Shirrefs has a commercial practice, while Lever-Davidson has handled family and criminal matters
Justice Lisa Hannan, Victoria’s chief magistrate, has announced the appointments of Douglas Shirrefs and Julia Lever-Davidson as two new magistrates of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.
The court conveyed its congratulations to the newly announced magistrates on their appointments to the bench.
In its news release, the Judicial College of Victoria also congratulated the two new appointees. It said it anticipated working with the bench’s new additions as they stepped into their new role.
The Victoria Magistrates’ Court gave more information on the new magistrates’ professional backgrounds in its news release.
Shirrefs served as a senior economist for both the Victorian and Commonwealth governments before commencing his legal career.
He worked as a solicitor at Minter Ellison starting in 2003. Upon becoming a member of the Victorian bar in 2005, he established a diverse commercial practice focusing on agribusiness, franchising, and consumer law. He is a nationally accredited mediator.
According to his biography on the Tasmanian Bar Association’s website, Shirrefs has appeared for clients in mediations, applications, hearings, appellate matters, and government inquiries. He also has a background in competition, regulatory law, and corporate governance.
At the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), he has held senior roles and assisted parties investigated or prosecuted for allegations of price fixing, cartel conduct, market power misuse, misleading conduct, other anti-competitive conduct, and statutory warranty breaches.
With the ACCC, Shirrefs has negotiated settlements and undertakings for clients and developed compliance programs for those settlements.
His bio states that he has helped clients in the e-commerce, internet retailing, petrol, cement, insulation, shipping, rail, consumer electronics, power tools, bread, leisure accommodation, and computer software and services industries.
Shirrefs has served as chairperson of South East Water Limited and the Victorian Water Industry Association, as well as commissioner of the Taxi Services Commission.
According to the court’s news release, Lever-Davidson will begin her appointment in October. Her legal practice started at Dowling McGregor in Melbourne.
In 2010, she began working at the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission. There, she handled family violence and criminal matters before the Children’s Court.
Upon moving back to Melbourne, Lever-Davidson worked at Victoria Legal Aid from 2014–21. Her roles included serving as managing lawyer of the organisation’s summary crime and youth crime teams.
In 2021, she accepted an appointment as a judicial registrar of the Children’s Court of Victoria. In this position, she heard various matters.
At the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, she has been deputy president, appointed last year, as well as head of the tribunal’s human rights division.
