Expertise
Appellate | Criminal Law | Government Law | Industrial Relations Law & Employment Law | Inquests, Inquiries, Tribunals & Commissions | Public Law & Administrative Law |
Profile
Karen practices in criminal, regulatory and public law.
She appears in all criminal proceedings including trials, appeals and judicial reviews. Karen also acts in Royal Commissions, inquests, inquiries and other regulatory and disciplinary hearings.
Her practice includes providing advice and representation to individuals, corporations, government departments and statutory bodies.
Karen has particular expertise in occupational health and safety and related areas including environment protection, food safety, building and electrical safety. She also has substantial experience in proceedings arising under the Serious Offenders Act 2018 and the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997.
Karen is recommended in Doyle’s Guide for Leading Criminal Law Junior Counsel – Victoria every year from 2018 to 2022. She is also recognised in the 2021 and 2022 editions of Best Lawyers in Australia in the area of Occupational Health and Safety.
Karen has a Master of Laws (LLM) specialising in corporate regulation, criminal law and human rights.
Karen holds an Indictable Crime Certificate and is on the Victoria Legal Aid Preferred Trial Counsel List. She is also an accredited advocacy coach and has taught in the Victorian Bar Readers Course and for the Australian Advocacy Institute.
Before joining the bar, Karen was a senior lawyer at WorkSafe Victoria and the Office of Public Prosecutions.
Some of the cases in which Karen has appeared are listed below.
Select cases Appeals and judicial reviews - Section 317 applications (e.g. Farachi v The King [2023] VSCA 253 (leading A. Roodenberg), D’Aloia v The King [2022] VSCA 265 (leading E. Frawley))
- Carmichael v Commonwealth of Australia [2022] VSC 364 (led by G. Hill SC)
- Singh v The Queen [2022] VSCA 265 (unled)
- AK v The Queen [2021] VSCA 165 (led by P. Bourke QC)
- Isen v Newbury [2019] VSC 157 and Toscano v Cushen [2019] VSC 158 (unled)
- Price v The Queen [2019] VSCA 157 (led by D. Piekusis SC)
- DPP v O’Neill (2015) 47 VR 395 (led by O. P. Holdenson QC)
- Harrison & Rigogiannis v The Queen (2015) 49 VR 619 (unled)
- Gild v Magistrates’ Court (2015) 44 VR 446 (originating motion, unled)
- Boulton v R (2014) 46 VR 308 (appeared for the Attorney-General on the hearing of Victoria’s first Guideline Judgment, led by Dr G. Lyon QC)
- Dao v The Queen [2014] VSCA 93 (unled)
- Magee v Wallace [2014] VSC 642 (unled)
- Farquharson v The Queen (2012) 36 VR 538 (led by D. Trapnell QC
- Farquharson v The Queen [2013] HCATrans 182 (led by P. Kidd SC)
Criminal trials - DPP v Abdul Mullah (a pseudonym) [2023] VSC 512 (mental impairment)
- DPP v Carolyn Kruger [2021] VCC 2177 (change of plea application)
- DPP v Musso [2017] VSC 732 (first electronic trial, led by K. Judd QC)
- The Queen v Elmas [2016] VSC 405 (mental impairment)
- The Queen v Fairest, Fields & Toohey [2016] VSC 329; [2016] VSC 827 & (fitness investigations and special hearing)
- DPP v Bracken [2014] VSC 94 (led by R. Shann, acted for the accused who was acquitted of murder)
- Mocenigo v The Queen [2013] VSCA 231(Supreme Court trial and successful appeal against conviction for murder to the Court of Appeal, led by J. McMahon)
Royal Commissions, inquests and inquiries - Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants (for Victoria Police and individual members, led by S. Holt QC & R. Enbom SC)
- Appearing on behalf of witnesses in IBAC public and private examinations (e.g. Operation Ross, Operation Watt)
- Appearing as Counsel Assisting and on behalf of witnesses, family and interested persons in coronial inquests (e.g. Inquest into death of XY (Counsel Assisting, 2023); Inquest into death of Tessa Ballam (acting for family, 2022))
- Acting for a witness in the Victorian Ombudsman investigation into the Alleged politicisation of the public sector
OHS and related matters - Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd v The Queen (2012) 246 CLR 92 (High Court Appeal, led by D. Trapnell QC)
- Commissioner of the Australian Building and Construction Commission v Hall [2018] FCCA 353 (civil penalty proceedings, led by P. Morrissey SC)
- Acting (led and unled) for prosecuting authorities and clients charged with OHS and WHS offences, including successfully obtaining enforceable undertakings
To discuss Karen's availability or for more information, please contact the Clerks at Greens List on +61 3 9225 7222.
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Appellate
+61 3 9225 7222
clerkb@greenslist.com.au