Barristers, KCs, silks and eminent counsel – The Advertiser lists SA’s top lawyers
In SA’s criminal courts, these are the lawyers to call when you’re in big trouble.
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When the wigs come off and the gowns are put to one side, who are Adelaide’s legal eagles?
The Advertiser surveyed more than a dozen of the city’s most well-known counsel, in both public service and private practice, hoping to answer that question.
Some were incredibly forthcoming, others preferred to let their work speak for itself, while others still politely declined to participate.
Any listing of professionals will provoke debate, discussion and disagreement but, when it comes to lawyers, that discourse will likely be pointed, if not barbed.
Here, then, is The Advertiser’s list – made with all due respect and ranked in no particular order, Your Honour – of some of the state’s most influential counsel.
ANDREW CARPENTER
“The responsibility entrusted in a lawyer is not only to protect the rule of law, but to be the voice of the voiceless, protector of the innocent and to hold the accountable to account.”
Andrew Carpenter’s career in the law has been, from the outset, about blazing new trails.
“I graduated from the University of South Australia in 2011 and was the first ever UniSA Law graduate to practice law,” he told The Advertiser.
“I knew from the start that I had to shatter the blue print and paradigm of what it truly meant to be a lawyer in order to stand out.
“I want to show that a lawyer’s responsibility for justice is not only aimed to their clients, but to every individual.”
Admitted to practice that same year, Mr Carpenter has spent the past 12 years building an impressive resume across fraud, injury, defamation and commercial law.
He also won impressive victories against SA Police for claims for excessive force.
The most notable of these matters is that of Nathan Cross, who was prosecuted for assaulting police despite being handcuffed, surrounded and knocked unconscious.
“This has highlighted that police need to be held to account and are not above the law which they are entrusted to enforce,” he said.
Mr Carpenter also secured compensation for the victims of serial fraudsters Robert Wayne Collins and Veronika Mohor without a trial.
But the work of which Mr Carpenter is most proud is his advocacy for sexual assault survivors who sue their tormentors for compensation.
In 2020, he started the “Super for Survivors” campaign, which aims to change federal legislation so victims can take their abusers’ retirement funds as recompense.
The campaign has won the support of Grace Tame and Madeleine West, and earned Mr Carpenter his favourite nickname.
“During my advocacy I have been named as ‘the most hated man in Australia by child sex offenders’ – a title which I am proud to have,” he said.
“As Victor Hugo once said ‘there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come’.
“The goal of this campaign was to ensure that offenders face financial responsibility for their horrendous crimes, their survivors get the justice they deserve, and to deter people from committing these crimes.
“A minimal custodial sentence is hardly an adequate punishment for a victim survivors who have effectively been dealt with a life sentence.
“Sexual related crimes against children are generally the most under-sentenced crimes therefore other forms of punishment ought to be implemented in order to reduce offences.”
DAVID EDWARDSON KC
“The law is all about the protection of the community but also the protection of the individual charged with an offence, for he/she is entitled to the protection which the law gives them.”
A graduate of the University of Adelaide’s class of 1984, Mr Edwardson has been with Bar Chambers since 1988 and practised in every Australian state and territory.
He has acted for countless high-profile clients, some of whom attracted the ire of SA’s political elite.
Mr Edwardson was part of Paul Habib Nemer’s defence team when he was prosecuted for shooting newsagent Geoffrey Williams in the eye.
That controversy saw a Director of Public Prosecutions step down and propelled Labor to another term in government.
Mr Edwardson was openly and publicly critical of politicians using a criminal case as electioneering collateral, and the pollies were equally vocal about his clientele.
Their beef was so bad, Cabinet rejected Mr Edwardson’s bid to become QC in 2006 – it was approved after the intervention of then-Chief Justice John Doyle.
Mr Edwardson has continued to speak out on political issues, including ICAC, in SA but considers two WA cases the most important of his career.
He acted for barrister Lloyd Rayney who was, in 2012, acquitted of killing his estranged wife Corryn.
He also represented Scott Austic who was, after 12 years behind bars, acquitted on appeal of the 2007 stabbing of his pregnant lover, Stacey Thorne.
Both matters had, Mr Edwardson told The Advertiser, “exposed police misconduct”.
In recent times, Mr Edwardson secured an acquittal for NT police officer Zachary Rolfe over the shooting Kumanjayi Walker, 19, north of Alice Springs.
