Newly appointed appeal judge has clocked over 30 years of legal experience
Justice Melinda Jane Richards has accepted an appointment as a judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria, as of 13 May 2025.
Richard Niall, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, announced that the executive council had made this appointment.
The Supreme Court of Victoria and the Judicial College of Victoria extended their congratulations to Richards. Both provided information on the professional background of the appeal court’s new appointee in their news releases.
“We look forward to continuing our engagement with Justice Richards as she enters this next phase of her distinguished judicial career,” the Judicial College of Victoria said in its news release.
Richards has clocked more than three decades in the course of her legal career. The Supreme Court added her as a judge in April 2018. As a member of the bench, she presided over matters within the common law division.
Before Richards became a judge, she worked as a barrister for over two decades. Starting in 2015, she served as Crown counsel for the State of Victoria for three years. In that role, she gave the state government legal and policy advice and made contributions to the 2015 review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and the 2016 review regarding access to justice.
Richards became senior counsel in 2013, a member of the Victorian bar in 1996, and a solicitor in 1993. She graduated from the University of Melbourne.
The Judicial College of Victoria noted that Richards is a principal fellow at Melbourne Law School. In this position, she teaches students about royal commissions and public inquiries as a master’s subject.
