September 16, 2025
The appointment of Dr James Renwick AM CSC SC FRSN as a Judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) was announced by the Chief Justice of the Court, the Hon. William Alstergren AO, on 8 September 2025.
Prior to his appointment to the FCFCOA, Dr Renwick was a leading silk with 12 Wentworth Melbourne Chambers with diverse appellate, administrative, and public law, commercial, regulatory and inquiry practice.
He completed his undergraduate law studies at the University of Sydney and was admitted as an Australian legal practitioner in 1985. He signed the Bar Roll in NSW in 1996 and was later appointed as Senior Counsel in NSW in 2011.
Additionally, Dr Renwick serves as the Deputy Judge Advocate General—Navy in the Australian Defence Force and is a Commodore in the Royal Australian Navy.
Dr Renwick completed his doctorate in constitutional law at the Australian National University, and was elected as an Honorary Master of the Bench at Inner Temple, London and a Fellow at the Australian Academy of Law. He was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2023 for ‘significant service to the law and to national security’ and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW in 2022.
The Council of the Royal Society of NSW extends warm congratulations to Dr Renwick on his new appointment.
