Isabelle Skaburskis is the Doogue + George Partner for Social Justice and Human Rights. Isabelle brings a human rights lens to all of their work, putting their client’s voice and interests at the centre of every case.
Isabelle’s human rights practice is innovative, focussing on advocacy and research for trans and gender diverse people in the criminal legal system; representation for both applicants and respondents in the human rights list at VCAT; and running complex criminal trials against accused persons facing prejudice or stigma on account of their identity, including Aboriginal people, or those whose identities are popularly vilified, such as transgender people charged with sex offences, or Muslim people charged with terrorism offences.
Isabelle has particular expertise in the area of post-sentence detention or supervision orders for terrorist offenders and sex offenders. These “quasi-criminal” regimes sit awkwardly between the criminal and the civil jurisdictions and require knowledge of civil procedure. These briefs involve thousands of pages of disclosure and weeks of preparation, and are conducted in very short time-frames. As these cases hinge on the court’s assessment of risk, they require detailed understanding of risk assessment tools and their inherent limits. Post-sentence order applications are a specialized and difficult area of law, and are often traumatizing for the client. Isabelle is one of the few lawyers who has become deeply familiar with both the Victoria Serious Offender’s regime, and the Commonwealth scheme for terrorism offenders, as well as the experts in the field who are best-placed to provide reliable, independent, well-researched forensic reports.
Isabelle is passionate about helping people get out of jail and released on parole. Parole is the most important part of any carceral sentence—it motivates rehabilitation, and minimizes recidivism by ensuring a structure reintegration back into the community. Isabelle is familiar with both state and federal parole systems, and they enjoy working with incarcerated individuals to develop a personalized parole plan, and establish social and professional support networks in the community. Whilst it should be the state providing this service, it fails to do so. Prisons often do not provide rehabilitation programmes, or access to services or therapies, and often they do not consider parole applications in a timely manner. Isabelle has the knowledge and experience to assist people with parole planning from an early stage in their sentence, and to challenge an unreasonable parole refusal after the fact.
A further thread of Isabelle’s social justice work focusses on the appalling overuse of solitary confinement in Victoria. Solitary confinement beyond 14 days has been held to constitute torture under international law. Isabelle has worked with a number of individuals who have been exposed to long-term solitary confinement and witnessed the mental devastation that it causes. Isabelle is currently exploring avenues of redress and accountability through the justice system, in partnership with other organisations and lawyers, to assist those who are being tortured in this way.
Isabelle has brought two matters in recent years to the High Court, instructs regularly in the Supreme Court of Victoria, and appears as a solicitor-advocate in the County and Magistrate’s Courts. Isabelle is an Accredited Specialist in criminal law and was recognized in 2021 in Doyle’s Guide as a Rising Star in the field. Prior to coming to Doogue + George, Isabelle was a Judge’s Associate in the Supreme Court of Victoria, and won several awards at Cambridge University for their graduate work in International Law.