He also mounted a fiery defence of ex-Renewal SA boss John Hanlon that led to corruption charges being dropped amid bombshells about the watchdog’s investigation.
CRAIG CALDICOTT
“I believe that it is better nine guilty offenders go free than for one innocent man to be sentenced to jail.”
Graduating from the University of Adelaide and joining the Bar in 1979, Mr Caldicott has worked in every Australian jurisdiction.
Managing partner and senior criminal lawyer at Caldicott + Isaacs Lawyers, he is also co-chair of the Law Society of SA’s criminal law committee.
Having acted primarily in the criminal courts, Mr Caldicott is known for helping successfully defend Ivan Polyukhovich in Australia’s only war crimes trial, held before a jury.
“I am a great advocate of the jury system as the alternative would not necessarily function as well,” Mr Caldicott told The Advertiser.
Mr Caldicott’s most recent high-profile case was heard in the absence of a jury, and saw Lamborghini Huracan “PSYKO” driver Alexander Campbell avoid jail over a fatal crash.
The resultant public outcry led to legal change named in memory of the girl who was killed, Sophia Naismith.
Such a reaction was not new for the longtime counsel – like others on this list, he was targeted for scorn in the early 2000s by the former Labor Government and unfairly dubbed him a “bikie lawyer”.
It might be thought some of that angst was due to his landmark 2010 High Court win that struck down the government’s anti-bikie laws as “unconstitutional”.
Mr Caldicott counts that case – along with R v Ridgeway, which dealt with police entrapment of suspects – as a milestone moment in his career.
“I believe strongly in the rule of law as it enables the community to protect the vulnerable and persons in need,” he said.
ANDREW CULSHAW
“Our system of civil and criminal laws allows everyone in the community to live their life in the knowledge that there is an enforceable framework designed to protect us when we are wronged and hold us accountable when we do wrong.”
Andrew Culshaw’s life is driven by twin passions – the law and Aussie rules football.
“Even though many people go through life without direct contact with the legal system, its very existence is fundamental to the society we enjoy,” he told The Advertiser.
“I practise mainly in criminal law, predominantly in criminal defence, however I have a generalist background and am comfortable dealing with whatever comes through the door.
“I am passionate about sport and am a total Crows tragic, so I enjoy the opportunity to do some sports law when it comes up.”
Having finished his courses at the University of Adelaide in 2009, Mr Culshaw graduated and was admitted to practice in the same week in 2010.
He has since built an enviable portfolio of court appearances, both alongside and across from many other names on this list.
Though many of those hearings were in headline matters, he said considered a “not very high-profile” case best summed up his approach to the law.
“Kieron Blundell was convicted of a nasty assault by a jury … I appeared on an appeal at which a retrial was ordered and then at the retrial where he was acquitted,” he said.
“The reason I think of that case is that it combines the two things I aspire to.
“The first is the academic understanding of legal principle to identify a miscarriage of justice on an appeal.
“The second is the careful identification and exposition of factual flaws in a prosecution case at trial.”
Mr Culshaw’s proudest legal moment, however, goes directly back to his twin passions.
“I think the achievement of which I’m most proud is appearing for North Adelaide Football Club in the ‘19th man’ case after the 2018 Preliminary Final,” he said.
“My father is a Roosters tragic and I spent much of my childhood at Prospect Oval.
“So being able to play some part in their first premiership in 27 years holds a real personal significance to me and was special to my family.”
BILL BOUCAUT KC
“All cases deserve the same degree of adherence to the principles of law, and it is the duty of counsel to ensure that their client has their interests represented fearlessly, fairly and in accordance with the law.”
Having earned his law degree in 1974 and been admitted to practice 12 months later, Mr Boucaut has made his way around the country and the world.
He has acted in the criminal courts of SA, Tasmania, the NT and WA, and spent several years prosecuting cases for the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Hong Kong.
In 1991, upon his return from Hong Kong, Mr Boucaut joined the SA independent Bar and made an immediate impact on state law – not that he will tell you that.
“No particular case springs to mind as an example and I don’t like talking about my individual cases anyway,” he said in response to The Advertiser’s questions.
Fortunately, the public record chronicles Mr Boucaut’s time in front of juries.
Rather than his clients taking the stand, Mr Boucaut specialises in putting prosecutors “to proof”, digging into their evidence and witnesses in cross-examination, exposing flaws.
