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Experience

Chris practises primarily in employment, commercial, and regulatory law. He accepts briefs in sports law and criminal matters.

Employment and industrial law

Chris acts in employment and industrial matters, including:

• unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims;
• adverse action/general protections matters;
• post-employment restraints;
• misuse of confidential information;
• discrimination and sexual harassment; and
• underpayment and long service leave matters, including those relating to portable long service leave schemes.

Chris also acts in workplace health and safety matters.

Commercial and property law

Chris acts in all areas of commercial law, particularly matters involving breaches of fiduciary and statutory duties, property law, and the protection of confidential information.

He also acts in matters involving incorporated associations, including sporting associations.

He appears in urgent applications, including applications for injunctions and freezing orders.

Regulatory matters, public law and criminal law

Chris regularly appears in merits review matters in the Review and Regulation List at VCAT. He acts both for and against regulators in professional disciplinary, privacy and freedom of information matters.

Chris acts in judicial review matters in State and Federal Courts.

Chris also accepts briefs in criminal and quasi-criminal matters, including regulatory prosecutions (such as those under the Building Act 1993 (Vic)), and coronial inquests. He regularly appears unled in County Court conviction appeal matters.

Sports law

Chris represents athletes and sporting bodies at hearings before sporting tribunals, including appearing before the AFL Tribunal and AFL Appeals Board.

He has been appointed Special Counsel under the Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Act 1985 (Vic) to represent both the interests of the regulator and applicants.

Victorian Bar

Chris is a member of the Victorian Bar’s Bar Council in 2025/2026.

He is also currently a member of the following Bar Committees:

• Counsel Committee
• Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Committee
• Innovation & Technology Committee

Chris is also a member of the Industrial Bar Association, the Commercial Bar Association, and the Criminal Bar Association.

Background information

Before coming to the Bar, Chris represented clients in highly regulated industries, including government, health, private health insurance, gambling, and energy.

Chris was Associate to the Hon Justice Hargrave while his Honour was Principal Judge of the Commercial Court at the Supreme Court of Victoria, and then a judge of the Court of Appeal.

Chris has a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne. He also has a Graduate Diploma in Data Analytics.

Chris read with Tom Smyth. His senior mentor is Ben Ihle KC.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.