Appointment of Justice Michael Baumann to the Family Court
Bell Legal Group congratulates Justice Michael Baumann, a former partner of this firm, on his appointment on 14 December 2017 as a judge of the Family Court following a distinguished role as a judge of the Federal Circuit Court.
Justice Baumann was admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1979. For 21 years Justice Baumann was a sole practitioner and then a partner of the Gold Coast law firm now known as Bell Legal Group, where a substantial part of his practice was in the Family Law jurisdiction.
From 1995 to his appointment to the Federal Magistrates Court, Justice Baumann was the Chair of Legal Aid Queensland. He served as the President of the Queensland Law Society from 1993 to 1994 and was awarded the title of Australian Young Lawyer of the Year by the Law Council of Australia in 1991.
Justice Baumann was one of the first practitioners accredited by the Queensland Law Society as a family law specialist. He completed his LLM in 2000. Justice Baumann was actively involved in mediation, both as a participant and as a practitioner.
After becoming a Federal Magistrate, Justice Baumann was awarded the Outstanding Alumni award by the Law Faculty of the Queensland University of Technology. From late 2007, Justice Baumann was the National Coordinator of Case Management for the Federal Magistrates Court, working with the Chief Federal Magistrate to enhance the efficiency and delivery of service by the Court. As a member of the Court, he regularly spoke at conferences on Family Law and related topics.
Justice Baumann was recognised for his contributions to the law, case management, legal aid and sporting organisations by being made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2012 Australia Day honours list.
Regarded as one of the hardest working judges on the bench, Justice Baumann will be a valuable addition to the Family Court.