He leaves it, then, to jurors to determine whether they are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr Boucaut’s clients have included Frankie Marshall, who was acquitted of murder, and dismemberment killer Angelika Gavare, who was not.
He acted for Salt Creek rapist Roman Heinze and defended ex-nursing student Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif against terrorism allegations.
Recently, Mr Boucaut represented one of the men charged with murdering drug dealer Victor Codea in the carpark of Adelaide High School.
Currently, he is acting for Seywan Moradi, one of eight men stranding trial over the alleged murder of Jason De Ieso.
“To me, the rule of law is an essential aspect of life in a civilised society,” he told The Advertiser.
“Our democracy could not function without it. Laws must be adhered to and interpreted fearlessly by our judiciary with complete impartiality.
“Acknowledging and protecting the fundamental rights of citizens is central to this.”
GILBERT AITKEN
“There is no doubt the simplest form the rule of law means that ‘no one is above the law’ but there is no rule of law if human rights are not protected.”
Few crimes are as infamous, in SA history, as the 1994 bombing of the National Crime Authority Building on Waymouth Street in the CBD.
And few criminal cases have encompassed so much time – not just months in the courtroom, but decades of evidence – like that laid against domestic terrorist Domenic Perre.
For the public and law enforcement, Perre’s trial, conviction and eventual life sentence represented the end of an era for the state.
For barrister Gilbert Aitken, it represented one of the most important cases not only of his career, but in law as a whole.
He was a dogged protector of Perre’s rights in court and even after his death, supporting a petition for mercy in an attempt to clear his client’s name.
“An example of a case that I believe sums up my practice and approach to the law is undoubtedly the NCA Bombing case,” he told The Advertiser.
“To my mind, the rule of law is the implementation mechanism for human rights, turning them from a principle into a reality.”
A graduate of the University of Sydney in 1995, Mr Aitken was admitted to practice in 1996.
Since then, he has specialised in both Australian and international criminal law.
He acted for Giuseppe Corbo, father of Hectorville triple murderer Donato Corbo, in a case over the firearms used, by the son, in his offending.
Mr Aitken also represented killer driver Samantha Magdaleine Farrer, who left Kathleen Heraghty to die on the side of a road near Victor Harbor in 2013.
The case of which he is most proud, he said, is that of R v Miller, which set a High Court precedent concerning rulings on joint enterprise in criminal matters.
CLAIRE O’CONNOR SC
“Making the unheard heard has been my driver for practice, and I hope that the community realises the need to have we who know the law assist them in getting access to justice.”
In 1980, Claire O’Connor graduated from the University of Otago in New Zealand – two years later, she was admitted as a lawyer in SA.
Between then and 2006, when she went to the independent Bar, Ms O’Connor practised in New Zealand, the UK and in every Australian state except Tasmania.
A passionate advocate for human rights and gender equity, Ms O’Connor played a key role in dozens of asylum seeker cases throughout the early 2000s.
She told The Advertiser her experiences in those cases, and especially that of Palestinian national Al Kateb, convinced her Australia “needs a Bill of Rights”.
“(In Al Kateb) the High Court found that you can detain a stateless person for the rest of his life,” she said.
“The decision could only happen in a country without a Bill of Rights and Australia is the only western country without a Bill of Rights.”
Ms O’Connor said she also found her work for Bruce Trevorrow, who sought compensation as part of the Stolen Generation, incredibly important.
“I spent a year working on the case and learned so much about the history of SA and its treatment of Aboriginal persons,” she said.
“That was enlightening, as I did not go to school or study here.”
Ms O’Connor’s advocacy also extends to proper funding for legal entities, especially those that support clients unable to afford representation.
“If people can’t afford lawyers, (governments must) ensure that legal aid and community legal centre bodies are well funded,” she said.
In 2016, Ms O’Connor spoke out on social media against sexual harassment and assault within the profession, sparking great controversy.
She was accused of unprofessional conduct but, in 2022 and after a six-year legal battle, she was vindicated and cleared by the Legal Professional Conduct Tribunal.
Most recently, she acted for Extinction Rebellion protester Meme Caroline Thorne, who is charged with disrupting CBD traffic with an abseiling stunt over North Terrace.
MICHAEL ABBOTT KC
“(Our job) is the task of ensuring that the rule of law is upheld for all of us. This means that the rule of law is the same for all of us, for the worst of us, for the person charged with the greatest crime, the politician, the priest and the prince.”
