Chris Kourakis


Christopher John Kourakis is a Greek Australian lawyer and judge. In 2008, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia and in 2012, he was elevated to the position of Chief Justice.
Kourakis grew up in Port Lincoln as one of ten children of Greek migrants Evangelos and Roxani Kourakis. He was educated at the University of Adelaide. He practised at the Independent Bar in South Australia from 1989 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1997. Kourakis was President of the Law Society of South Australia from 2001. In 2003 he was appointed as the Solicitor-General of South Australia. When the South Australian government decided to cease appointing Queen's Counsel and the Chief Justice of South Australia began appointing Senior Counsel, Kourakis resigned his commission as Queen's Counsel to become Senior Counsel instead.