Christopher
McDermott

Christopher has a broad general civil law practice, with particular expertise in:

• Administrative law (judicial review and merits review)
• Employment and industrial law, anti-discrimination law and human rights
• Privacy, freedom of information, confidentiality, public interest immunity, the law of privilege, and general civil procedure (such as dealing with subpoena and discovery)
• Professional disciplinary proceedings
• Royal Commissions and public inquiries
• Intentional torts (malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, assault/battery)
• Class actions
• Directors’ duties, and the law of associations

Christopher regularly advises, and appears for, Federal and State Government departments and agencies.

Since coming to the Bar, Christopher has been briefed in significant litigation, including:

• Counsel for the Commonwealth of Australia in the Victorian Supreme Court class action concerning the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre (led by Christopher Blanden QC) (2017)
• Counsel for the Commonwealth of Australia in Fair Work Act ‘general protections’ proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia (Messengers v Commonwealth of Australia & Senator Jacquiline Lambie) (led by Jenny Firkin QC) (2019, ongoing)
• Counsel for the Commonwealth of Australia in an action in tort involving allegations of negligence in immigration detention facilities (Adel Aleshjeravi v Commonwealth of Australia) (led by Ron Williams QC) (2018, settled)
• Counsel for the State of Victoria in the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants (2019-2020)
• Counsel Assisting an Investigating Panel into a formal complaint made against the former State Coroner of Victoria (led by Elizabeth Bennett) (2019)
• Counsel for Yooralla in the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (led by Jenny Firkin QC) (2019)
• Consultant Counsel to the Board of Inquiry into the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry (instructed by the Office of Solicitors Assisting) (2020)

Prior to coming to the Bar, Christopher was a Senior Lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS), representing a diverse array of Commonwealth departments and agencies in superior courts and tribunals. Notably, this included representing:

• the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority during the Essendon Football Club Doping Scandal
• ‘Officer E’ in the Coroner’s investigation into the death of Ahmad Numan Haider
• the Minister for Home Affairs, in proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court, the Federal Court, and the High Court involving the Migration Act 1958 (Cth)

Prior to joining the AGS, Christopher was Senior Associate to the Hon John Faulks, Deputy Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia.

Christopher is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has extensive experience as a Board Director in the Not-for-Profit sector, including as a director with:

• Vice President of the Victorian AIDS Council / Gay Men’s Health Centre (trading as Thorne Harbour Health) (2013 to 2019)
• Advocacy & Rights Centre Ltd (Loddon Campaspe and Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centres and Housing Justice) (2019 to present)
• Mental Health Victoria Ltd (2019 to present)

Christopher is the Co-Chair of the Victorian Bar’s LGTBIQ Working Group and is the Secretary of the Victorian Bar’s Equality & Diversity Committee.

From 5 May 2017, liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation.