Simon Thomas

Simon has a broad practice with a particular focus on criminal, administrative, and regulatory matters. He has 17 years of experience advising on and appearing in proceedings before Victorian and international courts and tribunals.

As a barrister Simon has defended and prosecuted criminal, disciplinary and regulatory proceedings, including in relation to allegations of corruption, fraud, and corporate crime. He has appeared unled in the Supreme Courts of Victoria, New South Wales, and the Northern Territory, and with a leader in the appellate jurisdictions of those Courts. Simon has also appeared in Victorian and international inquiries, including commissions, inquests, and boards of inquiry, as well as in judicial review and merits review proceedings.

Before coming to the Bar Simon was the Associate to the Honourable Justice Taylor of the Supreme Court of Victoria (now of the Court of Appeal), after having worked as a lawyer for over 10 years with the United Nations, based in New York, Afghanistan, and Paris. He has acted as counsel for the Secretary-General in litigation and arbitration and been the lead advisor on specific investigations to the former Chief Justice of Tanzania and Chief of Prosecutions of the Rwandan War Crimes Tribunal. He is regularly briefed in matters for UN Common System entities and remains available for short-term assignments.

Simon is also admitted to the Bar in New York and holds law degrees from Monash University and the University of Melbourne, for which he has received scholarships and honours respectively. He has a long history of volunteering and pro bono work and is on the Executive Committee of the International Commission of Jurists (Victoria).

Simon read with Raelene Sharp KC (now the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth)) and his Senior Mentor was Peter Gray KC (now the Honourable Justice Gray of the Supreme Court of Victoria).