Queensland's Chief Justice Tim Carmody is ready to quit amid dysfunction and infighting with senior members of the judiciary, but says his resignation is conditional on judicial reform.

However, a law academic says Justice Carmody's conditional resignation could set a dangerous precedent.

Justice Carmody said his resignation would be in the best interest of Queenslanders, and Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath thanked him for putting the judiciary before himself.

A condition of Justice Carmody's resignation would be that the State Government undertake a reform agenda, including a judicial commission.

He said reform would bring about "improvements Queenslanders need and expect".

Justice Carmody said he believed those who were resisting change campaigned to force him out.

"I am willing to resign on just terms, not for them, not because of them, but to break the impasse," Justice Carmody said in a statement.

"These recent revelations shine light on serious cultural and structural problems within the judiciary.

"These problems had their origins and were festering long before I was appointed to bring in needed reforms.

"Those resistant to change and modernisation have made it their primary goal to force me out, seemingly at all costs."

Justice Carmody said his resignation would be conditional on a clear and meaningful reform framework.

"I am willing to do so [resign] only on just terms and if I am confident action will be taken towards improvements Queenslanders need and expect," he said.

Over the next week, Justice Carmody wants a round table meeting to discuss reform and on Friday he will present his vision for change.

"I deeply hope that this vision will be accompanied by a mandated, bipartisan, action plan," he said.

Carmody is 'definitely playing politics'

However, QUT law professor Mark Lauchs said Chief Justice Carmody's departure could set a dangerous precedent.

"One of the problems is it creates a precedent that the judiciary can, of its own volition, coerce not just the Chief Justice but any judge to resign and that's not very good - that's a bad precedent to set in society," he said.

Professor Lauchs said if the Chief Justice resigned, there was no guarantee any of his demands would be met.

"There's no set of rules in relation to it - the Act doesn't say a judge will resign on the circumstances that they can then use it as leverage to change policy - that's just something he can do by playing politics, so he's definitely playing politics," he said.

Australian Council of Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said Justice Carmody was making the state look like "Hicksville again".

"The rest of Australia are looking at Queensland and saying 'what on earth is going on?' Are they still in the 1970s and 1980s?" he said.

"To tie his departure to in effect force the Government to introduce a policy change that the Government has said it is not interested in - judges can't do that - again shows the inherent unsuitability of the man to hold judicial office.

"I have never seen, in 40 years of practising a judge retiring early and saying 'I will retire early only if the government of the day brings in a policy change that I want'."

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said Justice Carmody should not attach any conditions to his resignation.

Mr Cope said the former LNP government bore ultimate responsibility.

"He had disqualified himself from this appointment by his political comments, particularly in support of the previous government's bikie laws. He should never have been appointed," he said.

"His appointment then placed the other judges in a situation where the only way they could protect the institution of the court was to go public with their concerns about his behaviour once he was appointed."

Government ready to meet on reform agenda

A resignation would solve a significant legal dilemma for the Queensland Government, which has limited power to remove a judge.

So far, the Government has not wanted to interfere in the stoushes.

Ms D'Ath, who confirmed Justice Carmody approached her in mid-April about his intention to resign, said she would be happy to meet him over his reform agenda, but said the Government would have the final say.

"When it comes to making policy decisions around court structures, that is a government decision," she said.

Ms D'Ath said the department was looking at what form a judicial commission could take, but it was not decided yet if it was in the interest of the state.

She said the Palaszczuk Government already indicated before the election that there would be a protocol for judicial appointments.

Justice Carmody enjoyed a meteoric rise under the former government, selected over long-serving judges.

"The former LNP government ... failed to properly consult in relation to the appointment," Ms D'Ath said.

"[I want to introduce a protocol] to make sure there is integrity in the system, and make sure appointments are seen as strong appointments based on their merits and there isn't political interference."

Ms D'Ath would not comment on whether Justice Carmody had been bullied, or misstepped.

Furthermore, Ms D'Ath said he would not be brought before Parliament to explain his actions.

"I consider that a significant gesture on his part to put the court's interest before himself," Ms D'Ath told 612 ABC Brisbane.

"It would be silly to sit here and say the conduct across the judiciary has been beneficial to the courts and the public perception in recent months."

It has been a rocky road for Justice Carmody since he was announced as the state's top judge 10 months ago.

The state's second most powerful judge, Court of Appeal President Justice Margaret McMurdo, said she would not sit with him on any case, and Justice John Byrne is reported to have secretly recorded a conversation with him.

In July 2014, Justice Carmody was promoted under the former Newman government from Chief Magistrate to Chief Justice, despite never serving on the Supreme Court.

He has suffered a barrage of criticism from the judiciary and legal fraternity since his elevation and took a month's sick leave from last Monday for a bad back.

Justice McMurdo is standing by her decisions during the "unseemly saga" and would not say whether Justice Carmody should go.

"All the decisions I've made have been principled and based on the correct thing to do as I've perceived it," she said.

"I stand by them."

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