She subsequently studied law and economics at 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 ...

, where she was a resident at

Sancta Sophia College Sancta Sophia College (colloquially as Sancta) is a residential college for undergraduate women and postgraduate men and women at the University of Sydney. The college has a Catholic foundation but admits students of all religions. Fiona Hastings ...

graduating with honours in law in 1989, and was admitted as a solicitor in June 1989. She later completed a Master of Laws from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

in 1994, specialising in criminal law. Adams first began practising in commercial law at Freehill Hollingdale & Page. In 1990, she shifted to criminal law and joined the

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

(ODPP). Adams worked in their Court of Criminal Appeal Unit from 1991 to 1993, and later as a professional assistant to the Director of Public Prosecutions, where she wrote legal advice for the Director. Adams left the ODPP in 1996 and worked at the

Legal Aid Commission A community legal centre (CLC) is the Australian term for an independent not-for-profit organisation providing legal aid services, that is, provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court s ...

duty solicitor A duty solicitor, duty counsel, or duty lawyer, is a solicitor whose services are available to a person either suspected of, or charged with, a criminal offence free of charge, if that person does not have access to a solicitor of their own and us ...

at their

Hurstville Hurstville is a suburb in Southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south of the Sydney CBD and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Georges Riv ...

office and then in the indictable section of their

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

office. In 1997, she began working at the Crown Solicitor's Office, where one of her cases saw her assisting the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

in the inquest into the murder of state MP John Newman. Adams was admitted as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

in 2001, and in 2002 was appointed a Crown Prosecutor. In one prominent case, Adams was the lead prosecutor in the trial of several bikie gang members over a fatal brawl involving

Comanchero Motorcycle Club The Comanchero Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle gang in Australia. The Comancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which convened a conference in 2009 to address legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, the ...

figures at

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...

.. She was appointed as the state's Crown Advocate on 28 November 2011, and gained

senior counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...

status in 2012. Adams was appointed to the Supreme Court by

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Gabrielle Upton Gabrielle Cecelia Upton (born 16 December 1964), an Australian politician, is the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Vaucluse for the Liberal Party since 2011. Upton is currently serving as the Parlia ...

taking effect on 5 April 2016, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Peter Hidden. She was one of the judges who dismissed former MP

Eddie Obeid Edward Moses Obeid (born 25 October 1943) is a retired Australian politician, and convicted criminal, who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1991 and 2011, representing the Labor Party. He was the Minister f ...

's appeal against his conviction and sentence..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Natalie 1965 births Living people Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian women judges 20th-century Australian lawyers 21st-century Australian judges 21st-century women judges 20th-century Australian women