Lorraine Walker
{{Short description|Australian judge}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date = March 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix=Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
|name=Lorraine Walker
|honorific-suffix=
|image=
|image_size=
|office=Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
|nominator=
|appointed=Simon Corbell
|term_start={{start date|2011|10|13|df=y}}
|term_end=
|predecessor=John Burns
|office2=Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
|term_start2={{start date|2019|08|01|df=y}}
|term_end2=
|nominator2=
|appointer2=Gordon Ramsay
|predecessor2=
|successor2=
|office3=Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory
|term_start3={{start date|2010|07|19|df=y}}
|term_end3=12 October 2011
|nominator3=
|appointer3=Simon Corbell
|predecessor3=
|successor3=
|occupation=Lawyer
Jurist
|birth_name=
|birth_date=
|birth_place=United Kingdom
|spouse=
|children=4
|nationality=Australian
British
|education=
|alma_mater=University of Sydney|allegiance=Australia|branch=Royal Australian Air Force}}
Lorraine Anne Walker is the Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory and was an Acting Judge of Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.
She was sworn in as a Magistrate on 19 July 2010 and as Chief Magistrate on 13 October 2011. On 1 August 2019, Walker was appointed an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court for 12 months to establish the Territory's Drug and Alcohol Court.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/gordon-ramsay-mla-media-releases/2019/lorraine-walker-appointed-as-acting-judge-of-the-supreme-court|title=Lorraine Walker appointed as Acting Judge of the Supreme Court|date=2019-07-30|website=ACT Government|language=en|access-date=2019-08-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6299973/bench-shuffle-as-chief-magistrate-moves-into-new-drug-court-role/|title=Bench shuffle as chief magistrate moves into new drug court role|last=Back|first=Alexandra|date=2019-07-30|website=The Canberra Times|language=en|access-date=2019-08-05}}
She is the first woman to be appointed Chief Magistrate.{{Cite web|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/new-chief-magistrate-20111013-1v5ds.html|title=New chief magistrate|date=2011-10-12|website=The Canberra Times|language=en|access-date=2019-03-09}}
Early life
Walker was born in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/02/01/3420589.htm|title=Canberra Conversations: Lorraine Walker|last=Cummins|first=Jamie|date=2012-02-01|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-03-10}} She travelled between the United Kingdom and Australia as a child.
She studied at the University of Sydney.{{Cite web|url=https://www.courts.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/976980/ceremonial_sitting_28_november_2011_chief_magistrate_lorraine_walker1.pdf|title=On the occasion of the appointment of Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker|last=Corbell|first=Simon|date=28 November 2011|website=Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory|access-date=10 March 2019}}
Career
After graduating, Walker enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a legal officer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-13/new-act-chief-magistrate/3570012|title=Walker named 1st female chief magistrate|date=2011-10-13|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-03-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.actlawsociety.asn.au/documents/item/360|title=ACT Law Society Welcomes Appointment of Magistrate Lorraine Walker|date=28 April 2010|website=ACT Law Society|access-date=10 March 2019}}
She then worked in the United Kingdom as a prosecutor and defence lawyer.
In 1996, Walker returned to Australia and worked as a partner at Barker Gosling.
She then became a barrister in 2000 practising in the Australian Capital Territory.
Walker has served on the board of the ACT Law Society, the ACT Bar Association and the Canberra Institute of Technology. She has also tutored at the Australian National University.
In 2010, she was appointed to the Magistrates Court.{{Cite web|url=https://legislation.act.gov.au/LegViewer/TextView?itemPath=%7Cni%7C2010-229%7C&versionPath=%7Cni%7C2010-229%7Ccurrent&fileName=2010-229.rtf&resultList=%2Fisysquery%2F7FC7D22E-239F-4197-8445-0F83D7CE5BC3%2F1-8%2Flist%2F&searchFormQuery=sQuery%3Dlorraine%2Bwalker%26sCategory%3DcAct%26sCategory%3DcSub%26sCategory%3DcDis%26sCategory%3DcNot%26sMinister%3D0%26sDirectorate%3D0%26sStatus%3DCurrent%26sYearFrom%3D%26sYearTo%3D%26action%3Dsearch&url=%2Fisysquery%2F7fc7d22e-239f-4197-8445-0f83d7ce5bc3%2F2%2Fdoc%2F|title=Magistrates Court (Magistrate) Appointment 2010|website=ACT Government Legislation Database|access-date=9 March 2019}} In 2011, she was appointed Chief Magistrate.{{Cite web|url=https://legislation.act.gov.au/LegViewer/TextView?itemPath=%7Cni%7C2011-805%7C&versionPath=%7Cni%7C2011-805%7Ccurrent&fileName=2011-805.rtf&resultList=%2Fisysquery%2F2FF66CA1-9B8E-4078-80E9-3147B07E8164%2F1-1%2Flist%2F&searchFormQuery=sQuery%3DMagistrates%2BCourt%2BAppointment%26sCategory%3DcAct%26sCategory%3DcSub%26sCategory%3DcDis%26sCategory%3DcNot%26sMinister%3D0%26sDirectorate%3D0%26sStatus%3DCurrent%26sYearFrom%3D%26sYearTo%3D%26action%3Dsearch&url=%2Fisysquery%2F2ff66ca1-9b8e-4078-80e9-3147b07e8164%2F1%2Fdoc%2F|title=Magistrates Court Appointment 2011|website=ACT Government Legislation Database|access-date=9 March 2019}} By virtue of her appointment as Chief Magistrate, she is also the Chief Coroner of the Australian Capital Territory.[https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/View/a/1997-57/current/PDF/1997-57.PDF Coroners Act 1997 (ACT)] (PDF).
In 2019, Walker was appointed to the Supreme Court as an Acting Judge to establish the Territory's Drug and Alcohol Court. As her appointment as an Acting Judge was only for one year, and she continued to formally hold the role of Chief Magistrate. Magistrate Glenn Theakston was appointed as Acting Chief Magistrate during her appointment to the Supreme Court.