Her Honour Judge Kate Traill

Judge Kate Traill was called to the bar in 1987 and practiced primarily as a criminal barrister.  She was appointed as a Crown Prosecutor in 2009, remaining in that role until 2010.  As counsel, she appeared in jury trials in the NSW District and Supreme Courts and in appeals in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.  During her time as a barrister, she served on the Bar Council for 25 years, as a member of the Executive and numerous Bar Council committees including the Professional Conduct Committee.

In 2007, her Honour was commissioned as an Officer in the Royal Australian Navy. She undertook numerous inquiries, legal reviews and appeared for accused in General Court Martials.  Her Honour has served as both prosecuting officer and defending officer in the ADF and holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Her Honour was also appointed Honorary Aide-de-Camp to Professor The Hon. Dame Marie Bashir AD, CVO and His Excellency General The Hon. David Hurley AC, DSC (Ret’d), Their Excellencies both former Governors of NSW and His Excellency, who was also the former Governor General.

Her Honour was appointed a Specialist Child Sexual Assault Judge of the District Court of NSW in 2015.  Since her Honour’s appointment she has presided over the recording of children’s evidence in the Child Sexual Offence Evidence Program (CSOEP), which originally operated in the District Court in Sydney Downing Centre and Newcastle Courthouse and is now in the process of being rolled out across the state of NSW.  Her Honour is overseeing the rollout and runs the CSOEP list at Central District Court.