Expertise
Appellate | Common Law | Criminal Law |
Profile
Christopher's practice focuses primarily on criminal and administrative law. He has a particular interest and expertise in advising on the role evidentiary issues play across all areas of law, and appears in criminal appeals as well as judicial review matters across all areas of practice.
Christopher accepts briefs to advise and appear in all criminal and quasi-criminal, administrative and regulatory matters. He regularly appears in the Court of Appeal (both led and unled) in appeals against conviction and sentence, and in interlocutory applications and appeals. In addition, Christopher is regularly briefed to appear in contested hearings, contested committals, plea hearings, bail applications, and the legal argument in contested pre-trial and pre-hearing applications.
Christopher advises and appears in disciplinary and regulatory matters, including proceedings brought under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Therapeutic Goods Act, the Liquor Control Reform Act, the Sex Work Act, the Building Act, and the Legal Profession Uniform Law. He acts in both professional disciplinary and medical disciplinary matters.
Christopher has appeared in proceedings in the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and appeared unled for two affected parties in the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants. He accepts briefs to act for parties at compulsory hearings as well as public and private examinations held by various state and federal bodies. Recently, he has been providing pro bono advice and assistance to overseas local counsel in death penalty appeals.
Some of Christopher’s recent matters include: - Re Zhang [2023] VSC 8 (Director's appeal against a successful application to vary bail to permit the Respondent to leave Australia, led by I Hill KC);
- Travis v Rando & Anor [2022] VSC 782 (Error of Law appeal from the Magistrates' Court, appearing for the Appellant, with J R Murphy);
- Moore (a pseudonym) v The King. [2022] VSCA 233 (Application for leave to appeal against sentence)
- Stafford v The King [2022] VSCA 229 (Appeal against sentence, for the Appellant)
- MNX (a pseudonym) v TNV (a pseudonym) [2022] VSC 529 (Judicial Review, appearing for the Plaintiff and led by O P Holdenson KC)
- Stowers v The King; Phillips v The King [2022] VSCA 203 (Appeal against sentence for the Appellant Phillips);
- Salmon-Urbani v The Queen [2022] VSCA 170 (Appeal against conviction from a judge alone trial, led by T Kassimatis QC for the Appellant)
- Farrugia v The Queen; Ali v The Queen; Monro v The Queen; Synan v The Queen [2022] VSCA 104 (Application for leave to appeal and appeal against sentence, for the Appellant Synan)
- Bruce v The Queen [2022] VSCA 100 (Application for leave to appeal against sentence, for the Applicant)
Other cases include: - Leonard (a pseudonym) v The Queen [2021] VSCA 172 (Interlocutory appeal relating to the admissibility of evidence and whether or not the evidence sought to be adduced was coincidence evidence);
- Puckett (a pseudonym) v The Queen [2019] VSCA 103 (Interlocutory appeal relating to the admissibility of coincidence evidence);
- R v Robertson [2019] VSC 145 (Appearing for the accused on a plea to a charge of murder, led by T Kassimatis QC)
- Holzinger v The Queen [2017] HCATrans 160 (Application for Special Leave, led by T Kassimatis QC)
- Smith v The Queen; The Queen v Afford (2017) 263 CLR 291 (Director’s Appeal against acquittal, appearing for the Respondent Afford led by T Kassimatis QC and A Burchell)
Christopher is a member of the Victorian Bar committee currently tasked with responding to recommendations made by Coroner Simon McGregor following the Inquest into the death of Veronika Nelson.
Christopher practices out of Gorman Chambers. He read with Theo Kassimatis (now KC) and his senior mentor is O P Holdenson KC. Before coming to the Bar, Christopher was Senior Associate to the Hon. Justice Priest in the Court of Appeal.
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Appellate
+61 3 9225 7222
clerkb@greenslist.com.au