Briefing Victoria Legal Aid Chambers
Briefing Victoria Legal Aid Chambers
Our Chambers advocates provide high-quality representation for clients with a grant of legal assistance in criminal law, civil law, child protection and family law. They appear in all Victorian courts and tribunals, the Federal Court, the Family Court and the High Court of Australia.
Chambers advocates can be briefed to appear for clients by Victoria Legal Aid lawyers and private practitioners on our panels.
To engage the services of our advocates, contact Victoria Legal Aid Chambers on:
Phone: (03) 9269 0300
Email: advocates_clerk@vla.vic.gov.au
Chief Counsel
Practice and briefing coordination
Jo von Seht-Nater, Briefing and Practice Manager, Chambers
Public defenders
Senior public defenders
Public defenders
Associate public defenders
Family and Children's law
Senior Advocate, Family and Children's law
Advocate, Family and Children's Law
Family Law
Associate Advocate, Family Law
Civil Law
Public defender, Civil Law
Associate public defender, Civil Law
Chief Counsel
Tim Marsh
Admitted to the legal profession: 2000
Signed Victorian Bar Roll: 2003
Available to be briefed in:
- Supreme Court and County Court trials and pleas
- Complex contested committals
- judicial review proceedings
- Court of Appeal
- High Court
- crimes mental impairment specialist
- matters involving the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009 and Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006.
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- Mental Health Review Board – 2008
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law (ANZAPPL).
Other information:
- member of the Victorian Law Reform Commission Steering Committee for the reference into the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- member of the County Court working group that addresses procedural and practical issues in mental impairment and unfitness cases
- Trial Counsel Development Program – Leading Counsel participant.
Briefing and Practice Manager, Chambers
Jo von Seht-Nater
Jo is responsible for the daily operational requirements of Chambers, overseeing briefing and work allocation to our advocates and managing the Trial Counsel Development Program.
Senior public defenders
David Gibson
Admitted to the legal profession: 1985
Signed Victorian Bar Roll: 2009
Available to be briefed in:
- Supreme Court and County Court trials, pleas, appeals and bail applications
- Contested committals
- judicial review proceedings
- Court of Appeal
- matters involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 and Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- complex Children’s Court matters (Criminal Division).
Other information:
- member of the Child Witness Service Advisory Board, which provides advice and guidance to the Child Witness Service that supports child witnesses in the criminal justice system.
James Fitzgerald
Admitted to the legal profession: Queensland in 1995 and Victoria in 1998.
Available to be briefed in:
- Supreme and County Court trials, pleas, appeals and bail applications
- Court of Appeal
- contested committals
- Judicial Review proceedings
- cases involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Fitness to be Tried) Act, Serious Sex Offender (Detention and Supervision Act)
- coronial inquests
- Australian Crime Commission matters.
Other information:
James has practised in both Queensland and in Victoria and has been involved in regional circuit court matters for a number of years. He has developed a great reputation as a fair and conscientious barrister who strives for the best results for his clients.
John McLoughlin (Appeals)
Admitted to the Legal Profession: 1987
Available to be briefed in:
- Court of Appeal
- Supreme Court pleas
- High Court
- County Court pleas
- administrative law (judicial review)
- matters involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 and Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009.
Julia Munster
Admitted to the legal profession: 1993
Available to be briefed in:
- County Court trials, pleas, appeals and bail applications
- Supreme Court bail applications
- matters involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 and Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- Contested committals
- Court of Appeal
- judicial review proceedings
- appear as junior in Supreme Court trials, appeals and pleas
- complex Children's Court matters (criminal division).
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- accredited criminal law specialist.
Naomi Smith
Admitted to the Legal Profession: 2004
Signed Victorian Bar Roll: 2008
Available to be briefed in:
- County Court trials, pleas, appeals and bail applications
- Supreme Court pleas and bail applications
- matters involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 and Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- Contested committals
- appear as junior in Supreme Court trials
- complex Children's Court matters (criminal division).
Other information:
- accredited criminal law specialist
- accredited advocacy instructor with the Australian Advocacy Institute
- instructor with the Leo Cussen Centre for Law.
Public defenders
Amy Brennan
Admitted to the legal profession: 2005
Signed Victorian Bar Roll: 2008
Available to be briefed in:
- County Court trials, pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, summary contests
- matters involving the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- cases involving the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- complex Children's Court matters (Criminal Division).
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- Equality and Diversity Committee, Victorian Bar
- French Australian Lawyers Society.
Other information:
- Author of Criminal Law chapter in Droit de l’Aust – a French publication on the laws of Australia.
Anthony Pyne
Admitted to the legal profession: 2008
Available to be briefed in:
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- County Court trials, pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Children's Court matters (Criminal Division)
- Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal matters.
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- accredited criminal law specialist.
Other information:
Anthony gained a wealth of experience at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency appearing in the Supreme Court as both junior and lead counsel. In addition, he regularly appeared as sole counsel in contested committal hearings, contested summary hearings, bail applications and complex plea hearings in the Magistrates' Court.
