Victoria Legal Aid

Only barristers on the Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List can be briefed for major criminal trials of longer than 15 days. In all other criminal trials, an exception is required from Victoria Legal Aid in advance to brief barristers who are not on the Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List.

The Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List operates in harmony with the Victorian Bar Indictable Crime Certificate accreditation scheme. This is reflected in one of the key entry criteria for membership on the list, which requires the barrister to apply for or maintain an Indictable Crime Certificate.

Briefing a barrister

Victoria Legal Aid expects practitioners to exercise their professional judgement and employ a sensible briefing practice in selecting appropriately qualified barristers for different trials.

A practitioner must obtain approval from Victoria Legal Aid prior to briefing Senior Counsel. If a practitioner briefs Senior Counsel without the appropriate grant of legal assistance, counsel will be paid at Senior Junior rates in accordance with the fees in Table FExternal Link and Table MExternal Link .

Also see Briefing Victoria Legal Aid Chambers to engage the services of our advocates.

Barristers on this list will change. Practitioners should refer to this page before briefing to ensure the barrister is on this list.

Who is on the list

The Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List includes barristers who have applied to be on the list and have satisfied the entry requirements for membership. While Victoria Legal Aid is confident that all preferred barristers are qualified to conduct criminal trials, they all have different levels of experience and expertise.

The list includes members from the Victorian Bar and public defenders from Victoria Legal Aid Chambers.

Members from the Victorian Bar

Alexander, TheoExternal Link

Allen, MichaelExternal Link

Anderson, AdrianExternal Link

Anderson, JamesExternal Link

Anderson, HeatherExternal Link

Andrianakis, SamExternal Link

Anger, StevenExternal Link

Argiropoulos, KarenExternal Link

Backwell, RichardExternal Link

Ballard, KateExternal Link

Barreiro, JonathanExternal Link

Barker, LukeExternal Link

Barker, WilliamExternal Link

Barns, GregExternal Link (SC)

Barton, RohanExternal Link

Bates, AdrianExternal Link

Battersby, TomExternal Link

Beech, AmeliaExternal Link

Bhattacharya, RajExternal Link

Billings, PeterExternal Link

Blake, WilliamExternal Link

Bloemen, PhillipExternal Link

Boas, GideonExternal Link

Borg, SusanExternal Link

Boston, CatherineExternal Link

Brown, MorganExternal Link

Broughton, ZoeExternal Link

Buckland, AndrewExternal Link

Burnnard, AmandaExternal Link

Cameron, FraserExternal Link

Cannon, AshleeExternal Link

Carolan, DavidExternal Link

Caruso, DeannaExternal Link

Casement, GlennExternal Link

Cenacchi, MarioExternal Link

Chadwick, PeterExternal Link (KC)

Champion, RuthExternal Link

Chaudhuri, RobinExternal Link

Chernok, AdamExternal Link

Chipkin, GabrielExternal Link

Chisholm, GordonExternal Link

Clark, EmilyExternal Link

Clark, JenniferExternal Link

Coates, EleanorExternal Link

Coghlan, GeorginaExternal Link (KC)

Condon, JulieExternal Link (KC)

Connelly, GeorginaExternal Link

Connolly, JoeExternal Link

Cookson, MattExternal Link

Coombes, DanExternal Link

Court, RebekahExternal Link

Cronin, DavidExternal Link

Dann, DermotExternal Link (KC)

Danos, TomExternal Link

Davis, GraemeExternal Link

Dean, Mark E (KC)External Link

de Kretser, RahminExternal Link

de Vietri, RaphaelExternal Link

Desmond, JohnExternal Link

Dickenson, AndrewExternal Link

Dixon, AnnaExternal Link

Doyle, PatrickExternal Link

Drago, VeronikaExternal Link

Dwyer, CaitlinExternal Link

Edney, RichardExternal Link

Fairfield, CahalExternal Link

Fallar, JessicaExternal Link

Farrington, ChrisExternal Link

Fitzgerald, JamesExternal Link

Fitzpatrick, TimothyExternal Link

Foot, CaraExternal Link

Fox, FelicityExternal Link

Gardner, ShaneExternal Link

Garner, JanineExternal Link

Gerry, FelicityExternal Link (KC)

Ginsbourg, ShaunExternal Link

Goldberg, MatthewExternal Link

Goodenough, NicholasExternal Link

Goodfellow, NicholasExternal Link

Grant, CarlinExternal Link

Gray, DavidExternal Link

Grace, David (KC)

Gullaci, JasonExternal Link

Gurvich, DanielExternal Link (KC)

Guthridge, TerenceExternal Link

Gwynn, LeightonExternal Link

Haban-Beer, AstridExternal Link

Habib, MarkoriusExternal Link

Hallowes, DavidExternal Link (SC)

