Rowena Orr
Rowena Orr | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Victoria | |
| Assumed office 18 April 2024 | |
| Solicitor-General of Victoria | |
| In office 2021–2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kristen Walker |
| Succeeded by | Alistair Pound |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 (age 52–53) |
Rowena Jane Orr (born 1973) is an Australian jurist who has served as a judge in the Court of Appeal of Victoria since 18 April 2024.[1] From 2021 to 2024, Orr served as Solicitor-General of Victoria, and is best known for her role during the 2017–2019 Banking Royal Commission, where her performance assisting the commissioner gained her the moniker "shock and Orr".[2][3][4][5]
Orr was born in 1973 in Sydney. She studied law and economics at the University of Queensland, graduating in 1996 with honours.[4][6][7] Over the following years she worked as a judge's associate to Michael McHugh and John Murtagh Macrossan,[8] then as a solicitor at the Director of Public Prosecutions, before leaving Australia for England where she studied at St John's College, Cambridge,[4][6] attaining a Master of Philosophy in Criminology.[8][7]
In 2002 she became a barrister, with a focus on criminal, trade practices, and administrative law, often representing Victoria Police. Early in her career as a barrister, she was involved in the inquest into the murder of Jaidyn Leskie. In 2014 she was appointed senior counsel. By 2018, Orr's practice had shifted to a focus on competition law while still maintaining work across a broad area of law, unusual in an era when most barristers specialized.[4][6][8]
As of 2018, Orr lived in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill with her husband, also a barrister, and their two children.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Judges of the Court of Appeal". Supreme Court of Victoria. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ↑ Doraisamy, Jerome (17 April 2024). "Rowena Orr named as judge of the Victorian Court of Appeal". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ↑ Shanahan, Maxim (18 April 2024). "Banking royal commission star Rowena Orr joins the bench". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Patrick, Aaron (6 December 2018). "Shock and Orr: Is Rowena Orr headed to the bench after banking royal commission?". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ↑ Dexter, Rachael; Mills, Tammy (4 May 2021). "'Such a talented woman': Rowena Orr named as Victoria's solicitor-general". The Age. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Butler, Ben (17 November 2018). "Legal eagle soars over royal commissions". The Australian.
- 1 2 "Rowena Orr QC". The University of Queensland. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Varga, Remy (4 May 2021). "Rowena Orr appointed Victoria's Solicitor-General". The Australian.
Further reading
[edit]- Caisley, Olivia (8 January 2019). "Australian of the Year: legal 'warrior woman' Rowena Orr claimed serious scalps". The Australian.
- Whitbourn, Michaela (14 March 2018). "The woman asking the hard questions at the banking royal commission". The Sydney Morning Herald.