5 May 2025
Guy Barnett,
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is pleased to announce the appointment of nine new members to the prestigious King’s Counsel by Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, congratulated the new appointees and emphasised the historical and cultural significance of the King’s Counsel within the legal community.
“Appointment to the King’s Counsel is a high honour, as the title itself has been used for centuries to denote exceptional legal expertise and service to the Crown,” Attorney-General Barnett said.
“Each of the following practitioners were appointed previously as Senior Counsel, reflecting the many years of high-quality work and significant contributions they have made to the legal profession in Tasmania.”
The appointments are:
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, congratulated the new appointees and emphasised the historical and cultural significance of the King’s Counsel within the legal community.
“Appointment to the King’s Counsel is a high honour, as the title itself has been used for centuries to denote exceptional legal expertise and service to the Crown,” Attorney-General Barnett said.
“Each of the following practitioners were appointed previously as Senior Counsel, reflecting the many years of high-quality work and significant contributions they have made to the legal profession in Tasmania.”
The appointments are:
- Mr Aziz Melick AO KC
- Mr Fabian Dixon RFD KC
- Hon Peter Tree KC
- Mr Andrew Abbott KC
- Mr Bruce McTaggart KC
- Mr William Ayliffe KC
- Ms Kate Mooney KC
- Hon Robert Benjamin AM KC
- Mr Matthew Verney KC
These appointments follow the implementation of a protocol established by the Attorney-General for Tasmanian legal practitioners who have previously been appointed as Senior Counsel to choose to apply for appointment as King’s Counsel.
Section 7(2) of the Legal Profession Regulations 2018 provides in part that when an Australian lawyer holds the appropriate status, as conferred by the Crown in any capacity or as recognised by the High Court or a Supreme Court of any jurisdiction, they may use the title of King’s Counsel or KC.
Establishing this protocol will bring Tasmania into line with other jurisdictions where practitioners can request or apply to be appointed as King’s Counsel.
Section 7(2) of the Legal Profession Regulations 2018 provides in part that when an Australian lawyer holds the appropriate status, as conferred by the Crown in any capacity or as recognised by the High Court or a Supreme Court of any jurisdiction, they may use the title of King’s Counsel or KC.
Establishing this protocol will bring Tasmania into line with other jurisdictions where practitioners can request or apply to be appointed as King’s Counsel.
Importantly, this will also advantage eligible Tasmanian practitioners in applying for a King’s Counsel appointment in the Federal jurisdiction.
A copy of the protocol is available on the Department of Justice Website.
A copy of the protocol is available on the Department of Justice Website.