Appointments of judges in Western Australia take effect on 10 August
The Western Australian government has announced the appointment of the following new judges as of 10 August 2026: Stephen Lemonis to the Court of Appeal of Western Australia, as well as Tania Jeyamohan and Steven Wong to the Western Australian Supreme Court.
“All three are highly experienced and respected legal practitioners who have worked on complex matters over their careers and will bolster our State's judiciary at the trial and appellate levels,” said Dr Tony Buti, state attorney general.
The WA Supreme Court welcomed the three judicial appointees, with Jeyamohan and Wong to be formally welcomed at ceremonial sittings.
Justice Lemonis has become a judge of appeal in the place of Justice Stephen Hall, who resigned to assume his new role as deputy commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission.
“On behalf of the Court, I record our sincere gratitude for Justice Hall's 17 years of outstanding service to the community as a judge of the Court,” said Peter Quinlan, chief justice of the WA Supreme Court. “We are grateful that Justice Lemonis has accepted an appointment to continue his service to the Court and the administration of justice as a judge of appeal.”
“Justice Lemonis has already made an outstanding contribution as a Judge of the Supreme Court and District Court and prior to this, in commercial litigation and the criminal justice system,” Buti said.
Meanwhile, Judge Jeyamohan fills the vacancy left by Lemonis in the WA Supreme Court’s General Division.
“With her expertise in public and private sector litigation, Judge Jeyamohan has quickly shown an adeptness in presiding over civil, criminal, and appeal matters before the District Court,” Buti said.
“The appointments of Justice Jeyamohan and Justice Wong also bring considerable experience and expertise to the Court, particularly in the areas of civil and commercial law,” Quinlan added. “We are delighted to have them join us in the work and life of the Court.”
The WA Supreme Court then welcomed Justice Andrew Beech, appointed as an auxiliary judge to the Court of Appeal for 12 months, beginning on 1 November 2026.
“His Honour's immense experience and expertise as a judge will greatly enhance the work of the Court of Appeal in 2027,” Quinlan said. “We gratefully acknowledge the recognition by the Executive government of the need to supplement the judicial resources of the Court of Appeal in this way.”
Media statements from the state government and from the WA Supreme Court provided more information regarding the judicial appointees.
With over three decades of legal experience, Lemonis sat as a judge of the WA Supreme Court’s General Division for the last three years, commencing on 26 June 2023.
From February 2019 to June 2023, he presided as a judge of the District Court of Western Australia, where he primarily served in the court’s criminal jurisdiction.
Before sitting as a judge, Lemonis practised at and acted as a principal of multiple private law firms, where he focused on commercial litigation, white collar and corporate crime, regulatory investigations, insolvency, and other criminal proceedings.
With a legal career of more than 25 years, Jeyamohan presided as a District Court judge for the past year, beginning on 18 August 2025.
From 2022–24, she served as District Court registrar and as deputy state solicitor for the public and general litigation section at the State Solicitor’s Office.
With stints in private practice, Jeyamohan has focused on commercial litigation and arbitration, contracts and contractual disputes, state agreements, class actions, and statutory interpretation.
“Mr Wong joins the General Division bench after 17 years as a commercial barrister handling commercial disputes across a range of industries and will help the court continue to manage a substantial caseload,” Buti said.
As an independent barrister since 2009 and as senior counsel appointed last year, Wong has focused on banking, corporations, regulatory law, equity, and commercial disputes, and has appeared in trials, appeals, and commercial arbitrations.
His client base has included banks, insurers, and resource companies. He has served as a director and company secretary of Quayside Chambers and as an executive-committee chair of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association’s WA branch.
At the Subiaco Justice Centre, Wong has established a pro bono practice through volunteering. Before joining the bar, he worked at a private firm’s commercial litigation division for five years and in an associate position to a judge of the Federal Court of Australia for a year.
At the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Beech served as a judge from 2007–23, including as a judge of appeal from 2017.
Here are some other news stories on legal appointments in Western Australia.
On 5 November 2025, Chief Justice Quinlan announced the appointments of nine senior counsel for 2025, chosen among 31 applicants: Michael Rynne, Steven Wong, Wayne Zappia, Adam Sharpe, Gemma Beggs, Heather Millar, Cobey Taggart, Beau Sertorio, and Alexander Mossop.
On 15 April 2025, the Supreme Court of Western Australia announced the appointment of Prudence Griffin as its principal registrar as of 5 May.
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