Jennifer Smith

Justice Jennifer Hilda Smith is an Australian jurist who has served on the Supreme Court of Western Australia since 2017. She was appointed as a full-time judge in June 2018 and, following her mandatory retirement in June 2024, continues to serve as an Auxiliary Judge.

Legal career Smith began her legal career at the Crown Solicitor’s Office in 1985. She was appointed Senior Assistant Crown Counsel in 1997, providing legal advice and representation in various areas, including criminal law, administrative law, and industrial relations. In 2000, Smith was appointed as a Commissioner of the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, later becoming its Senior Commissioner in 2006 and Acting President in 2009, the first woman to hold that role. Her judicial career has been marked by a commitment to procedural fairness, judicial independence, and the advancement of women within the legal profession.

Justice Smith has presided over proceedings in Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd v Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd, a major commercial dispute before the Supreme Court of Western Australia. The case involves complex claims relating to iron ore royalties and ownership of tenements in the Pilbara, stemming from agreements made between Lang Hancock and Peter Wright in the 1970s.