Madeleine Bridgett is a human rights, public law and commercial law barrister with a special interest in international law, coronial inquests, inquiries, and complex commercial and criminal matters. She is a strong advocate for human rights, equality and justice, and undertakes regular work in public and private international law.

Madeleine is also a qualified arbitrator and mediator and is known for her ability to deal with complex and challenging matters. She is trained in trauma-informed practice and comes to law as a second career having been a clinical social worker for over fifteen years before coming to the Bar, specialising in mental health, drug and alcohol, sexual health, adolescent health, child protection, domestic and family violence, and sexual assault.

Madeleine was initially called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2011 and is a scholar of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn having been awarded the Peter Duffy Human Rights Scholarship and the Hardwick Scholarship. In 2010 she was awarded the Head of School Prize and in 2009 the Oxford Press Prize for best postgraduate law student in consecutive years. She was called to the NSW Bar and joined 6 St James Hall Chambers in September 2016.

After her admission to the Bar of England and Wales, Madeleine spent a year working for the Niger Delta Child Rights Watch Project in Nigeria, West Africa, for the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, where she fearlessly advocated for the rights of children whilst actively promoting the rule of law.

She then travelled to Strasbourg and worked at the European Court of Human Rights as the Peter Duffy Human Rights scholar where she was responsible for preparing draft reports and decisions on cases brought before the Court regarding admissibility.

Madeleine comes to law as a second career and brings with her significant experience having worked as a social worker in the health and social care sectors for many years.

Read about her human rights work here.

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GKX18 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (No 5) [2026] FedCFamC2G 204

Family Law – Forum Dispute – Parenting and Property – Kramer & Rupert [2025] FedCFamC2F 1336

Family Law – Property – Hamdan & Alzahrani (No 2) [2025] FedCFamC1F 650

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GKX18 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (No 4) [2025] FedCFamC2G 1051

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GKX18 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (No 3) [2025] FedCFamC2G 1022

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GKX18 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (No 2) [2025] FedCFamC2G 718

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GKX18 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [2025] FedCFamC2G 307

Administrative Law – Habeas Corpus: GMZ18 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2024] FedFamC2G 335

Administrative Law – Migration – War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity: GZCK v Minister for Home Affairs [2021] FCA 1618

Administrative and Constitutional Law and Human Rights – Discrimination Law: Wilson v Britten-Jones (No.2) [2020] FCA 1290

Equity – Succession: Bowers v Bowers – [2020] NSWSC 109

Equity – Costs: Ratkovic v Hadzic [2019] NSWSC 1627

Equity – Succession: The Estate of Colleen McCullough – [2018] NSWSC 1126

Equity – Commercial: Carmelo Adriano Mastronardo v Commonwealth Bank of Australia trading as BankWest – [2017] NSWSC 1052

NCAT – Retail Leases: Heard McEwan Pty Ltd v G Zanetti Pty Ltd – [2017] NSWCATAP 213

Hague Convention International Child Abduction: Arthur & Secretary, Department of Family & Community Services And Anor – [2017] FamCAFC 111

Court of Criminal Appeal: Jimenez v R – [2017] NSWCCA 1