New Queensland Crown Solicitor appointed

• Ms Cecelia Christensen is Queensland’s new Crown Solicitor.
• Ms Christensen is a former Queensland Treasury Senior Counsel and is currently a Senior Executive Officer in the CCC.
• Ms Christensen is Queensland’s first permanent female Crown Solicitor.

Experienced solicitor and senior legal executive Ms Cecelia Christensen has been announced as Queensland’s new Crown Solicitor.

She is the first woman in Crown Law’s 165-year history to hold the position on a permanent basis.

As a member of the executive leadership team of the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC), Ms Christensen is a respected member of the legal profession and will bring more than 27 years of legal and corporate experience to the role.

Ms Christensen has extensive legal experience in public law, constitutional law and commercial matters.

After admission as a solicitor in 1997, Ms Christensen commenced her legal career in Crown Law in the general litigation team.

In 1997, she joined the Office of the Solicitor General and acted as instructing solicitor for the State in Court of Appeal and High Court proceedings, and also dealt with complex advisory matters.   

Prior to commencing at the CCC in 2022, Ms Christensen held a number of senior leadership positions within Queensland Treasury, including acting Head of Corporate and General Counsel responsible for legal services, right to information, privacy and complaints management functions for Treasury.

Within the CCC, Ms Christensen was responsible for leading the strategic and operational direction of the Corruption Division.

Ms Christensen has been appointed as Crown Solicitor for a 5-year period.

The Crown Solicitor heads up the Crown Law Office. The position acts as the solicitor for the State of Queensland with responsibilities to provide legal advice to the Attorney-General, especially in relation to the Attorney’s role as the First Law Officer.

Quotes attributable to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Yvette D’Ath:

“I congratulate Cecelia Christensen on her well-deserved appointment as Crown Solicitor.

“Ms Christensen has extensive experience in a broad range of matters relevant to the public sector, along with corporate governance and delivery expertise in major commercial, corporate, policy and legislative projects.

“Having excelled in both high-level legal and corporate positions she is experienced in managing a very broad range of government functions.

“She has consistently demonstrated a strong ability to lead and collaborate with others and is a sought-after counsel for solutions to complex problems.

“I believe Ms Christensen is ideally suited to lead the strategic direction of Crown Law and will be an authoritative source of expert legal advice to senior stakeholders of the Queensland Government, and I wish her well in her new role.”

ENDS