Sarah Catherine Derrington (née Johnstone)
is an Australian jurist and academic. She has served as President of the
Australian Law Reform Commission
The Australian Law Reform Commission (often abbreviated to ALRC) is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia. The reviews, also called inquiries or references, are referred to the ALRC by ...
and as a Judge 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 ...
since 10 January 2018. She was previously Dean of Law at the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
from 2013 to 2018.
Early life and education
Derrington was educated at St Anne's School in
Townsville, Mentone Girls’ Grammar in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, St Hilda's, Southport before finishing her secondary education at
St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School
St Margaret's Anglican Girls School is a private, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls. The school is located in Ascot, an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The school was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the So ...
.
She then studied at the University of Queensland, from where she holds a BA in French and German, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Master of Laws, and a Doctor of Philosophy in the field of marine insurance law. In 1990, she was admitted to the Bar in Queensland and as a Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the ACT.
Career
Derrington pursued dual careers in both academia and as a barrister specialising in maritime and shipping law and general commercial law, and has co-authored a number of texts on admiralty law.
She was appointed as Professor of Admiralty Law at the University of Queensland in 2008.
In 2013 she was appointed as the university's Dean of Law, the first woman to hold the position.
Appointment to Australian Law Reform Commission and Federal Court
In November 2017, Derrington was appointed by Attorney-General
George Brandis
George Henry Brandis (born 22 June 1957) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for Queensland from 2000 to 2018, representing the Liberal Party, and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments. He was later Hi ...
as President of the Australian Law Reform Commission and also as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
As President of the Law Reform Commission, Derrington has presided over reports into Class Actions and Third-party Litigation Funders (ALRC Report 134); Family Law (ALRC Report 135) and Corporate Criminal Responsibility (ALRC Report 136).
Personal life and honours
Derrington is married to Justice Roger Derrington who was appointed to the Federal Court in 2017.
They have three children.
In 2009, Derrington was appointed as a Fellow of the
Australian Academy of Law.
In 2022, she was appointed as a
Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in the
2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the judiciary and to the law, and to legal education".
See also
*
List of Judges of the Federal Court of Australia
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derrington, Sarah
21st-century Australian judges
21st-century women judges
Australian legal scholars
Australian women judges
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Law
Judges of the Federal Court of Australia
Law reform in Australia
Living people
Members of the Order of Australia
University of Queensland alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)