In December 2011, The Advertiser noted that, a decade earlier, the legal fraternity had expected Michael Abbott QC to “wind down” his career.
More than a decade on from that article – and 20 years from rumours of his retirement – SA’s most well-known barrister remains a regular sight in and around the courts.
Having graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1964, Mr Abbott’s clientele has spanned from the highest halls of power to the grisliest depths of serial-killing excess.
He has acted for infamous murderers such as Bevan Spencer von Einem and serial killer Robert Joe Wagner.
Mr Abbot has also defended politicians such as former senator Mary Jo Fisher and former mayor Lachlan Clyne, as well as unionists Jim O’Connor and Ark Tribe.
Asked, by The Advertiser, to list the jurisdictions in which he has acted, his reply was a succinct: “Just about all of them.”
That includes work beyond the bounds of the courtroom – he has investigated sex abuse claims on behalf of the Catholic Church and advocated publicly for civil rights matters.
He is famed for his opposition to any extension of the state’s criminal DNA database, which he considers a “significant erosion” of an individual’s right to privacy.
Mr Abbott’s patronage of the arts saw him serve as the Art Gallery of SA’s chairman, while its Southeast Asian Collection is named for him.
Like Mr Caldicott, he considers R v Ridgeway, which challenged police entrapment measures in the High Court, to be his standout case.
That is unsurprising given his ongoing tilt against what some perceive as authoritarian overreach, including his scathing critiques of the state’s ICAC.
SIMON OWER KC
“Independent barristers, willing to act for anyone irrespective of their personal beliefs, form a vital part of the rule of law in this country. They are the means by which politicians, prosecutors and police are held to account by the courts for the lawfulness of their actions.”
Many things are accumulated over a long and distinguished career – friends, rivals, acclaim, respect, kudos and admonishments.
Barrister Simon Ower KC knows that better than most owing to his appearance for nurse and AFLW star Deni Varnhagen, when she challenged the state’s Covid-19 mandates.
“Because of the subject matter, that turned out to be at a cost to my relationships with some personal friends, and standing with some colleagues at the Bar,” he told The Advertiser.
“However, barristers are supposed to follow ‘the cab rank’ rule – if someone comes up to the rank, you take them where they want to go, irrespective of who they are.
“I believe in the importance of that rule … I felt that I would not have been true to my belief if I declined the brief.”
Mr Ower graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1999, was admitted to practice in Sydney in 2000 and was named King’s Counsel in 2016.
He practises in all areas of commercial, civil and public law, specialising in administrative and constitutional law, and wills, trusts and estates law.
Mr Ower appeared in two of the biggest and most emotional estate battles in recent SA history.
The first was the feud over the $30m estate of Bra Boys surf gangster Cade Dallas, involving his wife, son and mother.
The second was the precedent-setting battle over businessman Hongtao Liu’s $50m fortune, which saw the Supreme Court considering both Australian and Chinese law.
“I have also acted in over a 100 other challenges to government decisions in such varied areas such as road traffic, citizenship, migration and once to the development of the Cheltenham Racecourse,” he said.
“One was a successful challenge to a refugee decision concerning a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl (who) the government unlawfully and wrongly declared not to be a refugee.
“She graduated Year 12 in Adelaide last year, and is now studying dentistry.”
But for all he has done in his years at the Bar, it is one of Mr Ower’s very first cases that remains his proudest achievement – even though he did not win.
“I acted for the Bakhtiyari children in the High Court in 2002,” he said.
“Despite losing 7-0, I believe that the case made an important statement that children should not be kept in immigration detention.
“I feel this eventually contributed to the Commonwealth parliament making a law that it was only to be used as a last resort.”
GREG GRIFFIN
“It is our responsibility as lawyers to ensure that those without a voice are heard. No matter what the cost to us as lawyers.”
His online bio says he specialises in liquor licensing, corporate law, commercial advice and litigation, and sports law – all of which is something of an understatement.
Perhaps the most visible civil practitioner in SA, Greg Griffin graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1979, took the Bar in 1981, and has run his namesake firm since 1996.
He has practised in SA, NSW and Queensland, as well as England and Wales.
“The rule of law allows us all to live in a civilised society,” he told The Advertiser.
“The entire community, regardless of their financial position or status, have equal rights in the eyes of the law.”
