Dorit Beinisch was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1942. She graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a bachelor's and master's degrees in law.

After a long professional career in public service, Beinisch was appointed Attorney General in 1989. During this period she was responsible for representing the State of Israel in the various law courts, as well as providing legal advice to the state authorities.

In December 1995 Dorit Beinisch was appointed to the Supreme Court and in September 2006 was sworn in as the first female President of the Supreme Court of Israel, a position she held until her retirement in February 2012.