The College warmly congratulates Dr Stephen Paul Donaghue KC, Judge Melissa Daly, Judge Susan Wakeling and Judge Anthony Lewis on their judicial appointments.
Stephen Paul Donaghue KC has been appointed as a Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria, effective 27 January 2026. Dr Donaghue has practiced at the Bar for 24 years and commenced his role as Solicitor-General January 2017. He holds degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne, and received the Supreme Court Prize as the top graduate in law at the University of Melbourne in 1995. He also holds a DPhil from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he studied after receiving Menzies and Commonwealth scholarships. He has appeared regularly before the Full Court of the High Court, mainly in matters involving constitutional and administrative law, and in many complex appellate and trial matters in the Federal Court of Australia.
Judge Melissa Daly has been appointed as a Judge of the County Court of Victoria and Vice-President of VCAT, effective 16 December 2025, after serving as an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court since 2008. Her Honour was appointed as a Master of the Supreme Court of Victoria in October 2006, after ten years in private practice. She primarily sat in the Common Law Division of the Court, hearing applications and trials in the Property, Trusts, Equity and Probate and Judicial Review and Appeals lists. Since 2020 she has been involved in a number of programs provided by the National Judicial College of Australia, and was a group coach in the Judicial College of Victoria's 'Effective oral decisions' program in 2025.
Judge Susan Wakeling will sit in the County Court's Criminal Division. Her Honour was appointed as a Magistrate in 2000 and has been the Deputy Chief Magistrate since 2020. Judge Wakeling was also Supervising Magistrate of the Victims of Crime Tribunal from 2005–2009, before becoming the Regional Coordinating Magistrate at Heidelberg from 2011–2018 and Regional Coordinating Magistrate at Melbourne from 2018–2020. She has played an instrumental role in leading the family violence work of the Magistrates' Court, including 7 years overseeing the operation of the Family Violence Division at Heidelberg, and has contributed her extensive expertise to judicial education on family violence and other areas of law and practice at the College.
Judge Anthony Lewis will sit in the County Court's Criminal Division. His Honour joined the Bar in 2004 and held a successful practice specialising in criminal law. His practice was wide-ranging and included regulatory investigations, inquiries, inquests, and appearing in royal commissions. His Honour also served as a committee member of the Criminal Bar Association for four years, two of which he served as Treasurer.