Michael Kirby was first appointed to judicial office in 1975. He successively served on the Arbitration Commission; Federal Court of Australia; NSW Court of Appeal; Solomon Islands Court of Appeal and High Court of Australia. In addition, he was inaugural chair of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-84); member of the WHO Global Commission on AIDS (1989-92); President of the International Commission of Jurists (1995-8); and chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on North Korea (2013-14).

He has a strong commitment to human rights and a particular engagement with LGBTIQ equality and justice. He is proudly a Patron of the AHRI LGBTQI+ Inclusion Award and participates in judging.