Patricia (Trish) Kelly appointed from the supreme court to head South Australia's new court of appeal in 2021

As a South Australian supreme court justice, Patricia Kelly presided over many complex and high-profile cases.
Image courtesy University of Adelaide

South Australian supreme court justice Patricia (Trish) Kelly was chosen as president of South Australia’s new court of appeal to start sitting in 2021. Other first members of the court were justices Sam Doyle, David Lovell, Mark Livesey and Chris Bleby.

Kelly announced her retirement for later in 2021, with Mark Livesey to take over as president.

During her 40-year career, Kelly had been a prosecutor at the South Australian office of the director of public prosecutions and a prosecutor with the commonwealth director of public prosecutions, working in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia.  She took silk in 2002.

She was appointed to the district court of South Australia in 2003 and to the supreme court of South Australia in 2007. She presided over many complex and high-profile cases.

Kelly became a strong advocate for minority groups and prosecution of sex offenders. She was instrumental in introducing social workers to ensure support for victims of child sex crimes during the legal process.

She has made a strong contribution over her career to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal service, the equal opportunity commission, the crown solicitor's office and the crown prosecutor's office.

In 2020, Kelly succeeded former supreme court judge Ann Vanstone as chair of the South Australian electoral districts boundaries commission. Also in 2020, Kelly, as acting chief justice of South Australia, presided over a meeting convened by chief justice Chris Kourakis to address the issue of bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession.