Rowena Orr | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Victoria | |
| Assumed office 18 April 2024 (2024-04-18) | |
| Solicitor-General of Victoria | |
| In office 2021–2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kristen Walker |
| Succeeded by | Alistair Pound |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 (age 52–53) |
Rowena Orr is an Australian jurist who has served as a judge in the Court of Appeal of Victoria since 18 April 2024. From 2021 to 2024, Orr served as Solicitor-General of Victoria, and is best known for her role during the 2017–2019 Banking Royal Commission, where her performance assisting the commissioner gained her the moniker "shock and Orr".[1][2][3][4]
Orr was born in 1973 in Sydney. She studied law and economics at the University of Queensland, graduating in 1996.[3][5] Over the following years she worked as a judge's associate to Michael McHugh and John Murtagh Macrossan,[6] then as a solicitor at the Director of Public Prosecutions, before leaving Australia for England where she studied at St John's College, Cambridge,[3][5] attaining a Master of Philosophy in Criminology.[6]
In 2002 she became a barrister, with a focus on criminal, trade practices, and administrative law, often representing Victoria Police. Early in her career as a barrister, she was involved in the inquest into the murder of Jaidyn Leskie. In 2014 she was appointed senior counsel. By 2018, Orr's practice had shifted to a focus on competition law while still maintaining work across a broad area of law, unusual in an era when most barristers specialized.[3][5][6]
As of 2018, Orr lived in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill with her husband, also a barrister, and their two children.[5]
References
- ^ Doraisamy, Jerome (17 April 2024). "Rowena Orr named as judge of the Victorian Court of Appeal". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ Shanahan, Maxim (18 April 2024). "Banking royal commission star Rowena Orr joins the bench". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d Patrick, Aaron (6 December 2018). "Shock and Orr: Is Rowena Orr headed to the bench after banking royal commission?". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ Dexter, Rachael; Mills, Tammy (4 May 2021). "'Such a talented woman': Rowena Orr named as Victoria's solicitor-general". The Age. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d Butler, Ben (17 November 2018). "Legal eagle soars over royal commissions". The Australian.
- ^ a b c Varga, Remy (4 May 2021). "Rowena Orr appointed Victoria's Solicitor-General". The Australian.
Further reading
- Caisley, Olivia (8 January 2019). "Australian of the Year: legal 'warrior woman' Rowena Orr claimed serious scalps". The Australian.
- Whitbourn, Michaela (14 March 2018). "The woman asking the hard questions at the banking royal commission". The Sydney Morning Herald.
