19 November 2025
Chief Justice Andrew Bell welcomes the appointment of James Emmett SC and Edward Muston SC as Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
James Emmett SC will replace Justice Ian Harrison, who has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court for 18 years. Mr Emmett was admitted to the Bar in 2006 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2020. He was a member of the New South Wales Bar Council at the time of his appointment. His principal areas of practice were public and administrative law, commercial litigation, professional negligence, and maritime law. He will be sworn in on 4 December 2025 at 9.15am in the Banco Court.
Edward Muston SC replaces Justice Michael Walton, a former president of the Industrial Relations Commission and Judge of the Supreme Court for 27 years. Mr Muston was admitted to the Bar in 2004 and appointed Senior Counsel in 2015. He has a national practice with a focus on commercial disputes, insurance, reinsurance, Corporations law and obligations. Since 2005, Mr Muston has served on a Bar Association Professional Conduct Committee and was Chair at the time of his appointment. He will be sworn in on 2 December 2025 at 9.15am in the Banco Court.
On 19 November 1873 Sir James Martin was sworn in as the fourth Chief Justice of New South Wales. In honour of this remarkable man, students from Western Sydney University School of Law and The University of Sydney Law School will meet in the Banco Court on 2 December 2025 at 5.30pm to take part in the inaugural Sir James Martin Moot.
Chief Justice Andrew Bell will launch the event, and present the trophy to the winning team, which will be chosen by a Bench of three judges from the Supreme and District Courts. Each team will be comprised of a senior counsel, a junior counsel, and a solicitor.
Sir James Martin's career began as a journalist, writing for The Australian with a growing sense of Australian national identity. Martin was admitted as a solicitor in 1845. He entered politics and became Attorney General in 1856 and Premier in 1863, when he collaborated with Sir Henry Parkes to legislate for many important measures of social reform. He was sworn in as Chief Justice of New South Wales on 19 November 1873. He remains the only person to hold all three positions of Chief Justice, Premier and Attorney General. As Chief Justice, he was a model of independence, scrupulousness and impartiality and fought strongly to preserve the Court’s independence.
19 November 2025
The Attorney General today announced that Justice Natalie Adams will succeed Justice Harrison as the Chief Judge at Common Law. She is the first female to hold this position and is a highly respected member of the Court.
Justice Adams was born and grew up in Narrandera, has been a member of the Supreme Court since April 2016 and, prior to that, was the Crown Advocate for New South Wales.
The Common Law Division of the Court has a broad jurisdiction ranging from all criminal trials in the Supreme Court and bail hearings, High Risk Offender applications, possession matters, professional negligence, personal injury and institutional abuse, administrative law and public and product liability class actions. Common Law Division judges also sit on the Court of Criminal Appeal which is often presided over by the Chief Judge at Common Law.
The Chief Judge at Common Law, together with the Chief Justice, President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Judge in Equity and Principal Registrar, is a member of the Court’s executive.
Recent statements by the Chief Justice of New South Wales
The Australian Legal Convention will be held at the High Court of Australia in Canberra from 21 – 22 November. Chief Justices from Australia and New Zealand will gather with academics and legal practitioners to exchange ideas and seek practical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the justice system. Most sessions will be accessible via livestream. View the Convention Program.
The Discussion Paper on Practical Legal Training Reform was issued on 30 September 2025 by the Legal Profession Admission Board of New South Wales.
Last updated: