Laura Stein

Laura Stein is an Australian judge. She has been appointed to the role of Chief Justice of South Australia, taking up her role in the Supreme Court of South Australia on 19 February 2026. She is the first woman to be appointed to the role, and succeeds Chris Kourakis, who announced his retirement in December 2025 after 13 years as chief justice.
Stein began practising as a lawyer in 1991 at Fisher Jeffries, where she stayed for ten years. In 2001, she was appointed to the Crown Solicitor's Office. There she worked in a variety of capacities, before being appointed Crown Solicitor in 2020.
In September 2021 she was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia.
Stein is also a member of the Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council, the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Courts Administration Authority, and the Supreme Court Workplace Conduct Committee. She also chairs both the Special Classification Trial Management Committee and the steering committee of the Respectful Behaviours Committee.