James Edelman: new peak in golden career

At 42, James Edelman is to join the High Court where he ­appeared three times and won each time.

When James Edelman was made a judge in the West Australian ­Supreme Court in 2011, he was 37 years old with an international reputation as a legal scholar and a barrister. He was already a doctor of philosophy and Oxford’s youngest professor of law. He had written and edited six books.

When he was welcomed to the Federal Court at 41, Attorney-General George Brandis described Justice Edelman’s curriculum vitae as “so preposterously golden” that it read like satire.

Now 42, Justice Edelman is to join the High Court where he ­appeared three times and won each time on behalf of men wrongly convicted of murder.

A black-letter lawyer with a strict regard for statutes, Justice Edelman will be the youngest High Court judge since 1930. His arrival, along with Michelle Gordon last year, has helped reduce the average age of the bench for the first time in almost 20 years.

If he stays on the bench until the age of 70, he will have served 28 years and tradition dictates he would become chief ­justice.

There was wide acknowledgment yesterday that Justice Edelman has the potential to be one of the most influential figures in the court’s history, through length of service as well as ability.

Justice Edelman’s former ­tutors and current friends ­described a modest man with a liking for loud socks. North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club’s past president Chris Shellabear said Justice Edelman continued to turn up at the beach and to ­volunteer.

Together the pair swam from the clubhouse to the Cottesloe pylon and back on Sunday, a distance of about 1.8km. “He’s just such a normal guy, most people at the club just know him as James … I don’t think many even know what he does for a job,” Mr Shellabear said.

Justice Edelman’s old university friend is Social Services Minister Christian Porter, who was Western Australia’s ­attorney-general when he joined the Supreme Court five years ago.

Mr Porter at the time reminded Justice Edelman that when his Canadian wife agreed to move to Western Australia, she had hoped for a house that was cool in summer. But Mr Porter said Justice Edelman rented a third-storey unairconditioned brick apartment.

“As well as being remarkably switched on to the world of law, literature and language, your Honour also has a touch of what can best be described as “the vague”, specifically when it comes to the practical day-to-day aspects of living,” Mr Porter said.

University of Western Australia law professor Robyn Carrol yesterday said James Edelman instantly stood out as a student in her corporations law class: “He was the student who became the mentor. He is very humble too — I saw him the year after I taught him and he was very surprised that I remembered his name.’’

Awarded a bachelor of laws ­degree, first class honours by UWA he was named the state’s Rhodes Scholar in 1998.

He completed a law doctorate at Oxford in 2001 and was admitted to practice in 1998. He practised at the English and West Australian bars.

Since 2002, Professor Edelman has lectured at universities in Australia, Britain, Europe and the US. He continues to return regularly to his old high school, Scotch College in Perth, to give talks and he also mentors students.

Justice Edelman is an adjunct professor of law at UWA and a trustee of the McCusker Charitable Foundation.