Judge Caroline Kirton QC
Class of 1979

After a lengthy and impressive career in the legal profession, including 28 as a barrister and six as a Queen’s Counsel, Judge Caroline Kirton QC was formally admitted to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia in January this year.

Caroline attended Ivanhoe Girls’ in Form 5 and 6 in 1978 and 1979.

Caroline studied an Arts/Law degree at The University of Melbourne, majoring in Mandarin. In her third year of university Caroline was offered Articles at Melbourne law firm Phillips Fox and Masel, and decided “to become a partner in a city law firm.”

After working as a solicitor in Mount Isa, Queensland, Caroline returned to Melbourne to join the Banking and Finance Department at Phillips Fox. She was admitted to the Bar in 1990.

During her lengthy career she has also been an advocacy teacher, the President of Australian Women Lawyers and the Convenor of the Women Barristers Association. She has also been the Chair of the Law Council’s Equal Opportunity Committee, where she took part in the national discussion about LGBTI rights in the workplace, and the focus on bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace.