Sarah Catherine Derrington (née Johnstone)[1] AM FAAL is an Australian jurist and academic. She has served as President of the Australian Law Reform Commission and as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia since 10 January 2018. She was previously Dean of Law at the University of Queensland from 2013 to 2018.
Sarah Derrington | |
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Judge of the Federal Court of Australia | |
Assumed office 10 January 2018 | |
President of the Australian Law Reform Commission | |
Assumed office 10 January 2018 | |
Preceded by | Robert Cornall (acting) Rosalind Croucher (substantive) |
Personal details | |
Nationality | Australian |
Spouse | Justice Roger Derrington |
Education | University of Queensland |
Occupation | Judge, Academic |
Derrington was educated at St Anne's School in Townsville, Mentone Girls’ Grammar in Melbourne, St Hilda's, Southport before finishing her secondary education at St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] She was appointed as Professor of Admiralty Law at the University of Queensland in 2008.[2] In 2013, she was appointed as the university's Dean of Law, the first woman to hold the position.[4]
In November 2017, Derrington was appointed by Attorney-General George Brandis as President of the Australian Law Reform Commission and also as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.[5]
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).[3]
Derrington is married to Justice Roger Derrington who was appointed to the Federal Court in 2017.[6] They have three children.[7]
In 2009, Derrington was appointed as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.[2] In 2022, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the judiciary and to the law, and to legal education".[8]