Background
Reginald Ian Barrett was born on 1 April 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Ronald Arthur Barrett and Lila Jean née Frew who had married in 1941.
Reginald Ian Barrett was born on 1 April 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Ronald Arthur Barrett and Lila Jean née Frew who had married in 1941.
He completed his secondary education (Leaving Certificate) at Newcastle Boys High School and matriculated to the University of Sydney. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1964 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1967. He returned to Sydney Law School for further studies and was graduated as a Master of laws with first class honours in 1971.
He has been a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales since 2001 and was appointed a Judge of Appeal in January 2012. He served as a councillor of Wesley College at the University of Sydney between 1970 and 1977 where he had been elected senior student in his final undergraduate year. Barrett was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales on 17 March 1967.
He was an articled clerk (1964 – 1967) with Allen Allen & Hemsley, a year behind William Gummow (later puisne justice of the High Court of Australia) and a year ahead of (later a Federal Court judge).
On admission he became an employed solicitor and made partner in 1971. From 1987 to 1989 he was their resident partner in London.
In 1991 Barrett left Allens to become Group Secretary and General Counsel for Westpac Banking Corporation which had been one of his clients at Allens. In 1997 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Australian Stock Exchange Appeal Tribunal and then Chairman in January 1998.
As a corporate and securities law specialist he was involved in several important and complex Australian corporate cases: the 1995 Westpac Challenge Bank merger, the NRMA insurance demutualisation, Comalco"s takeover of Rio Tinto and the Australian Stock Exchange demutualisation and self-listing which was a world first.
Barrett has been noted for his commitment to legal education. From 1973 to 1974 and from 1976 to 1987 (when he left Australia to work in London), he was a part-time lecturer at the Sydney Law School of The University of Sydney. He was also a consultant to the Legal Workshop, Australian National University from 1973 to 1977.
He chaired the Legal Qualifications Committee of the New South Wales Legal Practitioners Admission Board (2004 – 06) which he had joined in 2002.
Barrett was a part-time member of the Companies and Securities Law Review Committee between 1983 and 1987. From 1991 he was a part-time member of the Commonwealth Companies and Securities Advisory Committee and convenor of its legal committee. Barrett has been a member of the editorial board of the Company and Securities Law Journal since it began publication in 1982.
