Sean Grant will be based in Albury from next February, having been sworn in as a judge on February 14.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said on Tuesday that Judge Grant would spend a year in Sydney before shifting to Albury for his new role, which will also see him preside at Griffith sittings.

"He brings local knowledge, I think it is very important that all judicial officers are part of their community, that politicians and judges don't sit in ivory towers but connect with their community," Mr Speakman said.

"I think to bring someone back, who has lived in Albury for so long and knows the Albury community will be a great boon for justice.

"People can be confident they have someone who is part of their community sitting on these sorts of cases."

Judge Grant is the son of the late Bill Grant, a long-time Wodonga doctor who was the official medico at Wodonga Bulldogs football club for many years.

As a student, Judge Grant attended Wodonga High School and Monash University before practising in Wodonga and at the Melbourne bar.

He acted in North East trials and represented underworld figures Carl Williams and underworld figure Victor Brincat before moving to Sydney in the mid-2000s.

Mr Speakman announced Judge Grant's Border appointment outside Albury's Dean Street courthouse.

Previously Sydney judges have flown down for Albury sittings, resulting in travel and accommodation costs for taxpayers.

Albury and District Law Society president Allison Bruce hailed the move.

"We're very pleased, it's been a long time coming," Mrs Bruce said.

"There's significant delays currently and it will be fantastic to have a full-time judge here to get through the backlog.

"(It's important) for both sides, from the victims' side it's terrible to wait years and years and not see justice for that time and from the defendants' side, you can have innocent people hanging with something over their head for years before they're acquitted or they're on remand tying up resources."

Judge Grant's appointment is likely to result in upgrades to the old court building, which has no audio-visual gear and cannot cater for custodial cases.

It is estimated $200,000 is needed to install equipment to allow for links to prisons.

Mr Speakman conceded there was a need for more infrastructure with security for juries a priority.

Meantime, about $100,000 in state funding was flagged by Mr Speakman for a mentoring program to help boys aged 13 to 17 who are having difficulties at school or have been in trouble with the law. 

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