Ms Fryar's trailblazing career was marked by her no-nonsense court room style, her work calling out the root causes of family violence and her condemnation of such crimes.

She presided over the family violence list for a decade and played a leadership role in the development of the ACT's respected family violence intervention program.

For her work in that field she was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010.

But a career on the bench is not always serious, and the packed courtroom on Friday was also regaled with an amusing anecdote about Ms Fryar’s dating advice to one young female offender.

The woman had asked to be sentenced to weekend detention, which she thought would be convenient given her boyfriend was already in custody.

"Quite frankly, firstly, your choice of partners is only going to get you more trouble with the law," Ms Fryar told the young Brittney Belle Fairbairn.

She also offered the aside, "simply because some stupid boy is a criminal, and he is there already".

President of the ACT Bar Association Steven Whybrow said Ms Fryar was a great supporter of the profession, always approachable, and had avoided being pigeon-holed into being either a good draw or a bad draw.

Lawyers knew the outcome of any case before Ms Fryar would be dependent on its merits and quality of argument, he said.

But Mr Whybrow recommended she not contemplate a career on the World Poker Tour on retirement, having personally been on the receiving end of a withering "Magistrate Fryar eyeroll" that would make him rethink his submission.

President of the Law Society Chris Donohue shared the views of several of her peers and colleagues, who spoke of Ms Fryar's compassion and wisdom, the trepidation with which those appeared before her, and the influence the "incredibly kind and wise magistrate" had on one as a young lawyer.

Ms Fryar, who chose both International Women's Day and her birthday to retire, was the first female judicial officer to be appointed in Canberra.

The ACT is the only jurisdiction now with equal representation of men and women on the bench.

But Ms Fryar said she liked to think her appointment on September 6, 1993, was on merit and that she was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

She recalled being asked by a reporter at the time what difference she would bring to the bench as a woman and thought how a man would not be asked what his gender brought.

She replied that it was "perhaps having a better understanding of some of the barriers women face, and the throwaway comment about life being gender biased".

"I was subsequently mocked for that comment in certain arenas, perhaps 25 years later we have a better understanding of such notions," she said.

But at the same time there were differences, she told the court.

Ms Fryar's youngest daughter was four months old at her appointment and the magistrate remembered dashing up the road to Watson to feed her on lunch breaks while she was cared for by her grandmother.

She was often asked how she survived those early years.

Ms Fryar said that besides a husband who agreed to fairly equal distribution of family responsibilities, "I can only say it was having a supportive family and amazing childcare".

She paid tribute to the support of her husband and her family and friends, as well as the friendship of her colleagues.

"Believe it or not one of the great joys has been coming to work each day," she said to warm laughs.

"The consuming but fascinating work, and a real opportunity to have hopefully a positive impact on a person's life."

Ms Fryar's replacement has yet to be announced.