Both are currently serving as district court judges
WA Attorney General John Quigley has announced the appointment of two new judges to the WA Supreme Court.
The newly appointed judges are Natalie Whitby and Stephen Lemonis, both currently serving as district court judges. The appointments come as the court seeks to fill current and future vacancies in the WA's highest court. Whitby will start her new position in May, while Lemonis will begin in June.
Whitby has extensive experience in the Supreme Court system, having previously served as a registrar before her appointment to the district court in mid-2021. During her 11 years as registrar, she presided over numerous dispute mediations, case-managed civil actions, and conducted public examinations pursuant to the Corporations Act. She has also served as the Supreme Court's acting master and principal registrar and as a Magistrate, which included handling serious criminal matters.
Whitby was admitted to practice in 1996. She has previously acted as an instructing solicitor to senior counsel in the Supreme, District, and Federal court trials.
Lemonis has vast experience as a principal solicitor in commercial litigation, corporate criminal, regulatory, and insolvency matters. Before his appointment to the District Court in 2019, he was a director of a law firm specialising in commercial litigation and dispute resolution. During his private practice, he has acted as a solicitor in corruption, fraud, insider trading, civil penalty, and criminal proceedings. He has appeared in the Supreme Court, the Federal Court of Australia, and the District Court. He was admitted to practice in 1989.
Quigley praised both judges for their experience and qualifications, stating they are highly respected in the legal profession. He also noted that both judges have been involved in multiple complex commercial and other court actions, building impressive records over their careers.
"I congratulate Judges Whitby and Lemonis on their elevation to the Supreme Court bench," Quigley commented. "Judges Whitby and Lemonis are highly experienced and respected in the legal profession, making them eminently suitable for their appointments as Supreme Court Judges."
