Archive

Duncan practices in the areas of occupational health and safety, environmental prosecutions, disciplinary proceedings, employment law and coronial inquests.

Duncan regularly appears in appeals, jury trials, committals, contested hearings and pleas in occupational health and safety matters in Victoria and interstate.  He also regularly appears in disciplinary proceedings and review hearings at the VCAT and VSC as well as conducting workplace investigations on behalf of employers and government departments.

Duncan is recommended in Doyle’s Guide’s Leading Work Health and Safety Junior Counsel – Victoria (2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025).

Before coming to the Bar, Duncan was a Senior Lawyer at the Victorian WorkCover Authority (WorkSafe) where he prosecuted safety offences.  Before joining WorkSafe, Duncan was a Senior Solicitor in the Workplace Relations Branch of the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, where he provided advice on employment and safety law matters.

In 2010, Duncan was an Associate to His Honour Judge Misso.  Prior to that, Duncan completed his legal traineeship at Slater & Gordon Lawyers.

Narod practices in administrative law, insurance law and personal injury litigation including Class Actions. She accepts briefs from Plaintiff’s and Defendant’s.

Narod is skilled at managing complex and sensitive claims, in particular psychological injury claims. She has expertise and a keen interest in advising and appearing in alternative dispute resolutions forums. She has a practical and proactive approach to successfully negotiating resolutions at settlement conferences, conciliations, mediations and Early Neutral Evaluations.

She has extensive experience in undertaking assessments of damages for Class Actions, including most recently, the Monash IVF Class Action and the Dr Lanzer Cosmetic Surgery Class Action.

Narod provides her clients with comprehensive and strategic advice from the pre to post litigation stages. She advises clients on employment law implications and rights and liabilities interwoven with worker’s compensation schemes and regularly conducts successful negotiations resolving both employment and compensation disputes.

Narod came to the bar after a successful career as a Senior Associate in the Insurance and Corporate Risk Group at Minter Ellison. She practiced extensively specialising in worker’s compensation litigation including statutory benefits claims, serious injury applications, common law damages claims, merit reviews and appeals.

She acted on behalf of a diverse range of clients in both the Commonwealth and Victorian jurisdictions, including for employers, self-insurers, and government agencies such as the Victorian WorkCover Authority.

Narod completed a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice and Criminology) at Monash University and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law. She was admitted to legal practice in 2014 and signed the Bar Roll on 4 May 2023.

She is a member of the Common Law Bar Association and Women’s Bar Association.

Narod read with Her Honour Judge Diana Manova and Sasha Manova. Her Senior Mentor is Roisin Annesley KC.

Brendan appears regularly in personal injury matters in the Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Supreme Court of Victoria. He has extensive experience in litigation of personal injury claims, having acted for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Brendan practises primarily in civil litigation specialising in personal injury, TAC, WorkCover, Public Liability, Medical Negligence and Dust Diseases. Brendan’s practice also covers Employment and Industrial law in which he has significant experience.

Brendan has appeared led and unled in a number of serious injury applications, and has been led in successful trials in the County Court and Supreme Court.

Before signing the Bar Roll, Brendan worked as a solicitor for over a decade, specialising in the area of personal injuries.  He had also previously worked as a Federal Industrial Officer for the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia appearing regularly in the Fair Work Commission in conciliations and arbitrations in industrial disputes, unfair dismissals and full bench appeals.

Brendan read with Maria Pilipasidis SC and his senior mentor was Paul O’Dwyer SC

Patrick has acted for clients in a wide range of contractual disputes in Victorian courts and tribunals.

In the course of his work at the bar he has also accepted briefs to advise and appear in employment law and wills disputes, as well as professional disciplinary hearings.

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 addition, Patrick has prepared and appeared in several successful appeals in the Court of Appeal and applications to the Supreme Court for judicial review.

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.

His legal experience also extends to practising as a solicitor 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. As a barrister he has appeared in criminal jury trials.

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

Prior to coming to the bar, Millicent was a Judge’s Associate at the County Court of Victoria.

Millicent previously worked as a personal injury lawyer in country Victoria where she instructed in a wide range of matters, including damages trials, serious injury applications and statutory benefit claims. She also instructed in the Beechworth bushfire class action.

Millicent has established a busy circuit practice and deeply values representing plaintiffs from regional Victoria.

Millicent predominantly practices in personal injury law. She read with Judge David Purcell SC and her senior mentor is Tim Tobin SC.

Daniel practises in common law. He appears in damages trials and mediations concerning Workcover, Transport Accidents, Medical Negligence, Public Liability and Institutional Abuse.

Daniel is a co-author of Civil Procedure Victoria, an authoritative guide to civil litigation in Victoria.

Prior to joining the Bar, he was the Class Actions Coordinator at the Supreme Court of Victoria and worked with Justice Jack Forrest in the Black Saturday Bushfire Class Actions. Daniel was previously Associate to Justice Tony Pagone (then Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court, Supreme Court of Victoria).

