A Canberra barrister and former counter-terrorism prosecutor is the newest appointment to the bench of the ACT Magistrates Court.
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Glenn Theakston is set to replace Magistrate Peter Dingwall when he retires in August, Attorney-General Simon Corbell will announce on Monday.
Mr Theakston starts at the Civic court next week as Mr Dingwall takes leave before his retirement following more than 25 years as a territory magistrate.
Mr Theakston has more than two decades of experience as a solicitor and barrister and has practised in family and civil law as a barrister since 2012.
He gleaned specialist experience in criminal law during stints at Legal Aid ACT and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions as a prosecutor on counter-terrorism matters.
As an Australian Defence Force reservist for more than 20 years, Mr Theakston has worked on complex administrative inquiries and discipline proceedings.
"With his wide-ranging experience in both criminal and civil law, particularly in the ACT context, I am confident Mr Theakston will make a significant contribution to the ACT Magistrates Court," Mr Corbell said.
"Along with his experience, Mr Theakston has strong decision-making skills and analytical capacity and will bring intellectual rigour and diligence to his new role."
ACT Law Society president Martin Hockridge welcomed Mr Theakston's appointment on behalf of the city's lawyers.
"He is a respected local barrister with considerable experience, particularly in the criminal law jurisdiction, having appeared for both the defence and the prosecution," Mr Hockridge said.
"Mr Theakston is well-liked, practical and thorough and comes to the role with a military background.
"The society has benefited from his expertise during his time as the chair of the society's military law committee."
Mr Corbell said Mr Theakston's appointment would ensure the Magistrates Court had sufficient resources to meet workload and demands.
Earlier this month, NSW District Court judge Michael Elkaim, SC, was announced as the fifth resident ACT Supreme Court justice following years of pressure within the legal fraternity to appoint an additional judge.
His appointment, which commences in July, is expected to further capitalise on significant reductions already made to notoriously delayed and back-logged lists in the higher court.
Changes to the benches of both courts have coincided with a $150 million revamp of the ACT's court precinct, with construction under way on a new building expected to meet the territory's needs for the next 50 years.
