Tom Bathurst was called to the bar in 1977 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1987. He practised primarily in the fields of corporate law, commercial law, competition law and revenue law, and was leading counsel in many major commercial and corporate cases, and have advised on a significant number of corporate takeovers, mergers and corporate reconstructions.

 

Tom has given expert evidence on Australian property law and contract law in New Zealand and on Corporations Law issues in the United Kingdom. He has also appeared in the Supreme Court in Hong Kong. Tom appeared extensively in corporate and commercial appeals in the Court of Appeal in New South Wales, the Federal Court of Australia, the High Court and all interstate appellate courts.

Tom served as President of the Australian Bar Association between 2008 and 2010, and the New South Wales Bar Association from 2009 to 2011. He was also a member of the Australian Government Takeovers, Mergers and Corporate Reconstructions Panel between 2006 and 2011.

On June 1st, 2011, Tom was appointed as Chief Justice of New South Wales; a role which he served until his retirement on March 5th, 2022. During his tenure at the bench, Tom presided over cases in the areas of criminal law and commercial law, and have heard numerous cases of public interest.

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​Tom is well recognised for his work at both the Bar and the Bench. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2014, and was elected an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple in October 2016. Tom received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Sydney in 2019, and was the Chair of the Judicial Section of LAWASIA from 2015 to 2022.