November 13, 2026

Leading Criminal Law Senior Counsel – Australia, 2023

August 25, 2023October 19, 2026

Ruth Shann SC

The 2023 listing of leading Australian Criminal Law Senior Counsel details Queens Counsel and Senior Counsel practising in criminal law matters across all Australian legal markets who have been identified by the nation’s criminal lawyers and barristers for their expertise and abilities in the area.

Showing all 23 senior counsel

Tiers are in rank order. Within a tier, names are alphabetical and are not ranked against one another.

Preeminent

Preeminent: 3 senior counsel
Senior counsel	Chambers or list	Location	Doyle’s ranking record
Phillip Boulten SC	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Phillip Boulten SC
Dermot Dann KC	Holmes List	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Dermot Dann KC
Saul Holt KC	8 Petrie Terrace Chambers	Brisbane	Doyle’s ranking record: Saul Holt KC

Leading

Leading: 6 senior counsel
Senior counsel	Chambers or list	Location	Doyle’s ranking record
Tim Game SC	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Tim Game SC
David Hallowes SC (biography)	Parnell's Barristers	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: David Hallowes SC
Peter Morrissey SC	Meldrum's List- Melbourne		Doyle’s ranking record: Peter Morrissey SC
Ruth Shann SC (biography)	Parnell's Barristers	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Ruth Shann SC
Philip Strickland SC	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Philip Strickland SC
Bret Walker SC	Fifth Floor St James’ Hall	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Bret Walker SC

Recommended

Recommended: 14 senior counsel
Senior counsel	Chambers or list	Location	Doyle’s ranking record
Gabrielle Bashir SC (biography)	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Gabrielle Bashir SC
Grant Brady SC	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Grant Brady SC
Christopher Carr SC (biography)	Parnell's Barristers	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Christopher Carr SC
Margaret Cunneen SC	State Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Margaret Cunneen SC
David Edwardson KC (biography)	Bar Chambers	Adelaide	Doyle’s ranking record: David Edwardson KC
Simon Freitag SC	Albert Wolff Chambers	Perth	Doyle’s ranking record: Simon Freitag SC
Ian Hill KC	Greens List	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Ian Hill KC
Paul Holdenson KC	Foley's List	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Paul Holdenson KC
Jeffrey Hunter KC	Lucas Chambers	Brisbane	Doyle’s ranking record: Jeffrey Hunter KC
Matthew Johnston SC	Forbes Chambers	Sydney	Doyle’s ranking record: Matthew Johnston SC
Colin Mandy SC (biography)	Parnell's Barristers	Melbourne	Doyle’s ranking record: Colin Mandy SC
Ruth O'Gorman KC	Higgins Chambewrs	Brisbane	Doyle’s ranking record: Ruth O'Gorman KC
Tom Percy KC (biography)	Albert Wolff Chambers	Perth	Doyle’s ranking record: Tom Percy KC
Marie Shaw KC	Frank Moran Chambers	Adelaide	Doyle’s ranking record: Marie Shaw KC

Spotted an error in this list? Report a correction.

previous post

Leading Criminal Law Junior Counsel – Australia, 2023

next post

Leading Criminal Defence Lawyers – Australia, 2023

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More