Elizabeth Curtain completed her HSC at Loreto Mandeville Toorak in 1971. She obtained a law degree from the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1976 and was then admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1977. After a time working as a solicitor in Melbourne and Swan Hill, she signed the Roll of Counsel and practised exclusively as a barrister, mainly in Family and Criminal Law. 

Elizabeth was appointed a Prosecutor for the Queen (now known as Crown Prosecutor) in 1987, practising in the criminal jurisdiction of the County and Supreme Courts prosecuting major crime.  

In 1993 Elizabeth was appointed a Judge of the County Court of Victoria, the third woman appointed in the history of the Court and the first to be appointed with a background in criminal law. In her time at the County Court, she was also Alternate Chair of the Youth Parole Board and the Deputy Chair of the Racing Appeals Tribunal. She participated in trial advocacy courses in Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea and worked in Vietnam assisting Sister Trish Franklin IBVM with her work in establishing Loreto Vietnam. During this time, she was a member of the Loreto Toorak School Council and a Director of Jesuit Social Services.  

In 2006 Elizabeth was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. She later became Principal Judge of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court and a member, and later Chair of the Adult Parole Boardof Victoria - the first woman appointed to that role.  

In 2014 Elizabeth retired from the court after 21 years of service as a judge and in 2015 she became the Judge in Residence at the Melbourne Law School. Elizabeth was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2017 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the law and judiciary in the state of Victoria.