Sheeana Dhanji

Profile

Sheeana practices in general commercial, common law, and public and administrative law. She brings over a decade of experience as a litigator and advocate to her practice, and particularly enjoys working in areas where the law intersects with the public. She accepts briefs to appear (unled and led) at all levels of State and Federal Courts. She appears for corporations, government departments, and individuals.

Sheeana is particularly well-placed to provide strategic, high-quality, and timely written advice on legal, risk, policy and procedure questions to corporations and government departments. Sheeana has advised on commercial construction disputes, directors’ liabilities in ASIC investigations, banking and finance disputes against major banks, and product liability claims.

As a Principal Solicitor in the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Litigation team, she advised on questions of statutory interpretation, procedure and powers, and she worked as a Principal Legal Policy Officer in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Justice and Community Safety on a question of interaction of laws, powers, and risk.

Recently, she was junior counsel for Senator Dr Mehreen Faruqi in her successful action against Pauline Hanson under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) (Faruqi v Hanson [2024] FCA 1264). She has advised organisations about the application of that Act and other legislative protections as they apply to Victorian protests relating to Israel and Palestine. She advised the Province of Victoria of the Anglican Church in its response to the Yoorrook Commission.

As a Public Defender with VLA’s Civil Justice directorate, she regularly appeared and continues to appear in supervision order reviews under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 (Vic) in the County and Supreme Courts, in the General Division of the Administrative Review Tribunal for merits review of National Disability Insurance Scheme matters, and in conciliations in the Australian and Victorian Human Rights Commissions and VCAT for discrimination, equal opportunity rights, and sexual harassment matters.

Sheeana accepts briefs in general common law matters, including medical negligence, dust diseases, public and product liability, institutional abuse, and intentional tort cases. Her practice encompasses common law trials, civil appeals, judicial review, serious injury applications, and coronial inquests. She acts for both Plaintiffs and Defendants.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Sheeana was:

• the Public Defender (Civil Justice) at Victoria Legal Aid Chambers;
• a Principal Legal Policy Officer in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Justice and Community Safety;
• a Principal Solicitor in the COVID-19 Litigation team at the Department of Health;
• the Senior Researcher to the County Court’s Civil Division judges; and
• a solicitor at Norton Rose Fulbright and Herbert Smith Freehills, including working as in-house counsel at the National Australia Bank in its Dispute Resolution team.

Sheeana has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons; Renaissance History and Italian) from Monash University, assesses Evidence Law at Deakin University, and teaches PLT Advocacy for UNSW.

Sheeana combines her love of the law with long distance swimming and triathlon, and is a proud member of a successful English Channel crossing relay team.

Sheeana read with Erin Gardner, and her senior mentor is Kathleen Foley SC.