Australia has a "cool" new judge.
That is according to at least one peer of Justice Michelle Gordon, who was sworn in as the 52nd member of the High Court in Canberra on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by members of the legal profession, Attorney-General George Brandis and her former colleague, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
The former Federal Court judge replaces her husband, Justice Kenneth Hayne, who has been on the High Court bench since 1997.
Her appointment means there will be a record three women on the seven-member bench.
But that is not why members of the law community sang Justice Gordon's praises at her swearing-in ceremony, noting her professional aptitude and legacy in managing major cases.
It was her little-known roles in mentoring women barristers and indigenous law students that also stood out.
"Your appointment to this court has been widely welcomed," Australian Bar Association president Fiona McLeod said.
"As one former Federal Court associate (wrote) .... 'She's cool, really cool'."
Justice Gordon acknowledged her achievement by crediting others who she has learned from.
She called for reform in civil dispute resolution and said she will miss her role in the indigenous law program to see students "blossom" into the nation's future leaders.
Senator Brandis noted Justice Gordon's time as a clerk to Ms Bishop at law firm Robinson Cox.
"She remembers you as a young lawyer who, by dint of your obvious high intelligence and impressive work ethic, was already marked out for success," he said.
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