Judith Fordham is an experienced criminal trial lawyer and forensic scientist who brings together decades of courtroom advocacy, scientific expertise and practical investigative experience to identify what really matters in a case and provide clients with clear, strategic and realistic advice.

Criminal prosecutions are not just about what is alleged: they are about what can be proved, whether the evidence is reliable, how it should properly be interpreted, and whether assumptions made during an investigation have produced a biassed result.

Judith assists clients facing criminal charges and other serious legal problems where the consequences can be life changing.  She has particular expertise in cases involving forensic science cases where careful analysis of the prosecution case may reveal weaknesses that are not immediately apparent.

Judith's career spans criminal law, forensic science, advocacy, investigation, university teaching and public communication.

She has practised extensively in criminal law, including as a barrister, and has appeared in serious and complex criminal matters. Her experience is complemented by her science and law academic qualifications, postgraduate studies in forensic science and years teaching law and forensic science to police and lawyers. Her academic work has included substantial research into how jurors think generally and how they handle forensic evidence.

She has taught at the WA Police Academy, and has worked alongside prosecutors and investigators, developing a detailed understanding of investigative methodology.

Judith has been a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and is a Member of the International Law and Society Association. She has presented at many international conferences, and taught police interstate and internationally.

She is a “go-to” person for radio, podcast and television, most notably Channel Nine’s Under Investigation with Liz Hayes. That experience has reinforced her ability to understand, test and communicate complex evidence.

Now practising as Special Counsel at Slee Anderson, Judith brings that breadth of experience to the development of the firm's criminal law practice. Her passion is advocacy and her jury research gives her a rare understanding of how jurors think.

Her motto has always been “ABC: Assume Nothing. Believe no-one, Check everything”.

For a person facing criminal proceedings, good legal representation is not simply about knowing the law. It requires judgment: knowing what and how to challenge, what and how to investigate, what matters and what does not, when to negotiate and when to fight. Judith brings that judgment, together with rigorous analysis and practical experience to every case she takes on.Coming Soon