- Position:
- Acting Lead Counsel
- Qualification:
- OHS
- Area of law:
- Workplace relations and occupational health and safety
Kerry is a senior member of the Occupational Health and Safety Practice within the Victorian Government Solicitor's Office. She has over 20 years' experience in the Victorian public sector, having worked as a prosecutor within the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) and as a legal education co-ordinator with the Judicial College of Victoria. As part of her role at the OPP, Kerry had responsibility for advice work and indictable prosecutions under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.
Kerry brings to her role at the VGSO significant experience and specialised knowledge in criminal law, evidence and procedure. She has a deep understanding of the written and unwritten rules applicable to proceedings in both the Magistrates' Court of Victoria and in higher Victorian Courts. This understanding has been developed through appearance work at procedural and interlocutory hearings in Victorian Courts and through having instructed counsel in a large number of matters including in complex interlocutory applications, plea hearings, committal proceedings, trials and appeals.
In advising her Victorian Public Sector clients, Kerry is able to draw on her extensive experience in managing complex litigation and dealing sensitively with witnesses. She understands how to maintain effective witness engagement throughout the life of a matter and how to support witnesses who may be reluctant or who have undergone significant trauma, which sets her apart from other practitioners in the area. Kerry has a keen interest in contributing to policy development both in relation to the internal workings of government and best practice in investigations and legal proceedings. She has previously been invited to develop and deliver training programs for clients within government and regulatory settings, including for organisations such as Victoria Police. Kerry provides targeted, strategic legal advice and assistance in relation to occupational health and safety issues, prosecutions, administrative law, statutory interpretation and the law and best practice concerning effective and efficient investigations.
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