McHugh was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1961 after taking the
Barristers Admission Board Examinations. He was appointed
Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1973 and was Vice President of the New South Wales Bar Association, 1978–81, and later President, 1981–83. In 1980, he was counsel for
Wyong Shire Council in
Wyong Shire Council v Shirt, a landmark
negligence case on
breach of duty. He was President of the
Australian Bar Association 1983–84.
NSW Court of Appeal judicial appointment He was appointed as a Judge of Appeal of the
New South Wales Court of Appeal on 30 October 1984.
High Court appointment He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in February 1989, a position he held until his retirement in October 2005 in accordance with Section 72 of the
Australian Constitution, which states that Justices of the High Court must retire from office upon turning 70. He was succeeded by Justice
Susan Crennan, then of the
Federal Court of Australia.
Post-retirement After he retired from the High Court, McHugh was appointed as one of the Non-Permanent Justices of the
Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. Another Australian judge on the Court of Final Appeal is Sir
Anthony Mason. McHugh was appointed to head the
Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in New South Wales on 6 May 2015. McHugh provided his report on 16 June 2016, finding overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty. Following the report, the
Government of New South Wales decided to shut down the greyhound racing in NSW from 1 July 2017, a decision that was reversed on 11 October 2016. McHugh currently practises as an independent mediator and arbitrator at Eleven Wentworth in
Sydney. ==Family==