State attorney-general names Ben Doyle as judge of SA Court of Appeal
South Australia’s attorney-general has announced that Laura Stein will replace Chris Kourakis as South Australia’s chief justice as of 19 February 2026, making her the first woman to hold the position.
The state attorney-general’s news release likewise named Ben Doyle as a new judge of the South Australian Court of Appeal, also effective 19 February 2026.
The Law Society of South Australia congratulated Stein on her appointment as the state’s chief justice.
“The Law Society and the legal profession have every confidence that the administration of justice will be very well served under Justice Stein's stewardship as Chief Justice,” said David Colovic, the recently appointed president of the Law Society of South Australia, in a statement.
In her new role, Stein will serve as the presiding member of the State Courts Administration Council, where she has deputised for Kourakis, who publicly announced his resignation as chief justice on 16 December 2025.
In a media release, the law society congratulated Kourakis – its only former president appointed to the office of the state’s chief justice – on his service in the role over the past 13 years and his legal career spanning more than four decades.
The state attorney-general’s news release noted that additional appointments to the Supreme Court’s general division would follow in due course.
The state attorney-general’s news release and the law society’s statement provided more information on the recently announced judicial appointees.
“Justice Stein has forged a reputation as a hard-working, astute, and erudite practitioner of the law, as well as a generous, innovative and effective leader. These characteristics make her an ideal choice for Chief Justice,” Colovic said on the law society’s behalf.
Stein has garnered over three decades of experience in the legal profession across the public and private sectors alike.
She started sitting as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2021. At the Supreme Court, she chairs the special classification trial management committee and the respectful behaviours committee’s steering committee, as well as belongs to the workplace conduct committee.
Stein is also a member of the Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council and of the Courts Administration Authority’s audit and risk management committee. She has spearheaded efforts to promote cultural change in the legal sector.
In 2001, she joined the Crown Solicitor’s Office, where she became the Crown solicitor responsible for running the office and legally advising the state government in 2020. Before that, she served as a senior solicitor, executive solicitor, and assistant Crown solicitor in the office.
In 1992, Stein began working at Fisher Jeffries, where she progressed to equity partner. She commenced her legal practice in 1991.
She and her family relocated to Adelaide in 1978. She grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Meanwhile, Doyle began sitting as a Supreme Court judge in 2024. Before that, he worked as a private practitioner. He received a King’s Counsel designation in 2020.
