Sam Blashki

• Class Actions
• Commercial Law
• Competition
• Environment & Planning
• Equity
• Inquests & Inquiries
• Intellectual Property
• Media, Entertainment & Broadcast
• Professional Negligence
• Public Law

Sam Blashki practises in commercial litigation, with a focus on property, trusts, and technology disputes.

Before being called to the Bar, Sam was Associate to the Honourable Justice Peter Riordan (Principal Judge of the Commercial Court, Supreme Court of Victoria), and a solicitor at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, where he instructed senior counsel in proceedings successfully defending regulatory approvals for major infrastructure projects including the West Gate Tunnel Project (see Melton City Council v Minister for Planning [2022] VSCA 144) and Hawkesdale Wind Farm (see People of the Small Town of Hawkesdale Inc v Minister for Planning (2022) 71 VR 550).

As a founding member of the Victorian Bar’s AI Steering Committee, Sam focuses on emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. He has been briefed in disputes concerning automated AI sales call systems, defective integrated software-hardware solutions, and misuse of confidential databases. Sam is a Research Collaborator and Affiliate of Melbourne University’s Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE), and was Chair of the AI Literacy panel at the 2026 New Barristers Conference. In 2027, Sam will commence a Master of Laws at UC Berkeley with a certificate of specialisation in AI Law and Regulation.

Sam read with Damien McAloon SC and his senior mentor is Oren Bigos KC.

Academics

Sam graduated in the top 10 of his LLB cohort at Monash University, with first class honours. He lectures in Torts in the Monash JD program and was awarded a 2025 Monash Education Award. He has reported for the Victorian Reports, and his legal writing has been published in the UNSW Law Journal Forum, Tort Law Journal, and CommBar Law Digest.

Selected matters as counsel are listed below.

Contracts and Australian Consumer Law

• Appeal to the Court of Appeal on questions of statutory interpretation and interstate service (led by O Bigos KC, ongoing)
• Advice on the application of the Australian Consumer Law to a novel factual context (led by A Dinelli KC)
• Breach of contract, Goods Act 1958, and Australian Consumer Law claim regarding defects in software and automated machinery (led by C Exell, settled after mediation by P Santamaria KC)
• Dispute in respect of a multi-million dollar advisory fee (led by O Bigos KC, ongoing)
• Application for assessment of damages under interlocutory judgment in misleading conduct claim (led by O Bigos KC and M Garrett, settled)

Property law and sale of land

• Unconscionable conduct claim in respect of the sale of farmland (led by O Bigos KC and A Bartfeld, ongoing)
• Advice on s 28 of the Sale of Land Act 1962 in respect of a $90 million property transaction (led by O Bigos KC)
• Advice to a major bank on discharge of a mortgage and enforceability of a deed of settlement (led by D McAloon SC)
• Unled trial in a common property dispute (settled during trial)
• Unled reinstatement application to facilitate property settlement

Equity, trusts, and fiduciary duties

• Dispute over a $20 million property investment held in a unit trust (led by J Kohn, settled during trial)
• Breach of fiduciary duties and breach of contractual warranties claim in respect of the sale of a multi-million dollar company (led by D Mence, ongoing)
• Breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment claim by a manufacturing company against a former senior employee, including successfully obtaining court transfer, freezing orders, resisting subpoena objections, and obtaining strike out (unled, ongoing)

Sam has also been led by R Merkel SC in pro bono matters.

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.