Ben Ihle among 18 barristers promoted to senior counsel in Victoria: full list

Ben Ihle is one of 18 barristers to be appointed to the prestigious ranks of senior counsel in Victoria | FULL LIST

Ben Ihle speaking at the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.

Counsel-assisting Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry Ben Ihle has laid out a litany of failings by public service chiefs that contributed to a second-wave virus outbreak in his state.

But the Melbourne-based barrister has just been recognised for his own expertise on the job — becoming one of 18 barristers to be appointed to the prestigious ranks of senior counsel on Thursday.

Also recognised for his talents was Victorian crown prosecutor Patrick Bourke, who helped to ensure that international student Aiia Maasarwe’s brutal killer was locked away for at least 30 years.

Five of the silk appointments in Victoria this year were women (or 28 per cent of the total).

This is slightly better than in NSW, where 23 per cent of new silks appointed on Wednesday were female.

One of those was Megan Tittensor, the counsel assisting the Victorian Royal Commission into police informers, who has helped to uncover jaw-dropping revelations related to “Lawyer X” Nicola Gobbo.

Criminal barrister Elizabeth Ruddle has also been made a senior counsel — a silver lining to a tough 2020.

Ms Ruddle recently spoke out about how hard the pandemic had been on criminal barristers — with County Court jury trials postponed until at least next year, a big chunk of their work had disappeared.

Industrial relations barrister Patrick Wheelahan — who also dabbles in buying race horses — was another promoted to the ranks of silk. He joins his brother Eugene, who prefers to use the title of “QC”. Their brother Michael Wheelahan is a Federal Court judge.

Mr Wheelahan last year represented a trainer and two stablehands charged with corrupt betting and animal cruelty.