The Hon Michael Bryan Joshua LEE

Judge, Federal Court of Australia: 27.03.2017
Location: Sydney

Other Commissions & Appointments:
Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory - Additional Judge

Justice Michael Lee was born in Perth but was raised in Sydney. After graduating in law from the University of Sydney, he commenced work as a solicitor in 1989 with a firm that later became one of Australia's largest national partnerships. He was made a senior associate of the firm in 1992 and was appointed its youngest partner, in 1995. He eventually became a senior litigation partner and national practice group leader before coming to the New South Wales Bar in 2002.

His Honour developed a nationwide and eclectic practice and acted in a very broad range of superior court matters at both first instance and on appeal. He took silk, after 9 years, in 2011. Both before and after taking silk he acted in both civil and criminal matters.

While at the Bar, Justice Lee was involved in a number of high profile cases ranging from building and construction disputes, insurance cases and employment law and workplace safety prosecutions; additionally, he was briefed as leading counsel in a number of the largest commercial actions in Australia. In this role, he was at the forefront of all of the developments with regard to Part IVA representative proceedings in recent years. His Honour has been a regular presenter at seminars involving issues relating to representative proceedings and litigation funding.

He was also actively involved in a number of legally aided matters, pro bono and public interest cases.

His Honour, while at the Bar, appeared primarily in Sydney and Melbourne but also conducted cases in every superior State and Territory Court throughout the Commonwealth.

His Honour was appointed to the Federal Court in 2017 and is also an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

His Honour is the section editor for the Australian Law Journal section on class actions and is a Fellow of the University of Melbourne. His Honour has also been long involved in the arts including as a director of the Bell Shakespeare Company.

Associateship applications

Justice Lee's Chambers are staffed by one full-time and one part-time Associate, and also by an Executive Assistant. The full-time Associate position usually commences in late January every year, for a duration of 12 months. His Honour's preference is for his full-time Associate to have had the experience, in the previous year, of working two days a week as his part-time Associate.

Justice Lee has filled the full-time Associate position for 2024. However, from 1 June 2024 his Honour will accept applications for the part-time Associate position commencing in late January 2025. His Honour's current preference would be for the successful applicant to become his Honour's full-time Associate for a further year commencing in late January 2026.

Applications for the role should be provided after 1 June 2024 but no later than 15 August 2024.

Applications are to take the form of a one-page cover letter, CV and university transcript.

General information about associate positions can be found in the employment pages of the website.

Applications should be sent by email to nswreg@fedcourt.gov.au marked to the attention of the Chambers of Justice Lee.

Updated November 2023