Chris Kourakis this morning announced the appointments which he said were made “after wide consultation with the judicial officers of the State, the senior law officers of the State and the legal profession”.

“The appointment of Senior Counsel is a significant event for the successful applicants, for the legal profession and the South Australian community,” he said.

“Senior Counsel are leaders of the profession who adhere to the highest standards of legal excellence and integrity. The Chief Justice congratulates the Senior Counsel announced today. They have earned this recognition through the diligent performance of their duties to the Courts and their clients.”

The new Senior Counsel are Stephen John White SC, Mark Alexander Roberts SC, Alison Dorinda Doecke SC and Ryan Michael Williams SC.

Stephen White SC holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide and was admitted to practice in February 1979. He joined the Independent Bar in 2005 and practises as a barrister and solicitor in state and federal dispute and advisory work primarily in the areas of succession, elder law, trusts and estates.

White SC appears in the Supreme Court, District Court and South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and is involved in mediation as an advocate and mediator.

Mark Roberts SC holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide and was admitted to practice in September 1996, joining the Independent Bar in 2002.

He practices in the areas of personal injury, public and product liability claims, industrial accidents, insurance, coronial inquests, and professional indemnity claims and specialises in asbestos disease litigation, medical malpractice litigation, catastrophic injury claims and workers compensation litigation.

Roberts SC appears in the Supreme Court, District Court, the South Australian Employment Tribunal, and the Coroners Court.

Alison Doecke SC holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Laws with Distinction from the Australian National University and was admitted to practice in December 2005.

She is a senior member of the Crown Counsel Section of the Crown Solicitor’s Office and practises predominantly in appellate proceedings, public law, including matters of complex statutory construction, judicial review and administrative law and child protection proceedings, and civil claims, including negligence, contract and employment law.

Doecke SC appears in the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, District Court, and the South Australian Employment Tribunal.

Ryan Williams SC holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide and was admitted to practice in July 2007.

He is a Senior Prosecutor managing the Commercial Crime and Confiscations team at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (SA) and practises primarily in the trial counsel section of the Office, prosecuting offence types including murder and manslaughter, serious commercial theft and fraud, robbery, rape and other serious sexual offences, and drug offences.

He appears in the Court of Appeal and Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts in South Australia.