John Dixon (judge)

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

Early life and education

John Dixon is a graduate of the law school at the University of Queensland and completed his Masters of Laws at University of Melbourne.{{cite web |url=http://www.vicbar.com.au/GetFile.ashx?file=BarCouncilChairFiles%2FWelcome_to_the_Honourable_Justice_John_Dixon_24_Sept_2010.pdf |title=Welcome the Honourable Justice John Dixon |access-date=October 4, 2013}}

Career

=Lawyer=

From 1977 Dixon practised as a lawyer, spending 27 years of his practice in criminal and commercial law. 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.{{cite web | title=The Honourable Justice John Dixon | website=MTECC | date=16 September 2023 | url=https://mtecc.com.au/senior/the-honourable-justice-john-dixon/ | access-date=30 September 2023}}

=Judge=

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

During his tenure as judge, he presided over some complex class actions, including by victims of the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009,{{cite web | title=Court approves distribution of almost $700M in 2009 Black Saturday bushfire class actions | website=The Supreme Court of Victoria | url=https://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au/for-the-media/media-releases/court-approves-distribution-of-almost-700m-in-2009-black-saturday | access-date=30 September 2023}} another which challenged legal fees charged by lawyers, and the Rebel Wilson defamation case against Bauer Media in 2018.

Other roles

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

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

Dixon retired in September 2023. In his farewell ceremony, which was live-streamed on 27 September,{{cite web | title=Justice John Dixon's farewell ceremony to be live streamed | website=The Supreme Court of Victoria | date=22 September 2023 | url=https://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au/news/justice-john-dixons-farewell-ceremony-to-be-live-streamed | access-date=30 September 2023}} Dixon called for the recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, ahead of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.{{cite web | last=Silva | first=Kristian | title=Victorian Supreme Court judge uses retirement speech to call for constitutional recognition | website=ABC News | date=28 September 2023 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-28/supreme-court-judge-john-dixon-retires-voice-to-parliament/102912466 | access-date=28 September 2023}}