He read with Simon McGregor (now Coroner McGregor) and his senior mentor is Andrew Keogh SC (now Justice Keogh, Supreme Court of Victoria).

Examples of recent cases

• Secretary to the Department of Health v David Davis [2025] VSCA 40: Appeal from VCAT order to release document relied on by Department officers in making COVID-19 Stay at Home Directions (led by P Panayi)

• Tracy v Bishop Edwards [2025] VSC 94: Application to transfer VIC institutional abuse proceeding to NSW (led by D Seeman)

• C V & A V v L S [2025] VCC 285 and Wright (a pseudonym) & Anor v Foster (a pseudonym) [2024] VCC 1429: Section 85B Sentencing Act applications for compensation

• Davis v DP World Melbourne Ltd [2025] VCC: Workcover damages jury trial (settled, led by T Tobin SC)

• Horwood v Dr Aitken & Ors [2025] VSC: Medical negligence and transport accident claim (ongoing, led by J Brett KC)

• Manning v North Eastern Car Club & Anor [2025] VSC: Rally car race transport accident claim (ongoing, led by A Clements KC)

• Thrower v SA Power Networks & Ors [2025] Supreme Court of South Australia: Cudlee Creek bushfire class action (ongoing, led by T Tobin SC, G Dalton KC, with J Waters and W Mellor)

Memberships

• Committee member of the Common Law Bar Association
• From time to time Daniel teaches advocacy in the Victorian Bar Readers’ Course, the Legal Training Institute of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands Appellate Advocacy Course
• Past member of the Victorian Bar Council
• Past Victorian President and founding committee member of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association

Publications and presentations

• Co-author of Civil Procedure Victoria, published by LexisNexis
• Co-author of Practical Guidance Dispute Resolution in the Supreme Court and County Court, published by LexisNexis
• ‘The Advent of E-Litigation: The Paperless Trial‘ an article published in the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Precedent Journal, March/April 2017 Edition

Karina Ross is an experienced personal injury litigator. She is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law and was recognised in Best Lawyers Australia 2027 as ‘One to Watch’ in the area of Insurance Law.

Karina accepts briefs from plaintiffs and defendants. She is available to appear in all metropolitan and regional courts.

Prior to joining the Bar, Karina worked as a Senior Associate at Moray & Agnew Lawyers within the general insurance team. She has experience across a broad range of practice areas including public liability, institutional abuse, WorkCover, TAC, intentional torts, product liability, occupational health and safety and professional indemnity.

Karina’s mentor is Adam Hill and her senior mentor is Scott Smith KC.

Ray is an experienced lawyer, having practised as a barrister for more than ten years, and as a solicitor prior to coming to the Bar.  He works primarily in personal injury law, but also appears regularly in a variety of other matters, particularly administrative law and employment law matters.

Ray has particular experience in claims for psychiatric injury, and acts for clients in statutory entitlement schemes and the common law area including historical abuse matters.  He has significant expertise in handling all types of claims under the Commonwealth workers’ compensation system (‘Comcare’ work).

Ray was awarded the Public Interest / Justice Innovation Pro Bono Award in 2016, as part of team of three barristers, for work on the Hazelwood Mine Fire Board of Inquiry.

Ray was the Treasurer of the Compensation Law Bar Association from 2015 to 2024.  He has acted as reviewing author for the LexisNexis legal publication Court Forms, Precedents and Pleadings Victoria.

Ray completed degrees in Arts and Law (with Honours) at Monash University and then undertook articles at Sparke Helmore Lawyers.  He practised at that firm for a number of years until he took up a position at one of Australia’s best-known companies, where he worked for several years before coming to the Bar.

Ray is pleased to accept e-briefs or conventional hard-copy briefs.

Some notable and recent cases in which Ray appeared include:

• Aguilar and Australian Postal Corporation [2015] AATA 420
  
• Goulburn Valley Suns FC, 2015 FFV Tribunal (TA15022)
• Tye and Tase 0508 P/L [2016] FWCFB 8733
• Arumugam and TNT Australia P/L [2017] AATA 2660
• Halliday v Pomare & Pazzan [2017] MCV (21/6/17, a bailment case)
• Gates v Robinson [2018] VCAT 40
• KR v BR & Anor [2018] VSCA 159 (led by I Fehring)
• Gropel v Comcare [2018] FCA 1146 (led by N Horner)
• Li v West Sands P/L & Gao [2018] MCV (20/11/18, a civil penalties case under the Fair Work Act 2009)
• Courtney v Ray & State of Victoria [2019] VSC 175
• Barnes and Victorian Building Authority [2019] AATA 4796
• Davis and Australian Postal Corporation [2021] AATA 30
• Chung and Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department [2021] AATA 4804
• Sestan v Hollow Core Concrete [2022] VCC (21/9/22, a jury trial, led by T Tobin)
• Palin and National Disability Insurance Agency [2023] AATA 94

For a full list of decisions in cases where Ray appeared, please contact him directly.