Presenters

Kylie Evans SC, Barrister, Ah Ket Chambers
Kylie Evans KC has significant litigation experience acting for non-government and government clients in administrative law matters in courts, tribunals and Commissions of Inquiry across Australia. She has acted as Counsel Assisting in inquiries and appeared for clients in royal commissions, most recently appearing for the Minister for Health, Secretary to the Department of Health, Chief Health Officer and a Deputy Secretary in the Yoorrook Justice Commission. She is a leading expert in human rights law having published three texts in the area and holds an academic position at the Melbourne Law School as a Senior Fellow. Kylie is a member of the Queensland Parliament's human rights advisory panel. She holds first class honours degrees in Law from the University of Melbourne and the University of Cambridge (Masters of Law) and a first class Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. She was Associate to the late Honourable Justice David Hunt AO QC at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1999 and a Research Fellow for the late Honourable Professor James Crawford AC SC FBA (formerly a Justice of the International Court of Justice) from 2002-2005.

Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC, Senior Counsel,
Dr Hanscombe has been in full time practice at the Victorian Bar since 1989 and took silk in 2003. She came late to the law: prior to attending law school she was first engaged in research in Pure Mathematics, in which subject she holds a PhD, and then as the proprietor of a bookselling business for some eight years. She has a broad commercial, equity and public law practice. She has a longstanding interest in the law of evidence, and has both written and taught in the area, especially in scientific and engineering matters. In recent years her commercial law practice has been almost entirely in class actions. Most of her work in areas of public law has concerned judicial review in both the Federal and State systems, but she is also experienced in merits review, especially legal disciplinary and regulatory matters. She has appeared for diverse government and non-government participants in Royal Commissions, inquests, and similar investigations.

Gemma Varley PSM
Gemma Varley was appointed as Chief Parliamentary Counsel in 2008. She first joined the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel as a drafter in 1978 and has been drafting ever since. Gemma is a graduate of Monash University holding Bachelors degrees in Arts and law and a Masters of Law degree from that University. Gemma was admitted to practice in 1977 and signed the Bar Roll as parliamentary counsel in 1981.

Georgina Rhodes, Barrister, Castan Chambers
Georgina practices predominantly in public and administrative law, regulatory and criminal matters, but accepts briefs in a range of other matters including general commercial, civil and common law. She has a broad practice with experience in commissions and inquiries, coronial inquests, compulsory examinations for investigative bodies, regulatory and general crime, disciplinary matters, and merits and judicial review. She has a particular interest in matters where commercial and common law intersect with criminal law and public law. Georgina has particular expertise in government regulation. She has undertaken a wide variety of advice work (both led and unled) for private and government clients in respect of administrative decision making, statutory interpretation and complex public law litigation. Georgina has a background in matters relating to children and vulnerable people, including; youth justice, crimes mental impairment, guardianship, NDIS, reportable conduct scheme, Working with Children Clearances and a Public Inquiry into institutional abuse. As such Georgina welcomes briefs relating to vulnerable clients, including common law institutional abuse claims. Georgina appears (both led and unled) in various State and Commonwealth Tribunals and Courts. She has practiced in Victoria and Tasmania and accepts briefs from all jurisdictions.

Jason Pizer SC, List A Barristers
Jason has been a member of the Victorian Bar for more than 20 years, and has been a silk since 2013. He practises primarily in administrative law, and is often called upon to advise on complex questions of statutory interpretation. Jason was the author of the first four editions of Pizer's Annotated VCAT Act, and the co-author of the fifth edition of that book.

James Stoller, Barrister, Foley’s List
James practises in public, commercial and common law. Before coming to the Bar, James spent almost ten years as a solicitor. Most recently, he was a Principal Solicitor at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, specialising in administrative and regulatory law. At the VGSO, he acted for government departments, regulators and other statutory agencies in judicial review, merits review and professional disciplinary proceedings. He also advised government entities on statutory interpretation and statutory decision making. Before joining the VGSO, James was a Senior Solicitor in the Civil Law section at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Darwin. In that role, he specialised in administrative and common law litigation, with a focus on intentional torts. Prior to that, James spent almost three years in commercial litigation at Logie-Smith Lanyon Lawyers, working on a broad range of commercial disputes. James also worked as a Senior Solicitor in the Proceeds of Crime directorate of the Office of Public Prosecutions, acting for the DPP in proceedings under the Confiscation Act 1997. James read with Christopher Archibald KC.