Judy Courtin Legal

At Judy Courtin Legal we work tirelessly for justice and accountability for victims of institutional child abuse.

Judy Courtin commenced legal practice later in life. Following the disclosure by one of her nephews about the sex crimes committed against him as an 11-year-old child by Christian brothers, Judy continues to devote her life to this area of work.

In 2015, Judy completed her PhD into sexual assault and the Catholic Church and whether victims were finding justice. Three years later she commenced her legal practice representing victims of institutional abuse.

This practice has grown such that Judy now works with about 25 wonderful people who are all personally committed to fighting for justice for victims of institutional child abuse.

Judy’s philosophy means that her practice is client focussed. As well as entering a legal process, our clients are encouraged to think about what is important for them – that is, what does justice or accountability look like? Further, what it is about a legal claim that might be concerning? This wholistic approach provides additional and valuable support for our clients.

Our clients join a legal team consisting of a lawyer, a paralegal, a support person and an administrative person.

Critical new legislation in Victoria and the ACT.

Victoria and the ACT have passed important legislation which reverses the November 2024 High Court decision, Bird v DP. The High Court agreed with the Catholic Church that Catholic clergy were not employed. This retrograde decision directly impacted thousands of victim / survivors in Australia. The new legislation provides a new legal pathway for those impacted victim / survivors.

Read about this new legislation here.

A new type of legal liability for victims /survivors of institutional child sexual and physical abuse.

On 11 February, 2026 the High Court handed down a critical decision, AA v The Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, which has opened up a third potential pathway to find a defendant institution legally liable or responsible for the harm caused to victim/survivors of institutional child abuse.

This duty of care means, amongst other things, that we do not necessarily have to prove that the institution had prior knowledge of the particular offender. We need to show that there was a special relationship between the child and the institution which automatically establishes a duty of care. The institution must ensure that reasonable care was taken to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm/injury to the child.

If not, that duty of care is breached.

Read the High Court’s judgement summary here.