48 Readers Join the Victorian Bar and Commence their Careers as Barristers

8May2020

The Victorian Bar’s Readers attending their graduation ceremony via Zoom

A unique occasion as the Readers complete their Course and start their careers in a new, virtual environment

Yesterday the Victorian Bar welcomed 48 Readers into the Bar as barristers. This is a unique occasion in the Bar’s history as they are the first group to complete much of the Readers’ Course remotely and will be the first to “virtually” sign the Bar Roll as part of their graduation ceremony.

The President of the Victorian Bar, Wendy Harris QC, said “We are pleased to receive into our Bar 48 bright, exceptional and enthusiastic individuals who will, no doubt, make an outstanding contribution to the Victorian Bar and the community. There is a rich diversity of experience amongst these 21 women and 27 men: many have studied interstate or overseas, a number are fluent in other languages and all bring with them a range of personal and professional experience, including from government, sporting, public, corporate and academic sectors.

“They join a vibrant, tight-knit and diverse college of barristers who serve the community by contributing to the administration of justice in Australia. I’d also like to express gratitude for their mentors, experienced members of the Bar, who will guide and support the Readers throughout their first six-months as fledgling barristers.”

CEO of the Victorian Bar, Katherine Lorenz, said “This ceremony represents a monumental achievement for our Readers. When the Readers’ classes were interrupted only three weeks into in-person delivery by government restrictions brought about by COVID-19, they continued their studies remotely. This group therefore represents the Bar’s core strengths of resilience, dexterity and collaboration. I’d like to thank the Readers, Bar staff and the Bar community for their collaboration in shifting the Readers’ Course into an online format. Of the 140-odd sessions in the course, more than 50 were via videoconference. This amazing feat was completed quickly and seamlessly under quite challenging circumstances. I am very proud of our education team and I look forward to seeing the new group of Readers flourish as successful barristers.”

The following new barristers have committed to upholding the Victorian Bar’s values of impartiality, excellence, leadership and growth:

Lisa Andrews Gregory Lascaris
Michael Arbogast Andrew McCowan
Anna Batrouney Jessica Moir
Peter Botros Ashleigh Morris
Stephanie Brenker Matt Murphy
Adam Craig Maya Narayan
Raphael De Vietri Andrew Norris
Anna Dixon Chrisanthi Paganis
Erik Dober Stewart Pinkstone
Nicolas Dour Samuel Profitt
Tessa Duthie Manuel Puyol
Jenaya Ellis (Rinaldis) Uthra Ramachandran
Alexandra Finemore Ned Roche
Stephanie Gillahan Erin Rutherford
Timothy Glass James (Jimmy) Ryan
Robert Glavas Madeleine Sargent
Nicholas Guenther Sanjay Schrapel
John Heard Nadia Stojanova
Sahrah Hogan Stacey Taylor
Lachlan Howe Patrick Tiernan
Brendan Johnson Priya Wakhlu
Jeremy Karitzis Beth Warnock
Michael Keks Matthew Weinman
Philippa Kelly Hazel Whalley
Media Enquiries: 

Elizabeth Gray on +61 401 561 554 or by email to elizabeth.gray@vicbar.com.au

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