New President of the Children’s Court

Attorney-General Robert Clark today announced the appointment of Peter Couzens as a judge of the County Court and the new President of the Children’s Court of Victoria.

Mr Couzens is currently the regional co-ordinating magistrate for the Grampians Region, based in Ballarat. He has more than four decades of experience in the law and brings considerable and varied legal experience to the role.

Mr Couzens gained his law degree from The University of Melbourne in 1969 and joined the Bar in 1976. As a barrister, he specialised in common law, personal injury and family law before being appointed as a Magistrate in 1990.

His service to the Magistrates’ Court includes appointments such as the Senior Magistrate of the Prahran Magistrates’ Court and Resident Magistrate for the Hume Region, before taking on his current role as Regional Coordinating Magistrate for the Grampians Region in 2010.

“Mr Couzens’ broad and wide-ranging experience as a Magistrate, serving in many parts of Victoria, makes him ideally placed to take on the important and demanding role of President of the Children’s Court,” Mr Clark said.

Mr Clark also thanked the current President, Judge Paul Grant, for his leadership of the Children’s Court since 2006.

“Judge Grant has given seven years of distinguished service to the Children’s Court, presiding over a period of great change and development. I wish him every success in his continued service to the community as Judge of the County Court,” Mr Clark said.

Mr Couzens will commence his appointments as a Judge of the County Court and President of the Children’s Court on 1 May this year, following the conclusion of Judge Grant’s term of appointment as President on 30 April.