![New ACT Supreme Court judge Verity McWilliam on Tuesday. Picture by Elesa Kurtz New ACT Supreme Court judge Verity McWilliam on Tuesday. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/7e6cbd84-2423-49bf-9338-a3e5b74594d9.jpg/r0_54_3453_1995_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The ACT's newest resident judge has pledged to make court more accessible, while thanking the Chief Justice for dating advice given years earlier.
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Justice Verity McWilliam was sworn into her new role as resident judge in the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday.
She has been working in the ACT Supreme Court since 2017 after being appointed associate judge.
Justice McWilliam told supporters at a ceremonial sitting, she would work to make it easier for people to access court proceedings.
She vowed to make people feel "they have been listened to", and "to explain, to educate and to help others understand [the law]".
Justice McWilliam said she tried to temper "self-inflicted anxiety" when writing her address by asking an artificially intelligent "chatbot" for help.
"I curiously asked it to write a funny speech," she said.
However, the bot had responded saying "it would be inappropriate and disrespectful" to write such a speech given the circumstances.
"I am the first [ACT Supreme Court judge] to be gently reprimanded by a droll chatbot," Justice McWilliam said.
![Justice Verity McWilliam in 2017. Picture by Karleen Minney Justice Verity McWilliam in 2017. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/8b9b5710-0214-4d7f-b2a5-c08079d717c4.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
She thanked Chief Justice Lucy McCallum for her support over the years, including advice on her love life when they were younger.
"If you are still attracted to dark and dangerous, you are not ready to settle down," she said the Chief Justice had told her at the time.
Since starting in the ACT as an associate judge, Justice McWilliam said she had "watched, listened, read and soaked up as much as I could over the past six years".
"I am bursting to hug you all," she said to the packed courtroom of well-wishers.
Speaking of her life as a working parent, Justice McWilliam said her toddler, described as "part angel, part hurricane", had grown accustomed to sitting in the antechamber of the court, watching Teletubbies and counting rabbits in Vernon Circle.
ACT Bar Association president Marcus Hassall gave Justice McWilliam an "informal report card".
The overall result coming back a stellar A grade, for which he cited several emails sent to Justice McWilliam over the years.
In 2018 a member of the community had emailed her saying she had "brought light and blessing to this city".
A former associate called her "a natural mentor", who always finds time to assist junior members of the profession.
Over a cup of tea in her chambers, Justice McWilliam was said to have shared pearls of wisdom, including that buying a yacht is a bad investment.
"We are extremely proud of the fact that you are by birth and education a Canberran," Mr Hassall said.
ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said the court would continue to have the benefit of Justice McWilliam's "insight and empathy".
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The woman graduated from ANU before completing a master's of international law at the University of Sydney.
Mr Rattenbury said they had "probably passed each other" at the campus in Sydney.
He said there had been a number if applicants for the position, but it was "especially pleasing when the best candidate is a local Canberran".
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