Greens List Barristers

Peter Hamilton Bar : 2015| Admitted : 2007

Peter Hamilton practises in all personal injury and insurance law litigation. He has run a number of jury and other trials, led and unled. He also writes extensively on personal injury litigation.

Phone : +61 3 9225 7042

Mobile : 0411 088 720

Email : phamilton@vicbar.com.au

Chambers : Owen Dixon Chambers West

Profile

Peter Hamilton practises in all personal injury and insurance law litigation. He has run a number of jury and other trials, led and unled. He also writes extensively on personal injury litigation


Examples of areas of practice include:


  • public liability claims
  • intentional tort claims
  • institutional abuse claims
  • Australian consumer law claims
  • medical negligence claims
  • indemnity disputes
  • class actions (incl. currently briefed in two such actions)
  • WorkCover damages claims
  • TAC damages claims
  • torts concerning animals 
  • sports law, negligence and concussion (CTE) claims
  • aviation claims
  • novel torts, such as breach of privacy or harrasment 
  • privilege disputes 
  • recovery actions
  • limitation period extension applications


Peter Hamilton has appeared in a number of trials, including:



  • for an 87 year old plaintiff in a slip and fall incident - $237,500 damages award from a jury (unled)
  • in a successful product liability case under the Australian Consumer Law, and its strict liability regime, for the injured Plaintiff (unled)
  • for the State of Victoria in a Police shooting case at a night club (led by Blanden QC)
  • for a successful host employer in the County Court before a jury (unled)
  • for WorkCover in a Supreme Court jury trial, where WorkCover succeeded in its defence (led by Britbart QC)
  • for an injured worker in the Supreme Court, where the Plaintiff received over $700,000 in damages from a jury (led by Richards QC)
  • for a private insurer in the County Court in a jury trial, which insurer succeeded in its defence (led by Britbart QC)



Additionally, Peter has appeared alone in numerous section 138 recovery actions, general liability proceedings, medical panel appeals, statutory benefits claims and 'crash and bash' disputes, to name a few. In mediations, Peter appears regularly in all common law claims. 


Peter has acted in a number of high-profile and complex cases, including for a number of education institutions in respect of alleged historical sex abuse, for a significant bus accident on the Great Ocean Road, in aviation personal injury claims and claims for and against the State of Victoria and Victoria Police, including in respect of a number of intentional torts.  


Regularly, Peter appears also in all courts in respect of applications relating to privilege matters, discovery and interrogatory disputes and a miscellany of other claims.


In 2013, Peter graduated from the Master of Laws programme at Monash University, completing one of his subjects at Humboldt University, Berlin. Peter also studied advanced tort law, medical and health law, evidence law, freedom of information law and advocacy. 


As a Senior Associate at Wotton + Kearney, Peter instructed in several trials in the Supreme and County Courts, including Hudspeth v Scholastic Cleaning (2014). At DLA Piper, Peter worked in the medical negligence team. In London, Peter was involved in the most significant General Medical Council inquiry relating to the MMR vaccine (2008-2009). In Sydney and Brisbane, Peter worked for a major personal injury firm (2005 - 2007). 


Peter read with Άine Magee QC. His senior mentor was David Curtain AM QC.