The Hon. Justice Ralph Lloyd Simmonds was born in

Sydney, NSW Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in May 1950, and educated at Nedlands Primary School and Christ Church Grammar School in

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

in 1972 and a Master of Laws from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Ontario, Canada Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, in 1976. He was admitted to practice in Western Australia in 1974, after articling at Muir Williams Nicholson & Co (now Freehills). He was a law lecturer at the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

, Ontario, together with his Quebec-native wife, a multilingual academic who obtained her PhD from the University of Toronto, and then

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, 1980–89. Canada's province of Quebec has French rather than English law other than for the federal Criminal Code, but McGill's faculty of law provides legal education to students in both French and English law. Simmonds was Foundation Dean (1992–95, 1997–2003) and Foundation Professor of Law at

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its ...

in Perth. He has also served on the Law Reform Commission of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and as National Convenor of the Committee of Australian Law Deans (1994–95). He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in February 2004.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmonds, Ralph 1950 births Living people 20th-century Australian lawyers People educated at Christ Church Grammar School Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Law 21st-century Australian judges Academic staff of Murdoch University