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Before signing the Bar Roll, Tony was a partner with national law firm, Deacons, and brings with him insight achieved through over 30 years practice as a solicitor in litigation, most specifically property and commercial litigation.

In addition to his experience as a solicitor , Tony undertook his mediation training with LEADR (Lawyers Engaged in Dispute Resolution) in August 1991, is a former board member of LEADR, and member of the Law Institute’s ADR sub-committee. Tony has acted as mediator in over 500 matters, principally commercial disputes and has represented parties in many more over the last 15 years.

Tony is a Nationally Accredited Mediator, an accredited mediator with the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators, and accredited as an Advanced Mediator of the Victorian Bar.

Victorian Bar Committee memberships

Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee

John came to the Victorian Bar in 1983 and read with Andrew Kirkham QC.

His practice developed to include both the criminal and civil jurisdictions in both the government and private sectors.

He now has extensive experience in coronial inquests. He also appeard with David Curtain QC on behalf of an electricity corporation at the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (2009).

In addition, he appears in disciplinary hearings at VCAT (Chinese Medical Registration Board of Victoria) and has appeared before the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria (both as Counsel Assisting and representing medical practitioners) and at the Pharmacy Board of Victoria.

John’s recent appearances include the following:

Coroner’s Court as Counsel Assisting:

• train/truck collision (KERANG railway level crossing);
• suicide (BLOOMFIELD)
• murder (BOTTOMLEY & HOWE);
• motor vehicle/bicycle collision (PEOPLES);
• Victoria Police – pursuit (WSOL & BAN);
• Victoria Police – arrest (suspect with mental illness) (QUILKEY)
• Victoria Police – arrest (suspect with cardiac condition) (MILLS); and
• Victoria Police – arrest by Special Operations Group (murder suspect) (JOANNOU).

Coroner’s Court as Counsel for interested parties:

• Victorian WorkCover Authority (BAKER, JONES & ANDERSON);
• Corrections Victoria (CASTLE & JONES);
• Forensicare – Thomas Embling Hospital (SPLATT & NOTAS), Metropolitan Assessment Prison – AAU (WYLY) and Metropolitan Assessment Prison (OMEROVIC);
• Victoria Police Members – arrest (suspect with mental illness) (CHAPMAN);
• St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (PERRY, HARRINGTON, LAPILA, PANLOCK, HUYNH, WHYTE, STEPHENS, SHERRIFF, JENNINGS and PARKES);
• St Vincent’s Correctional Health Service – deaths in custody (WESTON, ZAYAT, WETCOTT, WHELAN, KENNEDY, VO, STEPHENS, BRIGHAM, CONDIE & KARASTAVROU);
• Latrobe Hostel (RICHMOND);
• Medical practitioners (intensive care physician, surgeon, radiologist, GPs and psychiatrist) (IREDELL, MARTINOV, RODGER, ACCARDO, KELLETT, ARTHUR & COLHOUN);
• Falls Creek Ski Lifts Pty. Ltd. – skiing accident (McARTHUR);
• Road Management Solutions Pty Ltd – industrial accident (RIMANICH);
• Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council Inc. – petrol sniffers (KEN, HUNT, THOMPSON, RYAN & COOPER); and
• family of the deceased – infant (HEWITT).

Criminal matters

Defence work and prosecuting on behalf of the DPP and other government departments/agencies such as the Department of Sustainability and Environment, and the Victorian WorkCover Authority.

Supervision Orders

He regularly appears on behalf of The Secretary to the Department of Justice (instructed by Corrections Victoria, Russell Kennedy and the VGSO) in applications for Supervision Orders pursuant to the provisions of the Serious Sex Offender (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009.

Civil matters

John focuses on personal injury matters.

John has also practised away from the Victorian Bar with the following organisations:

• Aboriginal legal aid services of the Northern Territory (Alice Springs & Darwin);
• Royal Australian Air Force – prosecuting and defending at Summary Hearings and Courts Martial;
• Pitjantjatjara Council Inc. – advising on mining exploration applications; native title & land rights; personal injuries; intellectual property, submissions to the Commonwealth & State governments;
• Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management (the Traditional Owners of the Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park);
• Mutijulu community, Northern Territory;
• Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunyjatjara Women’s Council; and
• Native Title and Indigenous Issues Unit – Department of Justice, State Government of Victoria.

Tristan Nathanielsz accepts briefs from around Australia in a broad range of areas, including:

• TAC
• WorkCover
• Public/Product Liability
• Life insurance
• Criminal law

Prior to coming to the Bar, Tristan was an Associate in Slater and Gordon’s life insurance practice. He represented clients in disputes pertaining to payment of benefits under insurance contracts and litigated against allegations of fraud made by insurers. In 2016, Tristan was named as a finalist in the Insurance category of the Lawyers’ Weekly 30 Under 30.

While working as a solicitor, Tristan represented the Plaintiff successfully in the matter of Hellessey v Metlife Insurance Limited [2017] NSWSC 1284; Metlife Insurance Limited v Hellessey [2018] NSWCA 307.

Tristan obtained an Honours degree in Law from Monash University. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Criminology.

Since coming to the Bar, Tristan has appeared in several trials in Victoria and New South Wales pertaining to common law and insurance disputes.

Tristan also has an extensive criminal practice, having appeared in Magistrates’ Court and County Court matters, including a trial as junior to Philip Dunn QC and subsequently Justin Hannebery QC.

Notable cases include:

Supreme Court of Victoria

• Hamilton v Sampson [Appeared for the Plaintiff in a TAC damages jury trial led by Tim Tobin SC].

County Court of Victoria

• DPP v Hughes-Firgaria & Ors [2019] VCC 1870 [Appeared for the Accused in Criminal Trial led by Philip Dunn QC, subsequently Justin Hannebery QC]
• Simpson v VWA [2019] VCC 1301 [Appeared for the Plaintiff in Serious Injury Application led by James Mighell QC]
• Middlecoat v VWA [2019] VCC 369 [Appeared for the Plaintiff in Serious Injury Application led by Richard McGarvie QC].
• Rafati v Martinelli & Ors [2018] [Appeared for the Second Defendant unled in intentional tort battery damages trial].

District Court of New South Wales

• Roberts v MLC [2018] [Appeared for the Plaintiff in insurance dispute led by Paul Bingham].

Tristan read with Maria Pilipasidis. His senior mentor was Trevor Monti QC.

Mr Panayi is an appellate specialist, who predominately acts for government in appeals pertaining to judicial review, administrative law, statutory interpretation, constitutional law, human rights and criminal law.  He is lead Counsel in Victorian Government appeals in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and preferred Counsel to the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Mr Panayi’s trial work includes government, administrative, commercial, criminal, and family law litigation; principally in the Supreme, Federal and Family Courts, VCAT and often before juries.  He has extensive experience before Military Courts, Military Inquiries and Royal Commissions.

Mr Panayi has also appeared before International Courts, including on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia, together with the Solicitor-General and Chief General-Counsel of Australia, before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, in Russian Federation v Australia (Re Volga) 11 ITLOS 2002.

Mr Panayi was first called to the Bar in 1995 and practiced as a Barrister from 1995 to 1998.  He then served as an Australian Diplomat from 1998 to 2004 including overseas and domestically as Director International Law, Director Maritime Law, Executive Director Treaties Secretariat, Acting Assistant Secretary and Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.  Mr Panayi is a member of the International Commission of Jurists and holds a Commission as Lieutenant Commander, Royal Australian Navy.