This year's Stynes Address is delivered by the Honourable Robert McDougall KC, a former Supreme Court judge of New South Wales, on how judicial decisions are actually made, and why the story you build around a case can be used to help the judge find and interpret the facts as your client sees them.

How do judges decide?

Meet our speaker

This year's Stynes Address will be delivered by the Hon Robert McDougall KC, who brings a rare, first-hand view of this year's theme. Robert spent over 15 years as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, sitting principally in the Commercial, Technology and Construction, and Arbitration Lists, hearing and deciding many of the state's major construction and commercial disputes.

Since retiring from the bench in 2019, he has continued deciding disputes in a different forum, now working as an arbitrator, referee, expert determiner and mediator, in domestic and international matters.

Robert is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney's School of Law, where he lectures in equity and commercial law, and is a Fellow of both the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and the Resolution Institute.

Venue and time

The 2026 Stynes Address will be held on Tuesday 27 October 2026, at the State Library of NSW (Library Auditorium & Glasshouse).

Enter the library from the Macquarie Street Entrance (opposite the top of Hunter Street)

Registration commences at 5:30 pm.

The 2026 Stynes Address will be followed by networking drinks and substantial canapes sponsored by Sky Discovery.

Cost of Event

Please log in before you purchase your ticket to receive member pricing.
Member ticket: $180
Non-member ticket: $230
Member ticket + sponsor a student (extra ticket): $360
Non-member ticket + sponsor a student (extra ticket): $410