The Hon Jane Annabel Darling NEEDHAM
Judge, Federal Court of Australia: 5.7.2024
Location: Sydney
Justice Needham was appointed to the Federal Court on 5 July 2024.
Justice Needham graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales in 1986 and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Technology, Sydney, in 1990. Justice Needham was called to the New South Wales Bar in 1990, and practised from 13th Floor St James’ Hall Chambers from 1991. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2004, from part-time practice.
At the Bar, Justice Needham practised in mainly commercial areas including succession, equity, and trusts, and also in administrative and revenue law. She appeared in a number of Royal Commissions, inquiries, and inquests.
She was a Judicial Member, and then Deputy President of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal from 2002-2011, and was appointed the head of the Revenue Division. Justice Needham served on the Council of the Bar Association of New South Wales for many years and was its President from 2014-2015.
Associateship applications
Justice Needham’s Chambers are staffed by two Associates on an overlapping basis, with a new Associate appointed in February and August of each year for a period of 12 months each. Her Honour seeks to appoint Associates who have at least one year of post admission experience in legal practice, or similarly relevant experience.
Please be advised that Justice Needham has appointed Associates for 2024. The next vacant position will commence in August 2025. Applications for positions commencing in August 2025 and February 2026 should be submitted before 28 February 2025, and should include a curriculum vitae, university transcript, and brief covering letter. Please send the above, compiled in one pdf document not exceeding 6 pages, by email to nswreg@fedcourt.gov.au marked to the attention of the Associate to Justice Needham. Any general queries can be similarly addressed.
General information about the Associate position can be found in the Judges’ Associates page of the Employment section of the Federal Court website.
