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Chris Shanahan
Chris Shanahan
15th Chief Justice of Tasmania
	Designate
	Assuming office; January 20, 2025
Nominated by	Jeremy Rockliff
Governor	Barbara Baker
Succeeding	Alan Blow
Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania
	Ex officio
	Assuming office; January 20, 2025
Premier	Jeremy Rockliff
Governor	Barbara Baker
Succeeding	Alan Blow
Personal details
Born	26 September 1960; Sydney, New South Wales
Education	Aquinas College, Perth, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney & University of New South Wales

Chris Shanahan (born 18 September 1960) is a Senior Counsel barrister in the state of Western Australia. He works primarily in the areas of superior court appeals, equity and administrative law. It was announced in late 2024 that Shanahan would assume the role of Chief Justice of Tasmania in January 2025.

Early life and education

He was educated at Aquinas College, Perth, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales.^[1] He completed his articles with Jackson MacDonald in 1983. He was admitted to practise in the state of Western Australia in 1984, New South Wales in 1989 and in the High Court of Australia in 1990.

Career

From 1990-91 he was Senior Officer to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. During 1993, he joined the Western Australian Bar Association and continued to work as a barrister. He was responsible for the development of the Bar Readers' Course, which was presented in 2004 by the Western Australian Bar Association.

During his career he has taught at Macquarie University in Sydney, been a lecturer at Murdoch University in Perth, where he continues to work part-time lecturing in law. He also lectures Ethics and Professional Responsibility with the Law Society of Western Australia.

In 2004, he was appointed senior counsel in the state of Western Australia. During 2005, he was appointed acting commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission in Western Australia.

On 2 December 2024, it was announced that Shanahan had been appointed to the role of Chief Justice of the Tasmanian Supreme Court. He is expected to commence in the role on 20 January 2025.^[2]