ANU alumnae trailblazers in law: an intimate discussion

Presented by ANU College of Law

The ANU Visiting Judges program invites you to join Associate Professor Heather Roberts in conversation with two trailblazing alumnae as they share their inspiring stories of breaking barriers.

The Honourable Justice Rachel Pepper (BA '92, LLB (Hons) '94) from the NSW Land and Environment Court and the Honourable Justice Lea Armstrong (BA (Hons) '89, LLB (Hons) '90), President of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, will offer insights into their journeys in this intimate session.

Note: Limited seating is available, secure your spot before tickets book out.

Speakers

The Hon Justice Rachel Pepper (BA '92, LLB (Hons) '94)

Judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW
Justice Pepper was appointed as a Judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW in May 2009. From 1997 until her appointment in 2009, Justice Pepper practised as a barrister at the New South Wales Bar. Her principal areas of practice were general commercial law and public law, including constitutional law. While at the bar, Justice Pepper was a member of Bar Council from 2000 to 2009 and was Secretary of the Bar Council from 2006-2009. Prior to being called to the bar, Justice Pepper was the Associate to Justice McHugh in the High Court of Australia from 1996-1997.
The Hon Justice Lea Armstrong (BA (Hons) '89, LLB (Hons) '90)

President of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Justice Armstrong was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and President of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 31 October 2018. Prior to her judicial appointment, Justice Armstrong served for over three years as NSW's first female Crown Solicitor, with over 25 years' experience in government and commercial law.
Prior to being appointed as the NSW Crown Solicitor, Justice Armstrong worked as NSW Treasury's first General Counsel. Earlier in her career, Justice Armstrong served in a range of senior roles in the Crown Solicitor's Office, including as General Counsel and as an Assistant Crown Solicitor in commercial law and in administrative law. Her Honour developed particular expertise in complex commercial transactions, public law and governance. She also worked for three years in a major Sydney commercial law firm, then Blake Dawson Waldron Solicitors. In her early years in legal practice, her Honour also tutored in Principles of Constitutional Law at the Australian National University, and worked in the Law and Government Group in the Parliamentary Research Service serving both Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament.
Associate Professor Heather Roberts (B Asian Studies (Hons)/LLB (Hons)/GDLP '00, PhD '08)

Director of ANU College of Law's Visiting Judges program
Dr Heather Roberts is the leading and pioneer scholar on judicial swearing- in ceremonies. In 2015 this research was showcased in her interview with Anita Barraud on ABC Radio National's Law Report. This interview drew on her extensive and ground-breaking archival research into the origins and contemporary practice of these ceremonies in Australian Federal Courts.
Her swearing-in research is part of a larger research agenda exploring the question: how does who a judge is make a difference to how the law develops? This question originally prompted her return to academia to pursue doctoral research examining the constitutional philosophy of Sir William Deane. She has continued this interest through studies of the jurisprudence of Justices Michael Kirby and Dyson Heydon, and presented and published her research nationally and internationally.