Mr Griffin is also a familiar name to the state’s sporting faithful – he was Adelaide United’s majority owner and chairman until selling his interests in March 2018.
He is the only Australian to have been awarded a Diploma in Football Law by FIFA, the sport’s world governing body.
Asked to name a key case from his career, he chose Acquista Investments v Urban Renewal Authority – better known as the Gillman land deal.
“The SA court found the decision to sell the Gillman land by the government was ‘not amendable to judicial review’ and that the orders sought by Acquista that the Deed of Sale of the land be set aside be refused because it found the decision to enter the contract was of ‘no legal consequence’,” he said.
“The government, after leave to appeal was granted by the High Court, settled the case brought by Acquista before the High Court could hear the appeal.”
MIKE WAIT SC
“My interest in the law comes from a desire to ensure that the Government has the legal tools at its disposal to promote the interests and wellbeing of the South Australian community.”
There are not many legal practitioners who can say they have represented the entire state of South Australia in the nation’s highest court.
But Mike Wait SC has that privilege having battled it out in the High Court as SA’s Solicitor-General.
Mr Wait by his position is the most senior practising lawyer in the state and appears on the most complicated civil and constitutional litigation.
Mr Wait was awarded a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Adelaide in 1998, and a Masters of Laws from Cambridge University in 2002.
In 2001, he served as a judge’s associate to Justice Mary Gaudron, the first woman appointed to the High Court.
In the nearly 20 years since he was admitted to the Bar in 2003 Mr Wait worked in Sydney, Canberra, Vanuatu, London and Adelaide.
A towering figure, taller even that his predecessor-turned-Supreme Court Justice Chris Bleby, Mr Wait sometimes appears to loom over fellow barristers when at the bar.
Mr Wait is in illustrious company as Solicitor-General.
Many barristers who fill the role go on to be appointed to the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Chris Kourakis and former Justice and now Director of Public Prosecution Martin Hinton QC.
“A number of matters I have worked on illustrate the importance of the law,” he said.
“These include the recognition of Aboriginal peoples of South Australia in the State Constitution; the School Chaplains Case about the Commonwealth’s power to spend and state/Commonwealth fiscal relations; defending late-night drinking codes designed to prevent alcohol-related violence; litigation concerning South Australia’s Murray Darling Basin water entitlements; and, the unsuccessful challenge to Western Australia’s Covid-19 border restrictions.”
The pandemic prompted what is certainly Mr Wait’s most high-profile case to date – battling nurse and AFLW star Deni Varnhagen over vaccine mandates.
JANE ABBEY KC
“The rule of law is fundamental to enjoying any right or protection. It means that we all answer to the same laws – the powerful, the vulnerable, prosecutors, accused, judges and jurors.”
Jane Abbey marked the turn of the century by graduating from Flinders University, began practice in 2001 and has since become one of the state’s best-known barristers.
Her calm demeanour and adroit lines of inquiry, combined with unshakeable advocacy for her clients, has won her admiration throughout the industry.
“That we can all know the law and are equal before it is essential to the justice system and our ability to respect and trust its outcomes,” she told The Advertiser.
Ms Abbey specialises in criminal law and disciplinary matters, as best exemplified by three ongoing cases in which she is currently acting.
She is representing the University of Adelaide in a $1m sexual harassment lawsuit filed against it and its employee, Professor Joshua Ross, by Dr Giang Thu Nguyen.
Ms Abbey is also defending a top SA cheerleader who has been accused of using her position to sexually assault seven girls – four of whom were just 12 years old – more than 21 times.
In May, her defence of Thomas Nichols – one of four men accused of murdering drug dealer Victor Codea – resulted in an acquittal on that charge and a conviction for manslaughter.
“There are cases that are interesting because they make law, and some that receive high public attention,” Ms Abbey said.
“But, a sense of achievement comes from a different place … for each client, their case is the most important – and they are right.
“By the time they see a criminal barrister, it is because they need help with the single most important thing in their lives at the time, and perhaps ever.
“Even those who plead guilty need help, in a way which is respectful to them and to their accusers.
“To be trusted to speak for a person at that time is a source of pride … to feel that I have done all that could be done to present their case is a sense of achievement.”
STEPHEN EY
“The practice of criminal law is so important to me because I derive so much pleasure and satisfaction from representing the individual in cases that appear to be a lost cause but ultimately the presumption of innocence prevails and they are found not guilty.”
