The Crisafulli Government has announced the appointment of two distinguished barristers, Shane Doyle KC and Christopher Johnstone KC, to the Queensland Supreme Court.
Mr Doyle will serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in Brisbane, while Mr Johnstone has been named the next northern Judge, based in Townsville. Both will be officially sworn in on 28 July.
With nearly 30 years of legal experience, Mr Doyle has built a formidable reputation in commercial litigation, arbitration, appellate law and corporations law. His work has spanned jurisdictions including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, and he has appeared before numerous Commissions of Inquiry.
A University of Queensland medallist in law, Mr Doyle furthered his legal education at Oxford University, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law as a Commonwealth scholar. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1995 and is recognised as one of Australia’s leading commercial barristers.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr Doyle has made long-standing contributions to the Queensland Bar Association, including as President (2014–15), Vice President (2013–14), and Chair of the Commercial Law Committee for almost two decades.
Mr Johnstone brings a similarly distinguished background to his new role in the Trial Division of the Supreme Court. Beginning his career as a solicitor in commercial and insolvency litigation, arbitration, and banking law, he gained international recognition in 2005 when Chambers Global named him the “preferred finance counsel in the Middle East.”
He was called to the Queensland Bar in 2007 and has since specialised in commercial litigation, regularly appearing in the Federal Court of Australia, the Supreme Courts of Queensland and New South Wales, and the High Court of Solomon Islands.
A native of Townsville, Mr Johnstone will return to the region to take up his new role as Northern Judge in 2026. He has previously served the area during his time as a legal officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, where he worked on military tribunals and inquiries, deployed on active service to the Middle East, and was awarded the Australian Defence Medal and Operational Service Medal for his service.
Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington welcomed the appointments.
“Mr Doyle’s and Mr Johnstone’s experience will be an asset to the judiciary and we are fortunate to have legal practitioners of such a high calibre here in Queensland,” the Attorney said.
“I am appreciative they will serve the people of Queensland in their respective roles, which are of huge importance to our judiciary.
“Both appointees are eminently qualified and experienced and will make a significant contribution to our Courts.”
Ms Frecklington also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing judges, extending her thanks to Justice David North, who will take leave before retiring in March 2026, and Justice Peter Flanagan, who will retire from the Court of Appeal on 25 July 2025.
