The Andrews Labor Government has today announced the appointments of Elizabeth Brimer SC and George Georgiou SC as judges of the County Court.
Ms Brimer signed the Bar Roll in 1999 and was appointed Senior Counsel in November 2018. She has extensive experience in civil, criminal, commercial administrative and OH&S law, and has appeared in the Coroners Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Courts of Victoria, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
Her diverse experience includes appearing in major class actions, acting as a commercial arbitrator and appearing in civil and other commercial matters.
She has also defended and prosecuted murder and rape trials and appeared in applications to re-open historic police investigations.
Ms Brimer has also appeared in Royal Commissions into the Black Saturday bushfires and Metropolitan Ambulance Service and advised in relation to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission.
She served as Code of Conduct Commissioner for Cricket Australia for three seasons, and has been a tribunal member for Netball Australia, the National Basketball League and Basketball Victoria.
Mr Georgiou was admitted to practice in 1986 and worked as a solicitor specialising predominantly in the personal injury field before spending a year with a small firm in London practising in criminal law.
He was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1990, where he served until December 1994 and subsequently worked as the Principal Legal Officer of the Alice Springs Office of the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission until 2001
He was a Senior Public Defender for Victoria Legal Aid from 2001 until he returned to the Bar in 2007, and throughout his career has appeared before courts in Victoria, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and the ACT.
Mr Georgiou was appointed Senior Counsel in November 2012 and has since appeared in numerous high-profile cases throughout Australia, including representing David Eastman in his lengthy murder trial in the ACT Supreme Court.
In 2014, Mr Georgiou was lead counsel on behalf of three survivors before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearings on the Retta Dixon Home in Darwin.
Their appointments fill vacancies created by the retirement of Judge Duncan Allen and Judge Howard Mason.
Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Jill Hennessy
“Both Ms Brimer and Mr Georgiou are well respected Senior Counsel, with wide-ranging expertise and experience across various legal fields and jurisdictions, which will serve them extremely well in this important role.”
“I congratulate both Ms Brimer and Mr Georgiou on their appointments and look forward to the contribution they will make to the County Court.”
“I also want to thank Judge Allen and Judge Mason for their tireless work and dedication to the Court.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020