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John Dixon (judge)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Dixon is a former judge at the Supreme Court of Victoria, who had a legal career spanning 40 years.

Early life and education

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John Dixon is a graduate of the law school at the University of Queensland and completed his Masters of Laws at University of Melbourne.[1]

Career

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Lawyer

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From 1977 Dixon practised as a lawyer,[1] spending 27 years of his practice in criminal and commercial law.[2] As a barrister, he worked in many jurisdictions in commercial law. He specialised in investment law and professional negligence. He also practised as a mediator and was a certified arbitrator.[3]

Judge

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He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in the Trials Division[1] on 14 September 2014.[3]

During his tenure as judge, he presided over some complex class actions, including by victims of the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009,[2][4] another which challenged legal fees charged by lawyers, and the Rebel Wilson defamation case against Bauer Media in 2018.[2]

Other roles

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Dixon was a Fellow of the Australian Institute for Commercial Arbitration. He also occupied positions on a number of bodies, including:[3]

  • Treasurer and executive member of the Commercial Bar Association (Commbar)
  • Chairman of the Corporations and Securities Law Section of CommBar
  • Vice-President of the Australian Institute for Commercial Arbitration
  • Member of the Pro Bono Committee of the Victorian Bar Council

Retirement

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Dixon retired in September 2023. In his farewell ceremony, which was live-streamed on 27 September,[5] Dixon called for the recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, ahead of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Welcome the Honourable Justice John Dixon" (PDF). Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Silva, Kristian (28 September 2023). "Victorian Supreme Court judge uses retirement speech to call for constitutional recognition". ABC News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "The Honourable Justice John Dixon". MTECC. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Court approves distribution of almost $700M in 2009 Black Saturday bushfire class actions". The Supreme Court of Victoria. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Justice John Dixon's farewell ceremony to be live streamed". The Supreme Court of Victoria. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.

Further reading

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