Salary $79,657 plus 15.4% Superannuation.
To apply for an associateship with a particular Justice, an applicant should write directly to the Justice with whom s/he would like to work. Alternatively, if you are interested in working for any one of the Justices without any preference then you should write to the Chief Executive and Principal Registrar, and s/he will raise your interest with the Justices. You should include a current CV and an academic transcript with your letter.
Generally there are no specific closing dates for applications but it is common for the Justices to appoint their associates two and three years in advance. An application should indicate the years the applicant would be available for employment.
Competition for appointment is very strong and there are sometimes upwards of 200 applications for potential vacancies. The normal expectation is that a person appointed as an associate will have graduated with first class honours and will preferably have research experience (and often experience working for a law firm or university or another court).
For general information about the Court, applicants should peruse the information available on this website, including the Court's Annual Reports. The address for correspondence is:
High Court of Australia
PO Box 6309
KINGSTON ACT 2604
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Chief Justice Gageler
The Honourable Chief Justice Stephen Gageler will appoint two associates each January to commence in January and July of the following year. Applicants should forward expressions of interest to Chief Justice Gageler's Chambers in October of the preceding year and include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, academic transcript and must include a postal address.
Candidates with post graduate qualifications in law and prior experience as a judge's associate will generally be preferred. The next appointments will occur in January 2024 to commence in January and July 2025.
Expressions of interest should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it in October only. Applications are open from 1 to 31 October 2023. Early applications will not be accepted.
Justice Gordon
The Honourable Justice Gordon has appointed associates up until July 2025. A notice will be posted on this webpage when applications open for future positions.
Justice Edelman
The next associate positions are available from January 2027 and July 2027. Expressions of interest should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it during December 2025 with applications to close on 31 December 2025 and interviews and appointments in January 2026.
Candidates should have or expect a first class degree.
At least one position will usually be for a candidate with any or all of the following experience or qualifications:
- Experience as an Associate on a different Court;
- Postgraduate studies/qualifications in law; and/or
- Time in legal practice.
Justice Steward
The next associateships available with the Honourable Justice Simon Steward are those commencing from January 2027 and beyond for a 12-month period each, with appointments commencing in January and July of each year. Applications should consist of a cover letter, curriculum vitae and academic transcript and should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it not before 1 October 2025 with the closing date being 31 October 2025. Applications should specify the period/s they wish to be considered for the position of associate.
Justice Gleeson
Justice Gleeson has two associates, one commencing in January and one commencing in July each year. The next available positions commence in 2025. Applications for these positions should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it from 1 to 31 October 2023.
An application should include a covering letter of no more than one page explaining why the candidate seeks the position, curriculum vitae, academic transcript and contact details for two referees. Early and late applications will not be accepted.
Justice Jagot
The next associateships available with the Honourable Justice Jagot are those commencing in July 2025 and January 2026. Applications for these associateships should consist of a cover letter, curriculum vitae, academic transcript, and contact details for two referees. Applications should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it between 1 October and 31 October 2023.
Justice Beech-Jones
The next associateship available with the Honourable Justice Beech-Jones commences in January 2025. Applications for the associateship should consist of a cover letter, curriculum vitae, academic transcript, and contact details for two referees. Applications should be forwarded to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 31 January 2024.
Any person who submitted an application for the position of Associate to his Honour commencing in July 2024, should indicate whether they would seek to have their application considered for the position commencing in January 2025.