Halphen, AshleyExternal Link

Hammill, RussellExternal Link

Hancock, AmieExternal Link

Hands, AlanExternal Link

Hardjadibrata, YildanaExternal Link

Hooper, ChrisExternal Link

Holmes, SamanthaExternal Link

Howard, NeilExternal Link

Howson, LukeExternal Link

Hughan, GregoryExternal Link

Hutton, Neill

Imrie, AndrewExternal Link

Jackson, AndrewExternal Link

Johnston, BarnabyExternal Link

Jones, David (KC)External Link

Joosten, StephanieExternal Link

Kaddeche, NadiaExternal Link

Kantor, JacobExternal Link

Kapitaniak, AggyExternal Link

Keating, SarahExternal Link

Kenny, SimonExternal Link

Khan, RabeaExternal Link

Kounnas, PaulExternal Link

Kozlowski, MartinExternal Link

Kretzenbacher, JuliaExternal Link

Lacy, SharonExternal Link

Lavery, JohnExternal Link

Lee, SimonExternal Link

Lenthall, SarahExternal Link

Lewis, AnthonyExternal Link

Lewis, HarryExternal Link

Lindner, BenjaminExternal Link

Lindner, StephenExternal Link

Line, LucyExternal Link

Livingstone Clark, FfyonaExternal Link

Ljubicic, KatarinaExternal Link

Lowy, JulienExternal Link

Lynch, ThomasExternal Link

MacDougall, SandraExternal Link

Malik, AmitExternal Link

Mandy, ColinExternal Link (SC)

Marcou, PennyExternal Link

Marcs, CarlyExternal Link

Marshall, AlanExternal Link

Marsh, TimExternal Link

Matthews, PeterExternal Link

McCulloch, TimExternal Link

McDonald, KyleExternal Link

McGlone, DanielExternal Link

McGrath, MichaelExternal Link

McKay, KellyExternal Link

McKinnon, ElizabethExternal Link

McMahon, JulianExternal Link (SC)

McQuillan, JamesExternal Link

Menon, ZubinExternal Link

Mildenhall, KestinExternal Link

Miller, JonathanExternal Link

Minucci, MatthewExternal Link

Mitchell, DianneExternal Link

Moodie, HugoExternal Link

Moore, JohnExternal Link

Morgan, CharlesExternal Link

Morgan, GraceExternal Link

Morrissey, Peter SCExternal Link

Mortley, JamesExternal Link

Murphy, JulianExternal Link

Mylonas, ConstantineExternal Link

Nathwani, RishiExternal Link

Newton, BradleyExternal Link

O’Brien, MoyaExternal Link

O’Halloran, PatrickExternal Link

O’Neill, RobertExternal Link

Oldham, ChrisExternal Link

Page, MatthewExternal Link

Palmer, AndrewExternal Link (SC)

Papas, NickExternal Link (KC)

Patton, AlexanderExternal Link

Pearson, ChristopherExternal Link

Peek-Lasry, AmyExternal Link

Peters, VincentExternal Link

Pezzimenti, CarmelaExternal Link

Phair, KimberleyExternal Link

Polak, IanExternal Link

Poole, JoanneExternal Link

Portelli, JamesExternal Link

Price, DianaExternal Link

Pyne, AnthonyExternal Link

Rattray, HaydenExternal Link

Richter, LucienExternal Link

Rolfe, KatherineExternal Link

Roodenburg, AbbieExternal Link

Sala, DanielExternal Link

Saunders, JohnExternal Link

Sawyer, TomExternal Link

Seoud, SamanthaExternal Link

Shann, RuthExternal Link

Sharpley, AngelaExternal Link

Shaw, JimExternal Link

Skehan, PhilipExternal Link

Skvortsova, TanyaExternal Link

Smallwood, PaulExternal Link

Smith, PetaExternal Link

Stanton, MichaelExternal Link

Stavris, JimExternal Link

Stevens, BrettExternal Link

Strugnell, EmmaExternal Link

Sturges, MarkExternal Link

Sullivan, TimothyExternal Link

Swiney, JoExternal Link

Tehan, Patrick (KC)External Link

Teo, PhilipExternal Link

Terry, ChristopherExternal Link

Thies, LucindaExternal Link

Thomas, SarahExternal Link

Thomson, CampbellExternal Link

Thyssen, RobertExternal Link

Tittensor, Megan (SC)External Link

Toohey, WayneExternal Link

Tovey, SamuelExternal Link

Turner, MichaelExternal Link

Wallace, StephanieExternal Link

Wendlandt, SandraExternal Link

Walmsley, Bruce (KC)External Link

Willard, JessicaExternal Link

Senior dublic defenders and public defenders from Victoria Legal Aid Chambers are automatically on the Preferred Barrister List for the duration of their employment at Victoria Legal Aid. If their employment at Victoria Legal Aid ends (for example they return to or join the Victorian Bar), then they will need to submit an expression of interest to remain on the list.

Associate public defenders do not ordinarily appear unled in trials and are thus not automatically on the Preferred Barrister List. If a practitioner would like to brief an associate public defenders to appear unled in a trial, they will need to submit an exception application. Associate public defenders themselves do not apply for an exception.

Blackley, John

Brennan, Amy

Dempsey, Darcy

Goodenough, Nicholas

Hurst, Amanda

Lardner, Dominique

Lamovie, Danielle

Marthick, Courtney

McGlone, Daniel

McLennan, Alex

Munster, Julia

Smith, Naomi

Waters, Andrew

Wong, Angie

Read about our Chambers team and the matters in which they can be briefed.

More information

For more information to assist practitioners with understanding the changes to briefing a barrister for a criminal trial and navigating the changes to ATLAS, please see:

Disclaimer: The material in this print-out relates to the law as it applies in the state of Victoria. It is intended as a general guide only. Readers should not act on the basis of any material in this print-out without getting legal advice about their own particular situations. Victoria Legal Aid disclaims any liability howsoever caused to any person in respect of any action taken in reliance on the contents of the publication.

We help Victorians with their legal problems and represent those who need it most. Find legal answers, chat with us online, or call us. You can speak to us in English or ask for an interpreter. You can also find more legal information at www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Reviewed 01 March 2024