Early career (1935–1962) Mitchell was
admitted to the bar in 1934 and formally admitted as a
barrister and lawyer by the
Supreme Court of South Australia in February 1935, three days after completing her studies. She began her
articles of clerkship with Rollison & Rollison, assisted by her uncle, lawyer Frank Villeneuve Smith, but later moved to a larger firm that could hire a professional
solicitor. Four months after joining, she was promoted to partner at the firm, which became Nelligan,
Angas Parsons & Mitchell. Mitchell was elected to the Law Society of South Australia's council in 1952 and joined its legal assistance committee, contributing to systems later influential in Britain after presenting the South Australian programme at the 1954 Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference in
London. In 1958, she became the first part-time family law instructor at the University of Adelaide, Although she later described judicial life as offering "no excitement," she accepted the appointment out of a sense of moral obligation and a belief that she owed it to women. Her appointment attracted public attention, including debate over forms of address, and she received 482 letters and
telegrams of congratulation. Mitchell took her seat on the
Full Court on 27 September 1965, delivering remarks referencing
President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, and worked across criminal and civil jurisdictions at both first instance and appellate levels, writing judgments promptly. From 1971 to 1977, Mitchell chaired the Criminal Law and Penal Methods Reform Committee of South Australia, later known as the Mitchell Committee, which issued five reports containing 907 recommendations. The committee advocated for judges and magistrates to retain responsibility for sentencing rather than leaving it to legislation, and emphasised the need for jurists and police to be better informed on
criminology and
correctional systems. Its 1973 report addressed the neglect and mistreatment of
Aboriginal peoples, recommending the abolition of minor offences, establishment of
detoxification centres, and replacement of short-term imprisonment with supervised prohibition, as well as improved care for inmates. The 1977 report on
rape recommended that husbands be indictable for the rape of a wife in cases of separation, and highlighted the outdated assumption that a wife must submit to intercourse regardless of her wishes. Mitchell also delivered the
Sir John Morris memorial lecture in 1971 on "Women's Liberation and the Law" and in 1975 became the first woman to present the
Australian Broadcasting Commission Boyer lectures, titled
The Web of Criminal Law, presenting key aspects of the committee's work to a national audience. Earlier, in 1972, she had been appointed the first woman deputy chancellor of the University of Adelaide, a position she held until her later elevation to
chancellor.
Australian Human Rights Commission (1981–1983) In 1981, Mitchell, together with lifelong friends Jean and Billie Whyte, purchased land at
Carrickalinga and built a
kit house as a
retreat, while also assisting with
Meals on Wheels by delivering lunches to frail aged residents. That year, she joined the
council for the Order of Australia, serving until 1990, and in December 1981 was appointed chair of the newly established
Australian Human Rights Commission, a part-time role she held until 1986 under the
Fraser government. The commission brought together representatives from across the states to address complaints concerning women, Indigenous peoples,
ethnic minorities, and people with
disabilities, focusing on inquiry, conciliation, and
education rather than prosecution. Mitchell addressed issues of
racial intolerance, particularly in
Western Australia and the
Northern Territory, and contributed to developing distinctions in the
treatment of mental illness and
intellectual disability. The commission supported the sex discrimination bill introduced by
Susan Ryan in 1983 and responded to opposition to immigration following public commentary by historian
Geoffrey Blainey. == Later life and death ==