Biography
Justice Michael Bryan Joshua Lee was born in Perth but was raised in Sydney. After graduating in arts (political science) and later in law from the University of Sydney, he commenced work as a solicitor in 1989 with a firm that later became one of Australia's largest national partnerships. He was made a senior associate of the firm in 1992 and was appointed its youngest partner, in 1995. He eventually became a senior litigation partner and national practice group leader before coming to the New South Wales Bar in 2002.
Justice Lee developed a nationwide and eclectic practice and acted in a very broad range of superior court matters at both first instance and on appeal. He took silk, after 9 years, in 2011. Both before and after taking silk he acted primarily in civil proceedings.
While at the Bar, his Honour was involved in a number of high profile cases and was briefed as leading counsel in a number of the most significant commercial actions in Australia. In this role, he was at the forefront of all of the developments with regard to class actions over a generation. He has been a regular presenter at seminars involving issues relating to class actions and litigation funding.
While at the Bar, his Honour appeared primarily in Sydney and Melbourne but also conducted cases in every superior State and Territory Court throughout the Commonwealth. He was also actively involved in a number of legally aided matters, pro bono and public interest cases.
Justice Lee was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 2017 and is also an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. His Honour deals with matters at both first instance and on appeal. He is also a National Coordinating Judge in the Federal Court’s Commercial and Corporations National Practice Area and also of the defamation work of the Court.
His Honour is the section editor for the Australian Law Journal section on class actions and is a Fellow of the University of Melbourne. Justice Lee has also been long involved in the arts and was a director of the Bell Shakespeare Company.