Peter McClellan

Peter David McClellan is a retired judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal who served between February 2013 and February 2018. McClellan was the Chief Royal Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from January 2013 to December 2017. He was previously the Chief Judge in Common Law in the Supreme Court, a position to which he was appointed in 2005.

Early life and education McClellan grew up on Sydney's Upper North Shore, and received his secondary school education at Normanhurst Boys High School. Fellow Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison (who also attended the school) said that, "that school was instrumental in assisting your Honour to overcome adolescent difficulties you had with low esteem, lack of confidence and self doubt".

McClellan later studied arts and law at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1974.

Career McClellan was admitted to practise law as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 26 July 1974, and worked for a short time as a solicitor at Hall and Hall. He was called to the Bar on 2 May 1975. Also that year, he was appointed Queen's Counsel. On 29 January 2001, McClellan was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. From 25 August 2003, McClellan was the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales, leaving this role on 1 September 2005 due to his re-appointment to the Supreme Court.

McClellan has also worked as an Assistant Commissioner at the Independent Commission Against Corruption and as an Acting Judge of the District Court of New South Wales. In addition, he has held the position of New South Wales President of the National Environmental Law Association. He presented the commission's final report and recommendations on 15 December 2017.

McClellan retired from the Supreme Court on 8 February 2018.

Honours and personal life In 2011 McClellan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the judiciary through the Supreme Court of New South Wales, to environmental law, and to legal education. In 2018 he was awarded the Human Rights Medal.

McClellan is married to Justice Jayne Jagot of the High Court of Australia.