Stephen Ey has been an ubiquitous presence around the courts precinct for more than 40 years.
The dulcet-toned solicitor graduated from Adelaide University in 1977 and was admitted to practice the year after.
Since then he has practised in all jurisdictions in South Australia as well as interstate.
Last year, he acted for carer Rosa Maria Maione, who received a six-year manslaughter sentence for the abhorrent neglect of Annie Smith.
Mr Ey said the case of Joseph Nashar stood out in his mind along with the trial of Jonathon Hawtin, who was acquitted of attempted murder.
Mr Nashar stood trial in the Supreme Court in 1998 charged with the shooting murder of Trevor Carbine, 21, who had burst into the then-46-year-old’s home.
Mr Carbine was shot twice while on the roof of a shed at the property.
Mr Nashar’s legal team, led by Mr Ey, successfully argued their client had been protecting his family and home.
The jury agreed with the argument and acquitted Mr Nashar.
Mr Ey said he took great pleasure in protecting people who appear to be lost causes.
“The presumption of innocence is so important to the community and must be preserved at all costs,” he said.
Mr Ey, who has helmed Mangan Ey Associates since 1982, said he also derived immense pleasure in mentoring young practitioners and seeing their development.
ANDREW EY
“I will never forget working alongside the late Mark Griffin QC when he turned to me at the conclusion of a testing double murder and stated how privileged we are to be able to provide a voice for those that otherwise wouldn’t have one.”
There was a point in time, many years ago, when a group of court reporters raised their heads at the sound of Stephen Ey’s familiar tones – but saw someone unfamiliar in his place.
Like his father, Andrew Ey has become known for his commanding courtroom presence, but is also known for an easygoing manner with clients that demystifies the legal process.
“Criminal defence is in my blood from growing up watching and listening to the old man,” he told The Advertiser.
“I graduated in 2009 from Adelaide University with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce and was admitted to practice in October 2010.
“I’ve specialised solely in criminal and traffic matters.”
Asked his proudest legal achievement, Mr Ey’s first response was a characteristic dry quip.
“Getting Nollsy off his alleged assault at the Crazy Horse”, he said, referencing the former Australian Idol’s brush with the law – and a bouncer – in 2017.
His real achievements, he said, were his involvement in three murder acquittals – those of Frankie Marshall in 2010, Nicholas Novakoic in 2016 and Thomas Pinnington in 2023.
Another achievement was of a more personal nature, and required Mr Ey to overcome great personal adversity.
“That was getting back to practice following a significant boating accident in January 2022 that left me hospitalised for a month and wheelchair bound for a month,” he said.
“I then secured a jury acquittal for a serious, 12 count information allegation of domestic violence that my client – a notable horse trainer – always denied and asserted was fabricated.”
HARRY PATSOURIS
“Securing a fair and just outcome is important for my clients, and that’s why it’s important to me too.”
When asked what law means and should mean for the community, Harry Patsouris replied simply “fairness”.
Throughout 30 years of practice, Mr Patsouris has followed that dicta to the letter, representing clients from myriad backgrounds on charges ranging from minor to the most serious.
Mr Patsouris graduated from Adelaide University in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar the following year.
In his more than 30 years in practice he has practised in all states and territories but Tasmania.
While known for his law firm Patsouris and Associates, which he started in 1991 shortly after graduating, Mr Patsouris is also a prominent community figure.
He is, among other titles, trustee of the Foundation for Hellenic Studies and Chairman of St Basil’s Homes (SA).
Mr Patsouris is less a figure who appears at the bar himself, but more one who sits in the front row while a carefully instructed barrister, normally a Queen’s Counsel, argues using his submissions.
Mr Patsouris is representing accused in the high-profile Operation Ironside arrests and is an instructing solicitor in the Jason De Ieso murder trial.
MARIE SHAW KC
“For me, the law means that I have the honour to represent people: to be the voice for those who may not have a voice, for those who need someone to fight for them and for those who are faced with unfair treatment from the State or those acting on its behalf.”
Of all the legal figures on this list, few are as ferocious when at the bar defending a client as Marie Shaw QC.
Decades of legal knowledge, a stint as a District Court Judge and multiple appearances before the High Court have given Mrs Shaw a formidable mien in court.
After graduating from University of Adelaide in 1975, Mrs Shaw was admitted to the Bar in 1996.
