Arthur Emmett (judge)

Arthur Robert Emmett, AO, KC (born 1943) is an Australian judge who served as a member of the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 7 March 2013 to 30 September 2015, and has continued to serve as an Acting Judge of the Court of Appeal since that date. From 1997 until 2013 he was a judge of the Federal Court of Australia. Prior to his appointment to Judge,

The Honourable Arthur Emmett AO, KC
Acting Judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 September 2015
Judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal
In office 7 March 2013 – 30 September 2015
Judge of the Federal Court of Australia
In office 3 February 1997 – 6 March 2013
Personal details
Born	Arthur Robert Emmett 1943 (age 80–81) Crows Nest, New South Wales
Spouse	Sylvia Street
Children	6
Parent(s)	Arthur and Phoebe Emmett
Relatives	Street family (in-law)
Alma mater	Sydney Law School

Biography

Emmett was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and the University of Sydney, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1964, a Bachelor of Laws in 1967, and a Master of Laws in 1976. Emmett has lectured in Roman Law at the Sydney Law School, where he holds the title of Challis Lecturer in Roman Law since 1990. On 22 May 2009, the University of Sydney conferred upon Emmett the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa).

In 1967, Arthur was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales. From 1964 to 1978 he was employed by Dawson Waldron, now Ashurst LLP, eventually being promoted to Partner. He practised primarily in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, as well as estate planning.

In 1978 Arthur was called to the Bar of New South Wales and practised from the prestigious Eleventh Floor Wentworth Chambers. He was appointed Queens Counsel for New South Wales in 1985. While at the Bar, he practised in the Federal Court and the Equity and Commercial Divisions of the Supreme Courts of NSW, WA, ACT, SA and Victoria. He also served on several committees while at the Bar, including the Legal Services Tribunal.

Arthur was appointed a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia in 1997, holding the appointment until 2013. He was a member of the Admiralty, Competition, Corporations, Patents and Taxation Panels of the Court. Following this appointment, Arthur was a Judge and Judge Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, which he held until October of 2015. From then until 1 October 2021 he was an Acting Judge of Appeal, regularly sitting in the Equity Division.

Since his Judgeship, Arthur he continued to enjoy membership of the panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance, a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and a member of the International Arbitration Centre's Panel of Arbitrators for Financial Services Disputes.

Arthur is currently Chair of the Electoral Commission of NSW, the presiding member of the Legal Profession Admission Board of NSW, the Chair of the Admissions Committee of the Legal Services Council and the Chair of the Law Admissions Consultative Committee appointed by the Council of Chief Justices.

Personal life

His wife Sylvia (née Street), previously served as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and is the daughter of the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Sir Laurence Street. They have six children: Laurence, Hilary, Robert, James, Phoebe-Jane, and Christopher.