Ben Grimes (CEO)

Ben Grimes is a lawyer and linguist who specialises in communication issues in the legal system and cross-cultural legal education.

2021 sees Ben take on a new role as the Chief Executive Officer of ARDS.

Ben has developed a strong reputation in the NT legal profession and is regularly an invited speaker at conferences, and frequently delivers training and consultancy to judges and legal organisations to assist in removing barriers to justice caused by language and communication.

As a criminal lawyer and community legal educator, Ben developed particular expertise working with Law and Justice groups in remote communities, circle sentencing, and integrating cultural authority into court processes.

Previously Ben has worked as a senior manager with the Aboriginal Interpreter Service, managing 45 full time staff and 350 casual staff across 9 offices in the NT. Ben developed the court duty interpreting system used across the NT, and was a major contributor to protocols such as the NT Supreme Court Interpreter Protocols and the Law Society NT Indigenous Protocols for Lawyers (2nd ed).

As a lecturer in law at Charles Darwin University, Ben developed the Indigenous Pre-law and Mentoring Program, which has led to a noticeable increase in the number of Indigenous law students. Ben also teaches units including Criminal Law, Indigenous Peoples and the Law, Customary Law and Comparative Law.