Raphaël de Vietri

Practice

Raphael is an experienced barrister with a multidisciplinary practice, known for delivering quality client‑centred advice and strategically astute representation across complex and high‑stakes litigation. His work spans criminal law, regulatory enforcement, professional disciplinary proceedings, administrative law, military and international law. 

He appears regularly in trials and appeals, as well as before tribunals, commissions, and inquiries. He is equally comfortable appearing unled, working with senior counsel, or leading more junior counsel.

He accepts briefs across a broad range of practice areas, including:

• Criminal Law — homicide, fatalities, fraud, money laundering & financial crime, corruption, terrorism, war crimes, sexual offences and human exploitation, proceeds‑of‑crime litigation.
• Regulatory Prosecutions — matters involving WorkSafe, environmental protection, health regulation, transport & aviation, fisheries, building, local government enforcement.
• Professional Disciplinary Tribunals — professional misconduct proceedings involving the Legal Services Board, and the Medical, Dental, Paramedicine, Nursing, Psychology, Architects, and Veterinary Boards; as well as police disciplinary matters, and courts‑martial.
• Corporate Misconduct & Workplace Law — particularly OH&S breaches, ASIC and ACCC enforcement, quasi‑criminal allegations, and related investigations.
• Public & Administrative Law —  supervision and detention orders, national security litigation, immigration, military appeals, veterans’ entitlements, judicial and merits review of government decisions, police and investigative powers, human rights matters, privileges and immunities.
• Military & International Law — military tribunals, international criminal law, public international law, diplomatic immunities, human rights, and extradition.
• Inquests & Inquiries — compulsory examinations, coronial inquests, royal commissions; workplace investigations, boards of inquiry.

Professional Background

Between 2023 and 2026, Raphael served as a Crown Prosecutor for the State of Victoria. Prior to this, he worked as a Senior Federal Prosecutor with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and held roles at Victoria Legal Aid as the Senior Appeals Advocate and as an Associate Public Defender.

Raphael is dedicated to advancing legal education through his ongoing contributions to academia and the legal profession. He serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe University Law School, where he has taught federal criminal law subjects since 2016. He has previously been a lecturer in criminal law and trial advocacy at the Unviersity of Melbourne Law School. He regularly delivers professional development seminars to government and private lawyers and is an advocacy instructor on the Victorian Bar Readers' Course. 

Raphael has served in the Australian Defence Force reserves since 2008 and graduated as a commissioned legal officer from the Royal Australian Naval College in 2013. From 2013 to 2018, he was a member of the Australian Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Advisory Committee (NT & VIC). In 2012, he volunteered at the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where he assisted the Office of the Prosecutor’s Appeals Team.

He holds an LLM in Public International Law from the Australian National University, a Diploma in Military Law from the University of Adelaide, and an LLB and BA(Hons) in Philosophy, Political Science, and International Relations from the University of Western Australia. In 2016, he was recognised by the Law Institute of Victoria as an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law.

Since 2006, he has served as the Honorary Vice‑Consul for the Republic of Mali in Australia, including a term on the Executive Committee of the Consular Corps (WA).