Archive

Kim comes to the bar with 20 years experience in insurance and personal injuries litigation, focussing in more recent years on asbestos litigation and Commonwealth workers compensation.  Kim also has extensive experience in the areas of public liability, reinsurance, Medical Panel reviews, s138 recovery claims, claims for wrongful death and personal injury damages claims.  Kim also has an interest in professional negligence and administrative law, including statutory and disciplinary tribunals, as well as crime.  She welcomes briefs in all of these areas.

She has been involved in matters in all superior jurisdictions, at both trial and appellate level.  She has also successfully represented clients in various alternative dispute resolution forums.

Kim was previously a partner at Thomsons Lawyers, an independent Australian mid tier law firm.  She is a director of the Australian Insurance Law Association and is also a committee member the Victorian branch.  She is also a committee member of the Law Council of Australia’s National Insurance Lawyers Group and the Personal Injuries and Compensation Committee.

Dean was admitted to practice as a solicitor on 14 February 2006. Before coming to the Bar, in his capacity as Special Counsel, he has gained extensive experience in all areas of personal injury law.

Dean has frequently appeared as Counsel in statutory benefits matters, Serious Injury Hearings and Common Law Damages trials, as well as at interlocutory applications, Judicial Settlement Conferences, mediations and settlement conferences.

He is proficient in drafting appeal documentation and has a comprehensive experience in drafting Serious Injury Affidavits, Statements of Claim, Defences, Interrogatories, Medical Panel referrals, etc.

Dean is the author of the text “Personal Injury Compensation in Victoria” (CCH Australia Code: 39572A, ISBN: 978 1 922042 86 6, Publication: November 2012), which is the prescribed textbook in MLL315 Personal Injuries Compensation Schemes taught at Deakin University as part of its Bachelor of Laws degree.

http://www.cch.com.au/au/onlinestore/ProductDetails.aspx?PageTitle=Personal-Injury-Compensation-in-Victoria&ProductID=10333#Feature

He was also the Author/Editor of “Statutory Compensation Schemes”, Australian Torts Reporter (ATOR), CCH Australia (2012).

Dean is a recipient of Monash University Law School’s prizes in Restitution Law and Citizenship & Migration Law.

Judgments:

Ioannou v SCA Hygiene Australasia Pty Ltd [2013] VCC 819 (24 June 2013)

http://www1.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/vwa044-022.nsf/docsbyUNID/F50CE393FC332CD9CA257B95001ED4B0/$file/CC+Ioannou+24.06.13.pdf

Munif v Nestle Australia Ltd & Anor [2012] VCC 1538 (17 October 2012)

http://www1.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/vwa044-022.nsf/docsbyUNID/B8973779A1FD1363CA257A9F00823BA9/$file/CC+Munif+17.10.12.pdf

Publications/Presentations:

CPDS Half Day Seminar “The Accident Compensation Act 1985“, 27/3/13, Rydges Hotel Melbourne (co-presenter with Romesh Kumar)

“Personal Injury Compensation in Victoria”(CCH Australia Code: 39572A, ISBN: 978 1 922042 86 6, Publication: November 2012).

LexisNexis, Personal Injury Law 2012 (19/07/12, Stamford Plaza Melbourne), Speaker.

Causation: Increased Risk of Injury; Australian Tort, Personal Injury, Health & Medical Law Tracker, CCH, Issue 1, January 2012

LexisNexis, Personal Injury Law 2011 (23/11/11, Stamford Plaza Melbourne), Keynote Speaker.

Patient or Privilege? November 2011 85(11) LIJ, p.30

Economic loss in ‘Serious Injury’ Applications: business expenses and the corporate veil, PRECEDENT Issue 102 January/February 2011.

Since coming to the bar in 2005, Gavin has been briefed primarily in the areas of insurance and personal injury law. He appears regularly in the Supreme, County and Magistrates’ Courts both in Melbourne and on circuit.

Before coming to the bar, Gavin was a partner at Deacons (now Norton Rose). He has also worked as an inhouse legal counsel at both the Victorian WorkCover Authority and Transport Accident Commission.

Michael has practiced in general common law, administrative law, and mixed commercial law.

In recent years he has specialised in appeals and administrative review, particularly involving public law issues in accident compensation.

Stella’s practice focuses on the areas of personal injury, administrative law (medical panels) and equal opportunity.

Stella has appeared alone and led in matters including personal injury jury trials, appeals, serious injury applications, statutory benefits hearings, judicial review, interlocutory applications, VCAT review, and in discrimination claims. Stella also gives advice, appears at mediations and prepares paperwork in all of her listed areas.

Stella was listed in the 2018 Doyles Guide as a recommended insurance barrister. Stella graduated with first class honours in law, and has been awarded various academic prizes including at a Masters level for Administrative Law and also for her published research.

Since coming to the bar Patrick has practised predominantly in commercial and personal injury litigation.

Patrick has acted for clients in a wide range of contractual disputes in the County Court, Magistrates Court, Supreme Court and VCAT.

He has also appeared, advised or prepared pleadings and paperwork in personal injury matters including statutory benefit claims, serious injury applications and common law damages trials.

In the course of his work at the bar he has also accepted briefs to advise and appear in employment law matters in the Federal Magistrates Court, the Full Federal Court and disciplinary tribunals.

In addition, Patrick has experience of preparing and appearing both alone and as junior counsel in appeals on a question of law and applications for judicial review. Recent appeal cases are:

·         Melbourne Linh Son Buddhist Society Inc v Gippsreal Ltd [2017] VSCA 161

·         Imerva Corporation Pty Ltd v Kuna [2017] VSCA 168

·         Kapadia & Anor v Adrian Porto t/as AP Concreting and Landscaping [2017] VSC 615

Before coming to the bar Patrick was a solicitor at Wotton + Kearney Insurance Lawyers. His work involved personal injury and Accident Compensation Act recovery proceedings, building and construction disputes, and preparation for the defence of large and small property damage claims in the Supreme Court and Magistrates Court.

His legal experience also extends to practising as a solicitor from 2008 to 2010 at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service where he managed a large caseload involving summary and indictable crime and regularly appeared in courts throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Patrick was an Associate to the Honourable Justice Bongiorno at the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Upon coming to the bar he read with Robert Dyer (now Judge Dyer of the County Court of Victoria).