Previously a solicitor in private practice for 20 years (including 12 as a partner in a large commercial firm), Rachel understands the demands of a busy legal practice and is known for giving timely, practical and strategic advice that is tailored to the individual needs of the client.

She is briefed regularly in the areas of:

• Judicial review.
• Merits review.
• Public law.
• Civil penalty claims.
• OHS.
• Conducting compulsory examinations.
• Coronial inquests.
• Inquiries.

Rachel has appeared in the Federal Court, Federal Circuit Court, Supreme Court, County Court, Coroner’s Court, Magistrates’ Court, VCAT and the AAT. She has also appeared in Inquiries, including IBAC.

Rachel is a co-founder and director of Inquire Australia and a former President of Reprieve Australia. She was also formerly Chair of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law. She was an inaugural member of the LIV's Administrative Law Specialisation Committee. She is a member of the Victorian Bar's CPD sub-committeeand was an inaugural member of the Bar's Innovation and Technology Committee.

She read with Nick Harrington and her senior mentor was Peter Hanks QC.

The following are examples of matters in which Rachel has appeared since coming to the Bar:

Court of Appeal

• Chopra v Department of Education and Training [2019] VSCA 298

Supreme Court of Victoria

• Chopra v Department of Education and Training [2019] VSC 488
• Hird v Chubb Insurance Co of Australia [2016] VSC 174

Federal Court 

• Australian Building and Construction Commission v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Ors (Bendigo Theatre Case) [2018] FCA 122

• Australian Building and Construction Commission v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Ors (The Brooker Highway Case) [2018] FCA 1081
• Australian Workers’ Union v Registered Organisations Commissioner [2017] FCA 1554

• Hird v Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority [2015] 227 FCR 95
• Hird v Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority [2014] FCA 1090

Federal Circuit Court

• Darafsheh v Candoo Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCCA 2686
• Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v SWAT Building Pty Ltd (in Liq) & Anor[2020] FCCA 1360
• Ritson v Director of Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate & Anor [2016] FCCA 2933
• Ritson v Director of Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate & Anor (No 2)[2016] FCCA 3466

IBAC

• Operation Sandon
• Operation Ord
• Operation Dunham
• Operation Lansdowne 

Coroners Court of Victoria

• Inquest into the Death of Rohan Grindrod regarding operation of medical alert systems (finding delivered on 6.6.18).
• Inquest into the Death of Robert Love regarding cause of death and sufficiency of post-death investigation (reserved)

Other inquiries and investigations

• Boards of Inquiry and Royal Commissions.
• Parliamentary inquiries.
• Disciplinary and internal investigations.

VCAT

• Chopra v Department of Education and Training (No 2) [2020] VCAT 1035
• Chopra v Department of Education and Training [2020] VCAT 748
• Chopra v Department of Education and Training [2020] VCAT 334
• Tucker v Commissioner of State Revenue (No 2) [2020] VCAT 273
• Tucker v Commissioner of State Revenue [2019] VCAT 2018
• Department of Education and Training v Australian Education Union [2019] VCAT 1667
• CFA v Bryant [2019] VCAT 1141
• CFA v Lockyer [2019] VCAT 667
• Chopra v Department of Education and Training [2019] VCAT 174
• RXF v Department of Health and Human Services [2019] VCAT 65
• Colonial Range Pty Ltd v Victorian Building Authority [2017] VCAT 1198
• Department of Health and Human Services v Herald and Weekly Times P/L[2015] VCAT 906
• CFA v Hicks [2017] VCAT 1880
• CFA v McGregor [2017] VCAT 582
• Harrison v Victorian Building Authority [2017] VCAT 108
• Hon Robert Clark MP v Department of Justice and Regulation [2015] VCAT 1348
• Smeaton v Transport Accident Commission [2015] VCAT 1130
• Smeaton v Transport Accident Commission [2015] VCAT 1705
• Harrison v Victorian Building Authority [2015] VCAT 1791
• Munday v Transport Accident Commission [2015] VCAT 2023

AAT

• Gary Morgan v Australian Building and Construction Commissioner [2020] AATA 651
• Western Institute of Technology v Australian Skills Quality Authority [2019] AATA 657
• Hansell v Repatriation Commission [2016] AATA 893
• Elliott v Repatriation Commission [2015] AATA 894