Division of Bar Roll:
Victorian Practising Counsel
Accepts briefs from in-house counsel Profile:
Nicholas is a barrister at the Victorian Bar, practising in commercial law, public law, and equity + trusts. He has a particular interest in energy, superannuation, and sports law. He is a member of List A and Chancery Chambers. He has appeared both led and unled in the Federal, Supreme, County and Magistrates' Courts, VCAT, and the AFL Tribunal.
In 2023, Nicholas was recognised in the Doyle's Guide list of Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Barristers in Victoria. He is Secretary of the Commercial Bar Association's Probate Committee, a member of the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Probate Users Group committee, and a full member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners.
He also lectures in Contract Law at Melbourne Law School, and is a reporter for the Victorian Reports.
Recent published cases
- Re Vaughan; Dunn v Dunn-Vaughan [2024] VSC 7, [2024] VSC 128 (complex estate dispute, led by Sue Gatford, unled in relation to costs)
- Hawkesdale Asset Pty Ltd & Anor v Bennett [2023] VSC 409 (application for enforcement of licence agreement, led by P Anastassiou KC, with C Tsang)
- PTD Nominees v Deacon [2023] VSC 245 (judicial advice and removal of trustee and appointor, led by Matthew Harvey KC)
- Hall v ABL [2022] FCA 163, [2022] FCA 1524 (approvals of settlement of shareholder class action, unled)
- Santos NA Barossa Pty Ltd v Tipakalippa [2022] FCAFC 193, [2022] FCA 1121, [2022] FCA 838 (judicial review of approval of environment plan, led by, variously, Ron Merkel KC, Claire Harris KC, Robert White, Chris Tran and Colette Mintz)
- Re Curtis [2022] VSC 621 (application for grant of probate of remotely-witnessed will, led by Richard Boaden)
- Re Moran [2022] VSC 776, [2023] VSC 83 (construction of a will, unled)
Extended Biography:
Previous experience
Nicholas was previously a lawyer at the Victorian Government Solicitor's Office practicing in public and constitutional law and litigation.
Before that, Nicholas was a commercial litigation lawyer in King & Wood Mallesons' Dispute Resolution group in Melbourne and in London, and associate to the Honourable Justice McMillan of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Nicholas has a Juris Doctor (law) and a Bachelor of Arts (history, politics and economics) from the University of Melbourne. Nicholas ranked first in his cohort in Contracts, Obligations and Torts.
Nicholas read with Tom Clarke at Ninian Stephen Chambers, and his senior mentor is Peter Gray QC.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation. 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.