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Experience

Chris practises mainly in commercial law, equity and trusts law, and public law. He also has experience in anti-discrimination matters. Chris has advised and appeared on behalf of corporations, government bodies and individuals in a range of courts and tribunals, at both trial and appellate level.

Before coming to the Bar, Chris worked as a senior associate to the Honourable Chief Justice Marilyn Warren AC and the Honourable Justice Melanie Sloss at the Supreme Court of Victoria, as a solicitor at Allens working on tax and intellectual property litigation, and as an associate to the Honourable Justice Susan Kenny AM at the Federal Court of Australia.

Chris completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated second in his LLB cohort. He is proficient in French and spent an exchange semester at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon III during his studies. In 2017, Chris completed a Bachelor of Civil Law at Balliol College, Oxford.

Chris is deputy co-chair of the Victorian Bar's Pro Bono Committee and a reporter for the Victorian Reports. He read with Jonathan Kirkwood SC.

Matters in which Chris has been briefed include:

Commercial and corporations law

• Acting for the appellant in an appeal to the Full Federal Court concerning the capacity of a second mortgagee to exercise its power of sale over land: Runner Investment Ltd v Mt Duneed Investments Pty Ltd & Ors (2024-), led by Peter Bick KC, instructed by SBA Law
• Acting for third party respondents at interlocutory stages of a complex property settlement proceeding in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and in related appeals (2023-24), led variously by Allan Myers KC, Ian Waller KC, Peter Collinson KC and Justin Mereine, instructed by HWL Ebsworth
• Acting for the plaintiffs and various defendants by cross-claim in a shareholder oppression proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria: Re Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria Pty Ltd [2024] VSC 332, led by Peter Bick KC, instructed by Russell Kennedy (2021-2023) and SBA Law (from 2023)
• Acting as amicus curiae in proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal concerning the interpretation of a new provision of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic): Owners Corporation 1 Plan No. PS735439F v Singh (Owners Corporations) [2022] VCAT 389, led by Meg O'Sullivan KC
• Acting for the appellant in an appeal concerning the discontinuance of a proceeding in circumstances where a counterclaim with a complex history remained on foot: Ganesh v National Australia Bank Ltd [2021] VSCA 45, led by Gabi Crafti SC
• Acting for a defendant to a voidable transaction claim in an application for a temporary stay of proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria: Rysze International Pty Ltd v Guan & Anor [2021] VSC 706, unled, instructed by J Lei & Co
• Acting for the tenant in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning the exercise of an option to renew a commercial lease: Omar Property Pty Ltd & Ors v Amcor Flexibles (Port Melbourne) Pty Ltd [2020] VSC 216 and 17; [2019] VSC 446 and 627, led by David Collins KC and Louie Hawas, instructed by Baker McKenzie
• Acting for the respondents to an appeal concerning a default judgment entered in the County Court of Victoria: Yang v Finder Earth Pty Ltd & Anor [2019] VSCA 22, led by Philip Solomon KC, instructed by Canaan Lawyers
• Acting for a statutory authority intervening in a proceeding in the Building and Property list of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal: Zaitsev v Nicholson Wright Pty Ltd (Building and Property) [2019] VCAT 1508, unled, instructed by Allens

Equity and trusts law

• Acting for the respondents in a proceeding in the Federal Court of Australia concerning the interpretation of a trust document: Larkspur Tribeca Ltd & Anor v iSignthis Ltd & Ors (2024-), led by Justin Mereine, instructed by HWL Ebsworth
• Acting for the plaintiffs in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning the beneficial ownership of certain funds in court: Re Outrigger Hotels Pty Ltd & Anor (Efthim AsJ, 27 February 2024), unled, instructed by HWL Ebsworth
• Acting for the plaintiff in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning distributions made from two family trusts: Cleeve v Cleevecorp Pty Ltd & Ors (2023), led by Ian Waller KC, instructed by HWL Ebsworth (settled)
• Acting for the contradictor in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning a missing trust deed: Re Cleeve Group Pty Ltd [2022] VSC 342 and 362, led by Ian Waller KC, instructed by HWL Ebsworth
• Acting for unitholders of a managed investment trust in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning the calculation of fees payable to the trustee: Laguna Bay Pastoral Company Pty Ltd as trustee for the Adveq Almond Trust 2 v Schroder Adveq Real Assets Harvested Resources LP & Ors (2020), led by Ian Waller KC and Tomaso Di Lallo, instructed by Baker McKenzie (settled)

Public law

• Acting for the National Disability Insurance Agency in various proceedings in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2021-), unled, instructed by Australian Government Solicitor, HWL Ebsworth, Ashurst and Maddocks. Matters proceeding to decision include [2022] AATA 3207 and [2023] AATA 4156.
• Acting for the plaintiff in a judicial review proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning decisions by the Environment Protection Authority to amend licence conditions relating to the air emissions of three brown coal-fired power stations: Environment Victoria Inc v AGL Loy Yang Pty Ltd & Ors [2022] VSC 814 and [2023] VSC 86, led by Ron Merkel SC with Rupert Watters and Matthew Albert, instructed by Environmental Justice Australia
• Acting for applicants in various judicial review proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia concerning visa cancellations (2021-), unled, instructed by Victoria Legal Aid
• Acting for the recipients of notices to produce issued by the Director of the Medicare Professional Services Review scheme in a judicial review proceeding in the Federal Court of Australia: I-MED Radiology Network Ltd v Director of Professional Services Review [2020] FCA 1645, led by Stephen Moloney with Nick Elias, instructed by Kennedys
• Acting for the respondent to an application in the Review and Regulation list of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal: Draper v Victorian Building Authority (Review and Regulation) [2019] VCAT 1837, unled, instructed by the Victorian Building Authority

Discrimination and employment/industrial law

• Acting for the plaintiffs in Federal Court proceedings under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) concerning the Western Australian fines enforcement system: Roe & Ors v Western Australia (2023-), led by Ron Merkel SC with Ben Slade, instructed by Levitt Robinson
• Acting for teachers in Federal Court proceedings under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (2020-21), led by Jonathan Kirkwood and Fiona Knowles, instructed by Holding Redlich (settled)
• Acting for an employer in an enterprise agreement approval application: Karijini Rail Pty Ltd [2019] FWC 2907, led by Stuart Wood KC with Dimitri Ternovski, instructed by S Billing & Associates

Advice

• Chris provides advice both led and unled on a diverse range of matters, in relation to ongoing and prospective court proceedings.
• From 2019 to 2021, Chris assisted a joint working group of the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia with the harmonisation of the rules of court applicable in the family law jurisdiction, led by Dr Chris Jessup KC and Ray Finkelstein KC, with Emma Poole.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation