Thomson Reuters is delighted to welcome the Honourable Justice François Kunc as the new General Editor of the ALJ, commencing with Volume 90 Part 5, together with several new Editors who will join the ALJ team.
The May issue of the ALJ opens with his Honour’s appreciation for the remarkable achievements and tenure of the previous General Editor, the Honourable Acting Justice Peter Young AO, who held the post from 1992 to April 2016, and also contains a tribute written by the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG.
The Hon Justice François Kunc: Eighth General Editor of the ALJ
The Honourable Justice François Kunc was appointed to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in April 2013 and sits in the Equity Division. After graduating with degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney, his Honour practised as a solicitor with Allen Allen and Hemsley from 1986. He was called to the Bar in 1992 and appointed Senior Counsel in 2007, based in chambers at Eleven Wentworth. He was a leader of the commercial bar, appearing in courts throughout Australia for major government, corporate and individual clients, including Paul Hogan and Ginia Rinehart. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
Having studied piano and violin at the NSW Conservatorium, and after seriously considering a career in classical music, his Honour has maintained a lifelong interest in the arts and culture including as a legal adviser and board member, most recently as a Director of the Opera Australia Capital Fund. In early 2016, Pope Francis created his Honour a Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great for services to the Catholic Church. His Honour currently also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Equity, the Editorial Committee of the Civil Trials Bench Book, and the Drafting Committee for the Australian national standards for interpreters in courts and tribunals (under the auspices of the Judicial Council for Cultural Diversity). He is also Chairman of The Layne Beachley Aim for the Stars Foundation.
Justice Kunc steps into his new role just ahead of the 90th anniversary of The Australian Law Journal, which first published on 5 May 1927. In a recent interview, his Honour spoke about the challenges and opportunities involved in guiding the journal through today’s rapidly changing professional landscape, the unique role of the ALJ in informing the law and legal practice generally, and encouraging thoughtful conversation about the development and practice of Australian law across all branches of the legal profession. Read more on why his Honour took on the role and his vision for the future of the ALJ.
Justice Kunc has invited four distinguished members of the profession to bring their extensive experience to the journal, and we are pleased to announce their appointment as follows:
Dr Nuncio D’Angelo – as Assistant General Editor, alongside Angelina Gomez, Ruth Higgins and Clare Langford
Dr Nuncio D’Angelo is a partner and Head of Banking & Finance Australia at Norton Rose Fulbright. He is a board member and vice president of the Banking and Financial Services Law Association (BFSLA) as well as a founding member of its Academic Committee. He is an active member of the Documentation Committee of the Asia Pacific Loan Markets Association (APLMA) and the Technical Committee of the Finance & Treasury Association (FTA). He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and lectures part-time at Sydney Law School, and is widely published in the areas of banking and finance, insolvency and commercial trusts. Dr D’Angelo’s dual role as a senior solicitor practitioner and active academic will play a significant part in ensuring that the journal continues to reflect and represent key segments of the Australian legal profession.
Professor Michael Coper – Section Editor for brand new “From the Law Schools” section
One of Australia’s most distinguished legal academics, Michael Coper is Professor of Law at the ANU College of Law, where he was Dean from 1998 to 2012, having previously worked in government and private legal practice and having been one of the founding fathers of the UNSW Law School. His books include Encounters with the Australian Constitution (1987) and The Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia (2001, co-edited), and he has appeared as counsel in a number of High Court matters, including Cole v Whitfield (1988) 165 CLR 360. He was Chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans (2005-2007) and Vice President of the International Association of Law Schools (2011-2014), and has written extensively about legal education. Professor Coper will head a new Section entitled “From the Law Schools”, a forum for law schools and legal academics in the national legal discourse.
The Honourable Justice John Dominic Burns – Section Editor for the Australian Capital Territory
The Hon Justice John Burns
Justice John Burns was first admitted to practise as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1981. He practised as a Legal Aid solicitor in the Legal Services Commission of New South Wales, specialising in criminal law, until January 1983 when he joined the Deputy Crown Solicitor’s office in Canberra as a Prosecutor. In 1984, he joined the newly created office of the Australian Government Solicitor in Canberra as a senior solicitor, before being invited to join the firm of Gallens Barristers and Solicitors, where he subsequently became a partner. In April 1989, his Honour commenced practice at the bar at Blackburn Chambers.
His Honour was appointed as a Magistrate and Coroner of the Australian Capital Territory in April 1990. During his time as a Magistrate, his Honour spent three years as the Childrens Court Magistrate. In December 2009, his Honour was appointed Chief Magistrate and Chief Coroner of the Australian Capital Territory. He held those positions until he was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory on 1 August 2011.
The Honourable Justice Kevin Nicholson – Section Editor for South Australia
Justice Kevin Nicholson was admitted to practise as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1977, and the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1995, and worked across a number of firms including Henry Davis York, Piper Alderman and Thomson Playford, before being called to the bar in 1997. His Honour also has a long-standing affiliation with the University of Adelaide Law School and the University of Newcastle, where he taught as Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor, lecturing in the areas of insurance, contract, business regulation and professional liability. He took silk in 2006, and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2013. His Honour served as a judge of the District Court of South Australia from 2006 to 2012, before being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Kourakis as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia. Justice Nicholson was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia on 19 July 2012.
We wish our new General Editor and his team all the best for the future.
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