Bret Walker
Encyclopedia
Bret William Walker SC
(born 1954) is one of Australia
's leading barristers, stationed at Fifth Floor St James' Hall Chambers.
in Sydney. He graduated with degrees in Arts
and Law
from the University of Sydney
.
in 1993. He was president of the NSW Bar Association
from November 2001 to November 2003, and had been Vice-President from 1996 to 2001. He was President of the Law Council of Australia
from 1997 to 1998.
Walker has been Editor of the NSW Law Reports
since 2006. He is a patron of the State Library of NSW as a Foundation Senior Fellow and has been a Member of the NSW Health Clinical Ethics Advisory Panel since 2003. He was Governor of the Law Foundation of NSW from 1996 to 2007, and Special Commissioner of Inquiry for the NSW Government into Sydney Ferries in 2007. Walker has been a director on the board of the Sydney Writers' Festival
since 2000. He was a Foundation Member and has been Director of the Australian Academy of Law since 2007.
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
(born 1954) is one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's leading barristers, stationed at Fifth Floor St James' Hall Chambers.
Education
Walker was educated at The King's SchoolThe King's School, Sydney
The King's School is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school for boys in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831, it is Australia's oldest school and forms one of the nine "Great Public Schools" of New South Wales. Situated within a site, Gowan Brae,...
in Sydney. He graduated with degrees in Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Law
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Career
Walker was admitted to the NSW bar in 1979. He was appointed Senior CounselSenior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
in 1993. He was president of the NSW Bar Association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
from November 2001 to November 2003, and had been Vice-President from 1996 to 2001. He was President of the Law Council of Australia
Law Council of Australia
The Law Council of Australia 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 Council was formed in 1933 to unite the various state legal associations, in order to represent...
from 1997 to 1998.
Walker has been Editor of the NSW Law Reports
NSW Law Reports
The NSW Law Reports are the official reports of the courts of New South Wales, Australia.The reports are published by The Council of Law Reporting for New South Wales....
since 2006. He is a patron of the State Library of NSW as a Foundation Senior Fellow and has been a Member of the NSW Health Clinical Ethics Advisory Panel since 2003. He was Governor of the Law Foundation of NSW from 1996 to 2007, and Special Commissioner of Inquiry for the NSW Government into Sydney Ferries in 2007. Walker has been a director on the board of the Sydney Writers' Festival
Sydney Writers' Festival
The Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Sydney. The Festival's artistic director is Chip Rolley.-History:...
since 2000. He was a Foundation Member and has been Director of the Australian Academy of Law since 2007.