Who we are

The Commission consists of a Chairperson and a number of part time Commissioners. 

The Law Reform and Sentencing Council Secretariat (a small, highly-skilled team) supports the work of the Commission (and the Sentencing Council).

Chairperson

​​​​Hon Tom Bathurst AC KC

• ​Tom Bathurst began his term as Chairperson of the NSW Law Reform Commission on 1 June 2022. 
• Tom served as Chief Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court from 1 June 2011 until his retirement on 5 March 2022. 
• He was called to the Bar in 1977 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987.  
• He was a member of the Australian Government Takeovers, Mergers and Corporate Reconstructions Panel between 2006 and 2011. 
• He served as President of the Australian Bar Association between 2008 and 2010 and as President of the NSW Bar Association from 2009 to 2011. 
• He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2014 and was elected an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2016. 
• In 2019 Tom received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Sydney. 
• From 2015 to 2022 he was Chair of the Judicial Section of LAWASIA. 
• Tom is also a Member of the Australian Academy of Law.

Commissioner

Hon Justice Anna Mitchelmore SC

• Justice Mitchelmore was appointed as a part-time Commissioner of the NSW Law Reform Commission on 1 September 2021. 
• Justice Mitchelmore was appointed to the NSW Court of Appeal in March 2022. 
• She was admitted as a solicitor in 2000 and commenced at the private bar in 2006. 
• She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2018, practising predominantly in the areas of administrative law, constitutional law, criminal law, and planning and environment law. 

Commissioner

Kate Eastman AM SC

• Kate Eastman AM SC was appointed as a part-time Commissioner of the NSW Law Reform Commission on 30 August 2023. 
• She was admitted as a solicitor in 1990; a barrister in 1998; and appointed Senior Counsel in 2012. 
• Kate’s areas of practice include human rights, employment and public law. She also has taught international law and human rights at the University of Technology, Sydney and Monash University. In 2012, she was appointed Senior Fellow of the Faculty of Law, Monash University. 
• In 2020, Kate was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. In 2022 she was awarded a Doctor of Laws (Honoris causa), University of Technology, Sydney.