Danielle Lamovie
Admitted to the legal profession: 1993
Available to be briefed in:
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- appear as junior in County Court trials
- Supreme Court bail applications
- matters involving the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- reviews and applications under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- complex Children’s Court matters (Criminal Division).
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- accredited criminal law specialist.
Darcy Dempsey
Admitted to the legal profession: 2007
Available to be briefed in:
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- County Court trials
- Supreme Court bail applications
- matters involving the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- reviews and applications under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- complex Children’s Court matters (Criminal Division).
Erin Ramsay
Admitted to the legal profession: 2006
Signed the Bar Roll: 2009
Areas available to be briefed in:
- County Court trials, pleas and appeals
- Appeals to the Court of Appeal
- Proceedings under the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009
- Proceedings under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- Judicial review proceedings
- contested committals.
Recent research and publication:
- Crime and Defence (a Foley’s List publication) – contributing author
Associate public defenders
Angie Wong
Admitted to the legal profession: 2010
Year signed the Bar Roll: 2013
Areas to be briefed in:
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- County Court trials (as junior)
- Supreme Court bail applications
- matters under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997
- complex Children’s Court matters (Criminal Division)
- judicial review and administrative law
- social security
- mental health.
Other information:
Angie joined Chambers in 2018 from the Bar, where she practised in criminal and civil law. She previously worked as a civil solicitor at Victoria Legal Aid and prior to that as a criminal solicitor at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency.
Camille Woodward
Admitted to the legal profession: 1999
Available to be briefed in:
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- complex Children's Court matters (Criminal Division)
- Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal matters.
Other information:
- Accredited criminal law specialist.
Eleanor Millar
Admitted to the legal profession: 2008
Available to be briefed in:
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contested hearings, pleas, bail applications
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- Complex Children's Court matters (criminal division).
Jarrod Van Arkadie
Admitted to the legal profession: 2013
Available to be briefed in:
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contested hearings, pleas, bail applications
- County Court pleas, appeals, breach proceedings and bail applications
- Complex Children's Court matters (Criminal Division).
Michael Reardon
Admitted to the legal profession: 2011
Available to be briefed in:
- complex Magistrates’ Court matters – contested committals, contests, pleas, bail applications
- County Court pleas and appeals
- County Court trials (as junior)
- complex Children's Court matters (Criminal Division).
Senior Advocate, Family and Children's Law
Robyn Hamilton
Admitted to the legal profession: 1999
Available to be briefed in:
- independent children's lawyer trials and hearings
- Family Court hearings – trials, interim and final hearings
- Federal Circuit Court of Australia
- complex Children's Court matters (Family Division)
- Supreme Court and County Court appeals.
Professional memberships and accreditation:
- accredited children’s law specialist.
Other information:
- member of Victorian Law Institute's Children Committee, Youth Issues Committee and Children's Law Advisory Committee.
Advocate, Family and Children's Law
Matthew Strong
Admitted to the legal profession: 1999
Available to be briefed in:
- independent children's lawyer trials and hearings
- Family Court and Federal Circuit Court of Australia trials, interim and final hearings, contraventions and mentions
- contested intervention violence orders
- Children's Court matters (Family Division) – interim and final hearings, conciliation conferences
- Family Dispute Resolution Service conferences.
Other information:
Matthew joined VLA Chambers in 2015 from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Darwin practising as a senior solicitor/advocate in family law and child protection.
Associate Advocate, Family Law
Eric Myles
Admitted to the Legal Profession: 2013
Available to be briefed in:
- Children's Court matters (Family Division) – interim hearings, conciliation conferences, mentions
- contested intervention violence orders
- Federal Circuit Court of Australia mentions
- FDRS conferences
- VCAT case planning decision review matters.
Public defender, Civil
Jessie Taylor
Admitted to the legal profession: 2009
Areas available to be briefed in:
- civil and human rights
- mental health
- discrimination
- migration law
- judicial review and administrative law
- merits review
- social security and veterans' entitlements
- VOCAT
- guardianship and administration
- elder law and children's law including parens patriae
- coronial inquests
- Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act
- social inclusion group – infringements, working with children checks and tenancy.
Other information:
Jessie first joined Victoria Legal Aid as a duty lawyer in 2011 before joining the Victorian Bar. She returned to Victoria Legal Aid as an associate advocate in Chambers in 2016. Jessie has also worked as associate to Justice Bromberg in the Federal Court of Australia, and is the co-creator of We Will Be Remembered For This (2007) and Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (2011).
Associate public defender, Civil
Gemma Cafarella
Admitted to the legal profession: 2013
Available to be briefed in:
- VCAT – residential tenancies, review and regulation, and guardianship and administration lists
- mental health
- social security
- infringements
- Coroners Court
- suppression orders
- judicial review and administrative law.