Rachel Matulis

Current practice

Rachel practises in planning, environment and public law, with a complementary practice in commercial and regulatory matters. She has a strong written advice practice and is regularly briefed on statutory interpretation, jurisdictional issues and legislative review. 

She welcomes briefs from in-house counsel, government and private firms for both advisory and advocacy work. Rachel drafts pleadings and provides written advice across jurisdictions, and appears in all divisions of VCAT, including the Planning and Environment Division, as well as guardianship and administration, residential tenancies and retail leasing disputes.

Background

Rachel was Associate to the Honourable Justice Quigley during her Honour's tenure as President of VCAT, assisting across a broad range of matters including judicial review proceedings in the Supreme Court and significant planning and environment cases at VCAT.

She was subsequently a senior government lawyer advising on statutory interpretation, regulatory frameworks, privacy and policy development, and led legislative development projects, including the implementation of federal jurisdiction procedure in the Magistrates' Court following Meringnage v Interstate Enterprises & Ors [2020] VSCA 30.

Rachel is a Sessional Academic at Monash University, a contributor to Thomson Reuters Practical Law Australia, and an Assistant Convenor of the Women Barristers' Association. She read with Haroon Hassan and her senior mentor is Kylie Evans SC.