Wayne Stewart Martin (born 28 December 1952) is a lawyer and former judge who served as

Chief Justice of Western Australia The Chief Justice of Western Australia is the most senior judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Western Australia. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Sup ...

from 2006 until 2018, and Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia from 2009 to 2019.

Early life and education

Martin was born on 28 December 1952 and attended North Perth Primary School and

Christ Church Grammar School Christ Church Grammar School is a multi-campus Independent school, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Single-sex school, single-sex Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primary and Secondary school#Australia, se ...

. He graduated 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 1973, with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and First Class Honours. Martin completed his articled clerkship with Lavan & Walsh, and subsequently completed a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. He was admitted to practice in

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 ...

in 1977, and was a partner of the law firm Keall Brinsden (now

Corrs Chambers Westgarth Corrs Chambers Westgarth (often referred to as ''Corrs'') is an Australian commercial law firm founded in 1841. Corrs has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Port Moresby. Corrs' clients include national and international corporat ...

) until joining the independent bar in 1988. He was made a QC in 1993.

Legal career

In addition to his work as a barrister, Martin is a former chairman of the Western Australian Law Reform Commission, president of the Administrative Review Council,AIJA Tribunals Conference
"Recent publications of the Administrative Review Council, Including Preparing Statements of Reasons - June 2003"
/ref> and president of the Western Australia Bar Association. In addition, he is a former president of the

Law Society of Western Australia Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

and a director of the

Law Council of Australia The Law Council of Australia, founded in 1933, is an association of law societies and bar associations from the states and territories of Australia, and the peak body representing the legal profession in Australia. The Law Council represents m ...

Judicial career

As Chief Justice, Martin spoke out about the need to enhance access to justice and improve the efficiency of the legal system. He also came to the defence of the legal system in the wake of criticisms in some sections of the media that resulted from several high-profile miscarriages of justice. Martin instigated several changes to modernise the courts in Western Australia, including abolishing the traditional wigs and jabots, publishing sentencing comments online, and allowing the use of electronic devices and social media when covering court cases. In his role as Lieutenant-Governor, he has served as Administrator of the State on two occasions when the position of

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...

is vacant: from 2 May to 1 July 2011, following the expiration of

Ken Michael Kenneth Comninos Michael, (born 12 April 1938) is an Australian civil engineer, academic and former public servant who was the 30th Governor of Western Australia, serving from 2006 to 2011. Early life and career Michael was born in Perth, W ...

's term, and from 1 July 2014 to October 2014, following the expiration of

Malcolm McCusker Malcolm James McCusker (born 6 August 1938) is an Australian barrister and philanthropist who was the 31st Governor of Western Australia, serving from July 2011 to June 2014. Born in Perth, McCusker was educated at Hobart High School (in Hob ...

's term. Martin retired in July 2018. He has served as an international

commercial court Business courts, sometimes referred to as commercial courts, are specialized courts for legal cases involving commercial law, internal business disputes, and other matters affecting businesses. In the US, they are trial courts that primarily or ...

judge on the DIFC Courts in Dubai.

Board member

Martin became a West Australian Football Commission board member in 2019 before being elected chairman in 2020 and then reappointed on a three-year term in December 2021. His tenure as chair will conclude on 31 December 2024.

Honours

On 11 June 2012, Chief Justice Martin was named an Companion of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for "eminent service to the judiciary and to the law, particularly as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, to legal reform and education, and to the community".

References

External links

Transcript of farewell ceremony at the Supreme Court
on Martin's retirement. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Wayne 1952 births Living people Companions of the Order of Australia Alumni of King's College London Australian King's Counsel Chief justices of Western Australia People educated at Christ Church Grammar School Lawyers from Perth, Western Australia University of Western Australia alumni Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia 21st-century Australian judges Fellows of King's College London