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Six new judges, with over 150 years of collective legal experience, have been appointed to the Local Court of New South Wales and will serve in locations across metropolitan and regional areas.

The Local Court is the busiest court jurisdiction in the country and handles over 90 per cent of judicial decisions in NSW. The appointments will bring the total number of judges in the Local Court to 160.

The appointees come from a diverse range of backgrounds including prosecution, defence, complex litigation, Legal Aid, community-based and Aboriginal law services.

Lisa Hanshaw is one of the three solicitors appointed to the bench. She has over 25 years’ experience in criminal law, practice, procedure and advocacy and began her career as a criminal defence lawyer acting for First Nations clients in regional NSW. For more than a decade, Hanshaw has worked at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), prosecuting serious criminal offences in regional areas.

Diane Chappell has over two decades experience across the public sector in NSW. She has worked with Legal Aid in senior roles since 2007. She has lectured in law at the University of New South Wales and was a Trial Group Lawyer with the ODPP.

Peter Ringbauer is an experienced solicitor with over three decades’ experience in the public and private sector across a diverse range of practice areas including criminal, family law, workers compensation and more. Ringbauer is a sole practitioner in the Central West region of NSW and is a legal member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Other appointees include Lynda Davids, John Sfinas and Benjamin Pierce, who commenced their careers as solicitors before being called to the bar.

Lynda Davids is a barrister with over two decades’ experience in criminal law. She commenced her career as a solicitor with Legal Aid in 2006 and was called to the bar a year later. She has instructed in District Court trials, sentencing and Local Court matters.

John Sfinas also has over two decades’ experience in the law. He was an Associate for two District Court judges prior to joining the ODPP as a solicitor in 2007. He became a trial advocate in 2017 and a Crown Prosecutor in 2020.

Benjamin Pierce is a criminal law barrister with over 26 years’ experience as both solicitor and counsel. He commenced his career with the Western Aboriginal Legal Service in Walgett, Dubbo and Broken Hill before joining the ODPP in 2004. For more than 15 years, Pierce has practised as a barrister and has briefed for both the Crown and defence in intricate matters including serious drug and sexual assault offences, fraud and kidnapping in a range of jurisdictions.

In announcing the appointments, Attorney General Michael Daley said, “Our Local Court judges make critical decisions every day that affect people’s lives, families and futures.

“These new appointees bring a wealth of legal expertise, compassion, integrity and a deep understanding of the communities they will serve.

“This new cohort will strengthen the diversity, resilience and capability of the Local Court, and I thank them for their service to justice in NSW.”

Hanshaw and Chappell will be sworn in on 23 June, Davids and Sfinas on 24 June, and Pierce and Ringbauer on 25 June.