Nola Karapanagiotidis has become the first Greek Australian woman to be appointed as a judge of the County Court of Victoria.
Her Honour Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis is one of six new appointments to the court which start today.
“I’m excited to welcome six new, distinguished and deserving people as judges of the County Court, who bring with them a range of experience and expertise,” Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes says.
“Having such a variety of skills on the bench is an important part of our work to make justice more fair and accessible to Victorians.”
Nola Karapanagiotidis has been a barrister for close to two decades, practicing across the Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts and appearing in the Federal and High Courts and coronial inquests.
She previously worked at Victoria Legal Aid and as a solicitor advocate and has held a range of community-based and volunteer legal positions.
Founder of the Asylum Seekers Reserve Centre (ASRC) and brother Kon Karapanagiotidis is sentimental over the announcement.
“My late father, Leo, dreamed of being a lawyer & my mum, Sia, [a] maths teacher. Dad had to leave school at age 9 & my mum at age 12,” Mr. Karapanagiotidis writes on his Facebook page.
“They came as migrants, no English, worked on farms and in factories until their bodies could take no more.”
“Today my sister, Nola, was appointed a County Court judge.”
“Somehow you found within you the strength to raise Nola and I so that we could dream that we could touch the sky and be anything,” Mr. Karapanagiotidis further pens in a missive to his late parents.
The other candidates appointed are Stewart Bayles, Kellie Blair, Daniel Holding, and Angela Ellis.
Details of any welcome ceremonies will be made available on vicbar.com.au when they are known.
Source: County Court of Victoria, Kon Karapanagiotidis
