Eleven Wentworth was established in 1957.
Since the establishment of Eleven Wentworth, many of its members have been appointed to judicial office. Among them is Sir William Deane AC KBE KC, who was a member of Eleven Wentworth from 1963 to 1977. In 1977, he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and, later that year, a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the Australian Trade Practices Tribunal. In 1982, he was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia. Sir William was the Governor-General of Australia from 1996 to 2001.
Former members of Eleven Wentworth currently serving as judges include the following:
The Hon. Justice Stephen Gageler AC, is the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and was a member of Eleven Wentworth from 1991 until September 2008 when he was appointed as Solicitor-General of Australia.
The Hon. Justice Andrew Bell is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
The Hon. Justice Jeremy Kirk is a judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal.
The Hon. Justice Ian Harrison is the Chief Judge at Common Law in the New South Wales Supreme Court.
The Hon. Justice John Griffiths is an acting judge of appeal in the New South Wales Court of Appeal.
The Hon. Justice James Stevenson, The Hon. Justice Francois Kunc, The Hon. Justice Kelly Rees, The Hon. Justice Kate Williams, The Hon. Justice Mark Richmond and The Hon. Justice Ian Pike are Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Hon. Justice Brian Preston is Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court.
His Honour Judge Robert Weber & His Honour Judge Kevin Andronos are Judges of the District Court of New South Wales.
The rich history of Eleven Wentworth is not only a story of judges. Frank McAlary QC, renowned barrister, pastoralist and the “Dancing Man” of VP day fame, was a member of Eleven Wentworth from its establishment in 1957. He retired in 2003 after a long and distinguished career at the Bar spanning more than 50 years. The Floor’s conference room is named in his Honour. Paul Daley OAM commenced as assistant clerk at the age of 16 under the Floor’s first clerk, Jack Caffrey. Within seven years, Paul had taken on the role of clerk, where he remained until his retirement in September 2015, 54 years after he started. Paul was widely known as the “doyen of clerks” in Sydney, and made a very substantial contribution to maintaining the warm and collegiate spirit of the chambers.