16 Facts About Carolyn Simpson

Carolyn Chalmers Simpson was born on 30 March 1946 and was a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales for 24 years and of its Court of Appeal for nearly three.

Justice Simpson made legal history in 1999 as one of three women judges who formed the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court.

Carolyn Simpson was the second woman to be appointed to the court.

Carolyn Simpson was born 30 March 1946, at Forbes in the Central West of New South Wales, to William George and Janet Bower Chalmers.

Carolyn Simpson received her education as a boarder at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney at Croydon, and following matriculation attended Bathurst Teachers College, graduating with a Diploma of Education in 1965.

Carolyn Simpson graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and then completed the Barristers Admission Board examinations.

Carolyn Simpson served as an associate to a District Court judge.

Carolyn Simpson was admitted to the New South Wales bar in 1976 and appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1989.

Subsequently, Carolyn Simpson observed that, as more women were appointed judges in the Supreme Court, there would be more benches of three.

Carolyn Simpson sat in the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of NSW until her elevation to the Court of Appeal in June 2015.

Carolyn Simpson retired as a full judge on 29 March 2018, however continues to work as an Acting Justice of Appeal in the NSW Court of Appeal.

Justice Carolyn Simpson has presided over a number of high-profile cases.

Carolyn Simpson was the judge responsible for sentencing Neddy Smith, a notorious gangland murderer, to life imprisonment in 1989.

Carolyn Simpson dismissed the action and ordered Ten to pay Rowe's court costs, finding that the contract was for a closed period of two years and expired at the conclusion of the case.

Carolyn Simpson set a precedent in 2007 when she awarded around 1 million to a teenager who was bullied at primary school.

Carolyn Simpson concluded that the school had "grossly failed" in its duty of care to Benjamin Cox, who now suffers from a severe psychiatric condition.