Robert Macfarlan
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce Scott Macfarlan (born November 22 1949) is a judge
of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
, the highest court in the State of New South Wales
, Australia
, which forms part of the Australian court hierarchy
.
. He subsequently graduated in Arts and Law (with first class honours) from the University of Sydney
.
at Sydney law firm Blake Dawson Waldron.
Macfarlan came to the bar in 1976 and was made Queen's Counsel
in 1986. He served as a Member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal from 1999-2008 and as a Member of the Legal Services Tribunal from 1994-99.
In September 2008, Macfarlan was appointed to the NSW Court of Appeal
.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
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...
, the highest court in the State of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
, which forms part of the Australian court hierarchy
Australian court hierarchy
There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian courts, the federal stream and the state and territory stream. While the federal courts and the court systems in each state and territory are separate, the High Court of Australia remains the ultimate court of appeal for the Australian...
.
Education
Macfarlan was educated at Cranbrook SchoolCranbrook School Sydney
Cranbrook School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Bellevue Hill and Rose Bay, both eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. He subsequently graduated in Arts and Law (with first class honours) 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
From 1972-76, Macfarlan worked as a solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
at Sydney law firm Blake Dawson Waldron.
Macfarlan came to the bar in 1976 and was made Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1986. He served as a Member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal from 1999-2008 and as a Member of the Legal Services Tribunal from 1994-99.
In September 2008, Macfarlan was appointed to the NSW Court of Appeal
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...
.