Vale Dianne Smith- you will be sorely missed
Judicial Registrar Dianne Smith is today retiring after 13 years as a Judicial Registrar in the Brisbane Registry of the Family Court. There will be a ceremonial sitting of the Full Court in Brisbane today to mark her retirement.
Dianne has had a long and distinguished career, including:
-being the first female President of the Family Law Practitioners Association of Qld
-being the first female City Solicitor of Brisbane
-being a national pioneer in the representation of children.
On the bench, Dianne was extremely hardworking, well respected throughout the profession and simply of the top order. She had remarkable patience for someone who had the burden of such a busy list.
For those of us who have been around long enough to remember Dianne before she was appointed to the bench, she was a strong advocate for her clients but with that came the obvious care she had for her clients and the ability to see opposing points of view. She was a representative of children par excellence.
Dianne will be sorely missed.