25 new silks named in Victoria
The Chief Justice of Victoria has announced the appointment of 25 Victorian barristers to senior counsel.
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Earlier today (18 October), 25 barristers were chosen from a pool of 80 applicants – 59 men and 21 women – to become senior counsel.
The 25 were chosen after a “thorough consultation” with the Victorian Bar, the broader profession, the Legal Services Commissioner, and the judiciary, the Supreme Court of Victoria said in a statement.
The news follows the appointment of 25 barristers in NSW to senior counsel earlier this month.
In a statement, Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said: “Once again, our newest silks represent a range of backgrounds and areas of practice and are highly regarded leaders in their fields.”
“Being appointed senior counsel is a significant accomplishment. It recognises each person’s skill, integrity, independence and standing in the profession,” Her Honour espoused.
“It is the expectation of the profession and the judiciary that the new silks will provide outstanding service to the administration of justice and be true leaders in every sense of the word.
“I warmly congratulate each and every one of them.”
Victorian Bar president Sam Hay KC added: “On behalf of the Victorian Bar, I congratulate each one of the 25 members who were today appointed senior counsel in and for the state of Victoria.
“Appointment as silk recognises a barrister’s excellence and integrity and standing in the profession. We are very proud of them and wish them well as they embark upon the next stage of their careers.
“I would also like to thank the Honourable Chief Justice Anne Ferguson for her thoroughness in assessing this year’s batch of silk applicants. It is an onerous task involving a great deal of consultation and then consideration. We are very grateful that Her Honour finds time to do it each year.”
The newest senior counsel in Victoria are Richard J Harris, Sharon Lacy, Helen Dellidis, John Gurr, Dean Guidolin, Kylie Evans, Luke Merrick, Travis Mitchell, Paul Liondas, Simon Pitt, Peter O’Farrell, Hamish Redd, Matthew Follett, Gabrielle Crafti, Kateena O’Gorman, Tamieka Spencer Bruce, Richard Stanley, Barnaby Chessell, John Tracey, Liam Brown, Fiona Spencer, Catherine Boston, Christopher Brown, Shaun Gladman, and Rishi Nathwani.
The Supreme Court noted in its statement that there will be a ceremonial sitting to welcome the new silks on 8 November.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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