Released 27/02/2025
ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne has today announced the appointment of Ms Amy Begley as a new magistrate of the ACT Magistrates Court, replacing Magistrate Robert Cook.
Magistrate Begley brings extensive experience in legal practice, having most recently served as the Head of Practice for the Early Intervention Legal Practice at Legal Aid ACT. In this role, she was responsible for the leadership, management, and strategic direction of various services, including the Family Violence and Personal Protection unit, Family Law Duty Service, and the Health Justice Partnership.
“The appointment of Amy Begley as a magistrate will ensure the ACT Magistrates Court can continue its timely and efficient delivery of justice to Canberrans,”
“I am very pleased that a legal practitioner of Ms Begley’s calibre will join the ACT Magistrates Court,” said the Attorney-General.
“She brings considerable and diverse experience to her new role, having worked in a range of roles within the ACT’s justice system.”
Ms Begley has a strong background in family violence law, having previously served as the Head of Practice of Legal Aid ACT’s Early Intervention Legal Practice. She has also worked as a prosecutor at the ACT Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, where she conducted trials, appeals, and summary hearings in both the ACT Supreme Court and Magistrates Court.
The new magistrate holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts, and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the ANU, where she has lectured over the past decade in criminal and evidence law. She was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor in the ACT in 2006.
Ms Begley will start her new role on 17 March 2025.
Quote attributable to Amy Begley, incoming ACT Magistrate:
“I am delighted and deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the Canberra community in this role.”
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Tara Cheyne, MLA | Media Releases