Since then she has practised in the “High Court, federal court, family court, industrial court, environmental court as well as all state courts”.
Mrs Shaw has been involved in multiple high-profile cases over the decades, and says she focuses on the misuse of power and the consequences of the abuse of that power on the community.
“How often do we hear ‘I never thought this could happen to me?’” she said.
“When it does, the law stands in the way of injustice, loss of freedoms and the misuse of power by the State and other institutions.”
She lists the case of Henry Keogh, who won a retrial over the alleged murder of his fiancee 19 years after being found guilty.
“He was another example of members of our community wrongly imprisoned on the basis of flawed scientific evidence,” she said.
Mrs Shaw was also an integral part of the creation of the Ice Factor, a program designed to keep students in school by introducing them to ice hockey.
STACEY CARTER
“The law is forever changing. It is challenging at times, as the law may not always appear necessarily fair. This is because the law’s greatest role is trying to achieve the right balance of protecting the community, upholding the rights of an accused (who is a member of that community), compassionately recognising the rights of a victim and yet maintaining an overall system generally.”
In 1998 one of Stacey Carter’s best friends, Heather Turner, was murdered.
The unsolved death of her dance school friend and the subsequent police investigation helped inspire her pursuit of a career in law.
Ms Carter began a double degree in law in 2002, and in 2008 completed her Masters Degree in law, specialising in international criminal law and international relations.
She completed the degree while living and working for the federal government in Canberra, in areas of law including immigration, criminal and national security.
A passionate advocate for helping people, the award-winning lawyer originally expected to become a prosecutor, but later found her passion would be better served as defence counsel where “the stakes are so high for many people”.
She returned to Adelaide in 2009 to work as a defence lawyer and, in 2012, established Port Adelaide firm Carter & Co as a sole practitioner.
Less than 10 years later, Ms Carter now employs 14 “bright, successful women”.
“One of my greatest inspirations has been encouraging other young women to succeed and possess the resilience required for them to work in the legal profession,” she said.
She lists her defence of Hayden Fenton – who was twice charged and later acquitted of the shooting manslaughter of his best friend Bailey Davenport – as a career-defining case.
A jury took just 45 minutes to unanimously find him not guilty.
“It was the greatest tragedy of a group of friends in the woods, where their best friend died,” she said.
She said the “extremely complicated case”, where nobody had seen the fatal shot, would be “a source of inspiration” every time she faced another challenging case.
She has represented former gangland figure Vince Focarelli, and lists multiple other matters including that of former Paralympic athlete Dino Foti, naked and drugged crash driver John Ceruto, and Daniel Bampton, who had murder charges withdrawn following claims of self defence, as just some of the cases that have impacted her career.
RACHAEL SHAW AND JOSEPH HENDERSON
“For us, the law provides an opportunity for us to help people who are often at their lowest, who find themselves overwhelmed by the might of the State and the system, and often abandoned by many of their family and friends.”
Small firms rarely make a big splash quickly in the legal sphere, but the duo Rachael Shaw and Joseph Henderson have made their presence known in the state’s highest court only years after joining forces.
The pair represent multiple accused across all levels of the courts.
Ms Shaw, daughter of Marie Shaw QC, studied in the United States and returned to Australia in 2010 to be admitted.
Mr Henderson graduated from the University of Adelaide and was admitted to the Bar in 2011.
The pair started their own firm in 2016 and have gone on to defend high-profile clients in the Supreme Court.
The pair said a case that will stick with them was the recent acquittal of an Indigenous man who was found not guilty of murder.
“The knowledge that we forever changed the course of this man’s life and the life of his family, and in such a positive way, is a reminder that whilst the rule of law is the pillar of our democratic society, the law is also about an individual human being,” they said.
“It is that human being which can make the job so fulfilling but also so crushing when the justice system cannot deliver the justice we consider the person deserves.”
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Originally published as Barristers, KCs, silks and eminent counsel – The Advertiser lists SA’s top lawyers
Cornes calls out ‘insidious’ ageist slur against Hinkley
The AFL’s $20,000 fine slapped down on Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was a ‘disgraceful abuse of power’ and the reaction was unjust, according to SA footy legend Graham Cornes.
SA freezes through record-breaking morning temperatures
One of Adelaide’s weather stations has recorded its coldest ever September morning on record with data dating back over 100 years.