Attorney General John Quigley is pleased to announce the appointment of Sam Vandongen SC as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
Mr Vandongen has practiced as a Barrister since 2008 in the areas of criminal law and commercial litigation, and has extensive experience at trial.
Appointed a Senior Counsel in 2010, he has participated in more than 170 appeals before the WA Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia.
Admitted to practice in WA 30 years ago, Mr Vandongen became a Crown Prosecutor for the WA Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) from 1996 to 2004.
He moved interstate to continue as a Crown Prosecutor in NSW before returning to WA in 2006, serving as a Consultant State Prosecutor for two years.
In 2017, Mr Vandongen won an Attorney General’s Community Service Law Award for pro bono work that included appearing as lead counsel for a man wrongly convicted of manslaughter.
He will fill the position vacated by Justice Stephen Hall, who recently became a Judge of the WA Court of Appeal.
Mr Vandongen’s appointment takes effect from 2 November 2022.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
“I congratulate Mr Vandongen on his appointment to the position of Supreme Court Judge.
“He is highly regarded in the legal profession and brings with him a mountain of experience as both a prosecutor and defence counsel in trials at all levels.
“His impressive record in many cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and other jurisdictions makes him an exemplary choice for this role.”
