Their legal experience spans criminal, personal injury, insurance matters
The NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) has announced the appointments of the following judges of the District Court of New South Wales: barristers Jillian Kelton and Adam Williams, to be sworn in on 20 July 2026, and Joanne Palamara, effective 17 July 2026.
According to Michael Daley, NSW attorney general, Kelton and Williams “bring extensive experience and are highly credentialed, and their expertise will be of great value to the Court.”
Regarding Palamara, Daley said she “has an extensive background in personal injury and workers’ compensation matters, which will be an asset to the District Court bench.”
The DCJ’s news releases provided more information regarding Kelton, Williams, and Palamara.
With nearly three decades of legal experience, Kelton became a Crown prosecutor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2018. She has worked in the Wollongong and Newcastle offices.
Her appearances at District Court trials have encompassed matters such as manslaughter, sexual assault, conspiracy, drug-related crimes, and domestic violence offences. She has prosecuted high-profile institutional child sexual abuse cases and crimes concerning outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Kelton has conducted the pre-recording of children’s evidence in the Child Sexual Offence Evidence Program. Her work has also covered circuits and super callovers at Tamworth, Port Macquarie, and Newcastle.
She began her legal career at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre in Sydney. She obtained admission as a solicitor in 1998 and as a barrister in 2018.
With over three decades of legal experience, Williams has focused on criminal law and has appeared in multiple complex criminal trials across NSW.
In 2003, he joined Samuel Griffith Chambers, with his work specialising in criminal law. He previously belonged to private practices in Sydney and Northern NSW, where he handled criminal and civil matters alike.
Williams earned admission as a barrister in 2002 and as a solicitor in 1998. Before that, he served as a judge’s associate and as a legal clerk.
As a partner at Sparke Helmore in Sydney beginning in 2007, Palamara practised insurance litigation in connection with the mining industry for over two decades. Since gaining admission as a solicitor in 2001, she has worked at the firm as a lawyer, as a senior associate, and as special counsel.
Her work has also spanned personal injury litigation and common law industrial accident cases.
