Type of practice: I presently practice in the following areas:
family law;
intervention orders at Magistrates' Court and County Court level (including appeals);
crimes compensation hearings including appeals to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against decisions of the Tribunal;
coronial inquests;
guardianship and administration hearings;
anti-discrimination and equal opportunity hearings both at the state and federal level;
unfair dismissals;
administrative law (merits review and judicial review) at the VCAT;
Children's Court both in the care and protection jurisdiction and the criminal law jurisdiction; and appeals from the Children's Court to the County Court;
criminal law - both prosecuting and defence pleas and appeals in the Magistrates' and County Court;
prosecuting on behalf of government departments in the Magistrates' and County Court;
intervening on behalf of Centres Against Sexual Assaults in criminal proceedings.
Examples of recent cases include:
acting for a complainant in a sexual harassment case against an employer in the Anti-discrimination List of the VCAT;
acting for CASA in a rape trial as an intervener seeking to have the victim's counselling files suppressed;
acting as junior counsel for the defence in the Supreme Court (in the first electronically lodged appeal) in an appeal against a sentence received for drug trafficking;
acting in the Children's Court for two girls who were alleged to have been neglected by their mother.
Professional background:
Articles 1990, Freehill, Hollingdale and Page - litigation, industrial law and intellectual property sections
Solicitor, Freehill, Hollingdale and Page 1991-1992 - litigation section
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Vic) 1992-1994 - County Court general prosecutions section
Wisewoulds 1994-1995 - litigation section
Lecturer, Melbourne University Law School 1995 - taught Criminal Law, Contracts and Evidence
Reader Victorian Bar March 1996. Mentor - Felicity Hampel QC.
Other professional experience:
Tutor in Criminal Law, Trinity College 1992
Tutor in Legal Studies, Southern Cross University 1996
Guest Instructor in Practical Legal Education Course, Leo Cussen Institute, 1999 and continuing.
Member of Feminist Lawyers (Convenor 1997) and Women Barristers' Association
International Commission of Jurists (1990 -1993)
Women' s Legal Resource Group (1990 -1993 )
Member of List Committee for Barristers' Clerk - Paul Holmes (1998,1999)
Civil Locum Lawyer - Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (2000)
Publications and seminar participation: 1999 - Author of Materials on Custodial Medicine for the Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Medicine, Monash University 1998 - Speaker on Crimes Compensation - then and now for Warrnambool Legal Centre Justice Forum 1998 - Speaker on Appeals to the County Court at the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria 1995 - Author of Creating Maximum Difficulties - section 10 of the Sentencing Act 1991 after Boucher 900 (1995) 69 Law Institute Journal 1995 - Author of Young Offenders: Some Sentencing Considerations 897 (1995) 69 Law Institute Journal 1990 - Editor Girls Own Legal Resource Magazine for Girls (Women's Legal Resource Group) (1990)
The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister's clerk
have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.