Reading The Honourable Justice McMudo’s Valedictory Speech delivered in the Banco Court on 24 March 2017 I am reminded of how much I as a female lawyer owe to women such as her Honour.
If for any reason I was to leave the legal profession tomorrow (don’t worry Kate I am not) I would be satisfied with what I have achieved since starting my Articles of Clerkship in 1992. I was the first of my family to enter the legal profession so really had no true idea of what to expect. But for trail blazers like her Honour I may not have experienced the career I have to date.
Her Honor notes in her speech that she was appointed a Judge at the age of 36 and held office for 34 years. For 19 of those years her Honour held the position of President of the Queensland Court of the Appeal. Her Honour’s achievements over her career are all the more remarkable given the state of the legal landscape when she began her career. In 1974, the year before her Honour graduated from University, there were no female judges in Queensland and no female practising barristers. It is almost hard to believe such a situation existed not that long ago.
The profession now has many women who continue to make great contribution to the profession. Both Queensland and Australia now have woman Chief Justices. This would have been almost unimaginable in 1975 when her Honour entered the profession.
Thank you to her Honour for her duty to the Court. You will continue to be an inspiration to me and the lawyers that follow me into the legal profession.
http://archive.sclqld.org.au/judgepub/2017/mmcmurdo240317.pdf
