Jack O'Connor

Jack practises in criminal law (particularly appellate), regulatory prosecutions and civil penalty proceedings, public and administrative law (including judicial review matters relating to criminal prosecutions), and commercial law. He appears regularly in the Court of Appeal, both led and unled, on appeals against conviction and sentence. He regularly advises on issues of statutory interpretation.

Recent matters include:

• DZY (a pseudonym) v Trustees of the Christian Brothers [2025] HCA 15 (led by G Boas, with E Kelly);
• Moore (a pseudonym) v The King [2024] HCA 30 (led by B Kissane KC);
  
• Stephens v The Queen (2022) 96 ALJR 871 (led by O P Holdenson KC);
• DPP Reference No 1 of 2017  [2019] HCA 9; (2019) 364 ALR 407 (led by O P Holdenson KC);

 

• Edmunds v The King [2025] VSCA 31 (led by R Gibson KC);
• Oberoi v Douglas [2025] VSC 7;
• Robinson v Each Ltd [2024] VSCA 313 (led by A Clements SC, with A Smietanka);
• Pelligra v Forbes [2024] VSCA 242;
• Parker (a pseudonym) v The King [2024] VSCA 209;
• Kiley v McMahon [2024] VSC 228;
• Glowacki v The King [2023] VSCA 176;
• Khoshaba v The King [2023] VSCA 65;
• DPP v Silivaai [2023] VSCA 19 (led by J Gullaci SC);
• Danny (a Pseudonym) v The Queen [2020] VSCA 8.

 

Jack also advises on matters concerning legal policy. He has advised the ACT Government on matters arising from the implementation of recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (with the Hon Justice Dodds-Streeton), and advised as to the recruitment and working arrangements of staff who work with judicial officers with a view to minimising sexual harassment risk factors (with the Hon Justice Dodds-Streeton).

In 2012-2013, Jack was Associate to the Hon Justice Weinberg of the Court of Appeal. Jack is a contributing author to Bourke’s Criminal Law Victoria and a reporter for the Victorian Reports.