Life Members
Life Members are appointed for 'exceptional service to the Bar Association or to the profession of the law'.
| Name | Bar Council resolution date | Position at the time of appointment |
| L F Osborne* | 17 December 1970 | retired registrar of the Bar Association |
| The Rt Hon. Sir Garfield Barwick Kt GCMG * | 24 February 1972 | chief justice of Australia |
| The Hon. Sir Kenneth Manning Kt* | 24 February 1972 | NSW Court of Appeal judge |
| The Hon. Sir John Kerr KCMG * | 22 August 1974 | governor-general of Australia |
| The Rt Hon. Sir Edward McTiernan KBE* | 16 December 1976 | High Court judge |
| The Rt Hon. Sir Victor Windeyer KBE CB DSO ED* | 16 December 1976 | High Court judge |
| The Rt Hon. Sir Frank Kitto KBE* | 16 December 1976 | High Court judge |
| B J F Wright MBE QC* | 3 March 1977 | former barrister |
| Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMG GCVO KStJ CMG | 28 June 1979 | governor-general of Australia |
| The Hon. Sir Kenneth Jacobs KBE* | 19 July 1979 | High Court judge |
| The RT Hon. Sir Harry Gibbs GCMG KBE* | 28 October 1982 | chief justice of Australia |
| The Hon. Sir Gerard Brennan KBE | 26 May 1983 | High Court Judge |
| C R Evatt QC* | 30 August 1984 | former barrister |
| J Baldock | 29 August 1985 | former barrister |
| Capt W F Cook LVO RAN* | 6 March 1986 | retired registrar of the Bar Association |
| Jean Mullin OBE | 11 May 1989 | former barrister |
| Joyce Schewcroft OBE * | 13 August 1992 | former barrister |
| Capt T R Duchesne RAN | 13 August 1992 | retired registrar of the Bar Association |
| The Hon. Sir Laurence Street AC KCMG KStJ | 30 March 1995 | former chief justice of NSW |
| The Hon. Sir Anthony Mason AC KBE CBE | 25 May 1995 | High Court judge |
| P M Woodward QC* | 1 February 1996 | former president (Dec 1969 - Oct 1971) |
| The Hon. Justice G J Samuels AC* | 1 February 1996 | former president (Oct 1971 - Nov 1972) |
| The Hon G D Needham QC* | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1972 - Dec 1972) |
| The Hon. TEF Hughes AO QC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Sept 1973 - Dec 1975) |
| The Hon. Justice T R Morling | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1977 - Dec 1979) |
| The Hon. Justice R P Meagher* | 1 February 1996 | former president (Dec 1979 - Nov 1981) |
| The Hon. Justice M H McHugh AC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1981 - Dec 1983) |
| The Hon. Justice A M Gleeson AC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Dec 1983 - Dec 1985) |
| R V Gyles QC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Dec 1985 - Nov 1987) |
| The Hon. Justice K R Handley AO | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1987 - Nov 1989) |
| The Hon. B S J O’Keefe AM QC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1989 - Dec 1991) |
| J S Coombs QC* | 1 February 1996 | former president (Dec 1991 - Nov 1993) |
| M H Tobias QC | 1 February 1996 | former president (Nov 1993 - Nov 1995) |
| Janet V Coombs AM | 7 May 1998 | former barrister |
| The Hon. Justice J J Spigelman AC | 18 June 1998 | chief justice of NSW |
| Sir Maurice Byers Kt CBE QC* | 2 July 1998 | former president (Nov 1965 - Nov 1967) |
| C A Porter QC | 15 June 2000 | former barrister |
| R W R Parker QC* | 16 August 2001 | former barrister |
| D M Bennett AO QC | 3 October 2001 | former president (Nov 1995 - Dec 1997) |
| I M Barker QC | 3 October 2001 | former president (Dec 1997 - Nov 1999) |
| R S McColl SC | 15 November 2001 | former president (Nov 1999 - Nov 2001) |
| F S McAlary QC | 27 February 2002 | former barrister |
| Dr J M Bennett | 11 April 2002 | legal historian |
| B W Walker SC | 4 December 2003 | former president (Nov 2001 - Nov 2003 ) |
| The Hon. M Gaudron QC | 24 January 2005 | former High Court judge |
| I G Harrison SC | 24 November 2005 | former president (Nov 2003 - Nov 2005) |
| P H Greenwood SC | 14 June 2007 | barrister |
| The Hon. Justice I D F Callinan AC | 13 July 2007 | High Court judge |
| M J Slattery QC | 29 November 2007 | former president (Nov 2005 - Nov 2007 ) |
| Alexander Shand QC* | 25 September 2008 | former barrister |
| The Hon J H Wootten AC QC | 27 November 2008 | former judge |
| The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG | 2 February 2009 | High Court judge |
| Anna Katzmann SC | 26 November 2009 | former president (Nov 2007 - Nov 2009) |
| The Hon R J Ellicott QC | 10 February 2011 | barrister, former attorney-general, solicitor general & judge |
| Paul Daley | 7 April 2011 | barristers' clerk |
| Tom Bathurst QC | 26 May 2011 | former president (Nov 2009-May2011) |
| The Hon J H Mathews AO | 27 October 2011 | former judge |
| The Hon Kevin Lindgren AM QC | 11 October 2012 | former judge |
| The Hon Justice Anthony Meagher | 11 October 2012 | judge |
| B A Coles QC | 25 February 2013 | former president (June 2011-December 2012) |
| The Hon Margaret Beazley AO | 24 October 2013 | judge |
| The Hon James Allsop AO | 24 October 2013 | judge |
| The Hon Justice Virginia Bell AC | 27 March 2014 | judge |
| Phillip Boulten SC | 29 May 2014 | former president |
| Ian Temby AO QC | 11 December 2014 | barrister |
| Jane Needham SC | 20 November 2015 | former president |
| Philip Selth OAM | 6 October 2016 | executive director of the Bar Association |
| Michael Fordham SC | 6 October 2016 | barrister |
| Penny Johnston | 6 October 2016 | BarCare director |
| Noel Hutley SC | 11 May 2017 | former president |
| Justin Gleeson SC | 11 May 2017 | barrister, former solicitor-general of Australia |
* denotes deceased