Chris Hender

• Class Actions
• Commercial Law
• Competition
• Equity
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Media, Entertainment & Broadcast
• Professional Negligence
• Public Law
• Sports, Gaming & Licensing
• Taxation

Chris has a broad commercial practice which includes construction, engineering and technology disputes (ranging from PPP projects to domestic building, fires and combustible cladding), arbitrations, class actions, insolvency, taxation, Security of Payment disputes, Water Act claims, Owners Corporation disputes, and insurance and professional negligence law.   He has particular expertise in large scale litigation, and matters involving complex legal and/or technical expert issues.

Chris is recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Construction and Infrastructure Junior Counsel in Victoria.

Before being called to the Bar, Chris was a Senior Associate at MolinoCahill Lawyers, a specialist law firm providing legal advice to clients involved in the major projects in the construction, infrastructure, technology, defence, and energy and resource sectors across Australia.

Chris read with Kieren Naish.  His senior mentor is David Batt KC.

Chris regularly appears in the Supreme Court, Federal Court, County Court, arbitrations and VCAT, both led and unled.  Some examples of Chris’ recent experience include:

Building, Construction & Infrastructure

• Acting for Project Co in back-to-back stop clock arbitrations concerning claims of misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct, contamination, variations, delay and disruption in excess of $1 billion in relation to PPP project (led by Chris Young KC, ongoing)
• Acting for contractor in relation to multimillion-dollar project for construction of, and provision of software package in relation to, centres for automated fulfilment of online grocery orders (unled, ongoing).
• Alphington Developments Pty Ltd v Amcor Pty Ltd (No 5) [2023] VSC 637 – Acting for plaintiff company in claim for debt, breach of contract and quantum meruit from sale of property and contamination of land, remediation and demolition costs totalling over $30 million (led by Daniel Aghion KC, Andrew Downie, Georgia Douglas and Nic Cozens).
• Owners Corporation v Shangri-La Construction [2023] VCC 222 (unled) – acting for builder in relation to claims for combustible cladding.
• Acting for owner in arbitration regarding $4.5 million project for the redevelopment of a wine centre involving claims in relation to defects, variations and extension of time (unled, resolved)
• Acting for Project Company in relation to various claims arising out of a Water Treatment Plant in NSW, including applications of mandatory injunctions, contractual claims, and claims for misleading or deceptive conduct (unled).
• RW Health Partnership Pty Ltd v Lendlease Building Contractors Pty Ltd [2019] VSC 353 – acting for Project Company in respect of claims for alleged defective works in a PPP hospital project and product liability issues. Related issues concerning the Commercial Arbitration Act (led by David Batt KC and Kieran Naish, resolved)
• Acting for an owner/developer in relation to dispute concerning construction of multi-level 51 apartment building, involving claims for liquidated damages, defects and extensions of time in excess of $5 million (unled, resolved).
• Acting for an owner/developer in relation to dispute concerning construction of construction of office building, involving claims for defects, incomplete works, termination and loss of profit in excess of $800k (unled, resolved)
• Various proceedings in Supreme Court, County Court and VCAT concerning domestic building disputes, claims under the Water Act 1989 (Vic), and claims under Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) – for example Collective Crane Hire Pty Ltd v ICR Steel Pty Ltd [2021] VCC 132.

General commercial

• Re N2SH Pty Ltd [2023] VSC 188 – application to set aside statutory demand (unled).
• Ezy Global v Basil Street [2020] VCC 1778 – claims for enforcement of loans and guarantees, including allegations of sham contracts (led by Cam Truong KC, resolved)
• In the matter of Three Project Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of Victoria) – acting for defendant in relation to claims in respect of oppressive conduct and applications for injunctive relief (unled, resolved)
• In the matter of Trademax Investment Holding Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of Victoria) – acting for plaintiff in relation to claim for oppression and other associated claims (unled, resolved)
• In the matter of L&G Co Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of Victoria) – acting for plaintiff in relation to claims for oppression and other associated relief (unled, resolved)
• Various applications in Supreme Court, County Court and VCAT including for injunctions, security for costs, joinder and strike out, and the return of subpoena.

Real Property & Planning

• Ezy Global Ltd v Miller Crescent P/L [2019] VSC 815 – application to restrain Registrar of Titles from registering mortgage, and removal of caveat (led by Cam Truong KC)
• Danne v Fraser & Moyne Shire Council (VCAT) – application for cancellation of planning permit (led by Christopher Wren KC, resolved)

Intellectual Property

• Red Hill Wine Pty Ltd & Anor-v- Red Hill Vineyard Pty Ltd & Ors (Federal Court of Australia) –proceeding concerning claims for trademark infringement and misleading or deceptive conduct (led by Bruce Caine KC and Andrew Fox KC, resolved)

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation. The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister's clerk have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.