By Staff Writer

Justice Virginia Bell will be sworn in as a High Court judge at a ceremony in Canberra today, becoming the third woman to currently serve on the seven member panel.

The New South Wales judge replaces Justice Michael Kirby who retired yesterday after 12-years of service on the nation’s top court.

During the special sitting of the High Court, Justice Kirby said the portrayal of him as "The Great Dissenter" was false. He told the courtroom that he would rather be remembered as an honest judge and critic of the law.

Justice Kirby warned his successor, who began her career three decades ago at Sydney’s Redfern Legal Centre, not to forget "the little people."

"I warn her here and now that if that unlikely moment ever arrives, the ghosts of William Deane and Michael Kirby that haunt that room will come down and whisper in her ear," he said.

"The vibes of the room are powerful. The court had the room revarnished last week. But the vibes will remain. They are in the ether and in the lawbooks. They cannot be varnished away."

Justice Bell previously sat on the NSW Supreme Court and NSW Court of Appeal. She is the fourth woman to be appointed to the High Court in its 105-year history.