The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The 2022-2023 President of the Bar is Sam Hay KC.[1] Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. Those who have been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Victoria are eligible to join the Victorian Bar after sitting an entrance exam and completing a Bar readers' course. The Victorian Central Bar is affiliated with the Australian Bar Association and is a member of the Law Council of Australia.
The first association of barristers in Victoria was formed in 1884, although the first barristers admitted to practice in Victoria were appointed in 1841. On 20 June 1900, an official Bar Council was established and a Bar Roll was started. By 1902, all barristers practicing in Melbourne had signed the Roll. To this day, new barristers sign the Roll when they are admitted to the Bar.
As of June 2019, 30% of barristers at the Victorian Bar were women, and women made up 43% of those with less than 10 years of practising at the Bar. In 2019, 15% of members were born outside of Australia and 18 languages other than English were spoken at home. Six women have served as Chairs or Presidents of the Bar, including 2021-2022 President, Roisin Annesley KC, as well as, Susan Crennan AC KC, Kate McMillan SC (now the Honourable Justice McMillian), Melanie Sloss SC (now the Honourable Justice Sloss), Fiona McLeod SC, Jennifer Batrouney KC, and Wendy Harris KC.
In 2000, the Victorian Bar launched a Legal Assistance Scheme in association with the Public Interest Law Clearing House, to coordinate pro bono work among barristers in Victoria. The Legal Assistance Scheme, now operating as the "Pro Bono Scheme" (the Scheme) and PILCH, now operating as "Justice Connect", has approximately 10,000 participants from the Victorian Bar.
Overseen by the Pro Bono Committee, the Scheme assists both individuals and community groups with legal aid. This work includes advocating for human rights, environmental or social justice causes, and helping people who are marginalized or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The premise of the Scheme is to ensure that everyone has access to legal representation regardless of age, gender, race, disability or socio-economic hardship.
In 2016, the Victorian Bar endorsed the National Model Gender Equitable Briefing Policy, launched by the Law Council of Australia to achieve a nationally consistent approach towards bringing about cultural and attitudinal change within the legal profession concerning gender briefing practices. The Victorian Bar has also adopted the Law Council's Diversity and Equality Charter. The Commercial Bar Association of Victoria, members of the Judiciary and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission have also launched the CommBar Equitable Briefing Initiative to increase briefing of women at all levels and to engage with the law firms that brief the Commercial Bar to commit to real change.
In 2018/19, the Bar Council established three new working groups to broaden the conversation about diversity at the Bar to include LGBT, disability and accessibility, and race, ethnicity and cultural diversity.
All lawyers in Australia must first be admitted to practice. In Victoria, the process for admission is conducted by the Victorian Legal Board of Admissions (VLAB).
| 1900 John B Box | |
| 1900-1903 James L Purves KC | |
| 1903-1905 John B Box | |
| 1903-1905 Henry B Higgins KC | |
| 1906-1913 Frank G Duffy KC | |
| 1913-1915 Theyre A'B Weigall KC | |
| 1915-1916 Edward F Mitchell KC | |
| 1916-1917 William H Irvine KC | |
| 1917-1918 Edward F Mitchell | |
| 1918-1920 William G S McArthur KC | |
| 1920-1922 Edward F Mitchell KC | |
| 1922-1923 Herbert W Bryant KC | |
| 1923-1924 Edward F Mitchell KC | |
| 1924-1925 John G Latham | |
| 1925-1927 Edward F Mitchell KC | |
| 1927-1929 Owen Dixon KC | |
| 1929-1930 Edward F Mitchell KC | |
| 1930-1932 Wilbur L Ham KC | |
| 1932-1933 Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, QC, | |
| 1933-1934 Wilbur L Ham KC | |
| 1934-1935 Harry Walker | |
| 1935-1936 John G Latham KC | |
| 1936-1937 Wilfred K Fullagar KC | |
| 1937-1938 Wilbur L Ham KC | |
| 1938-1939 Clifden H A Eager KC | |
| 1939-1946 Wilbur L Ham KC | |
| 1946-1952 Edward R T Reynolds KC | |
| 1952-1953 James B Tait QC | |
| 1953-1956 Maurice Ashkanasy QC | |
| 1956-1958 Richard M Eggleston QC | |
| 1958-1959 Douglas I Menzies QC | |
| 1959-1961 Oliver J Gillard QC | |
| 1961-1962 Reginald A Smithers QC | |
| 1962-1964 Murray V McInerney QC | |
| 1964-1966 George H Lush QC | |
| 1966-1967 Kevin V Anderson QC | |
| 1967-1969 Xavier Connor QC | |
| 1969-1971 Peter A Coldham QC | |
| 1971-1972 William Kaye QC | |
| 1972-1973 William O Harris QC | |
| 1973-1975 Richard E McGarvie QC | |
| 1975-1976 Leo S Lazarus QC | |
| 1976-1977 Kenneth H Marks QC | |
| 1977-1979 Frank X Costigan QC | |
| 1979-1981 Hartog C Berkeley QC | |
| 1981-1983 Brian Shaw SC | |
| 1983-1985 Stephen P Charles QC | |
| 1985-1986 Alex Chernov QC | |
| 1986-1987 Philip D Cummins QC | |
| 1987-1988 Charles Francis QC | |
| 1988-1990 Eugene W Gillard QC | |
| 1990-1991 David L Harper QC | |
| 1991-1992 Andrew J Kirkham QC | |
| 1992-1993 Christopher N Jessup QC | |
| 1993-1994 Susan Crennan QC | |
| 1994-1995 David J Habersberger QC | |
| 1995-1997 John E Middleton QC | |
| 1997-1998 Neil J Young QC | |
| 1998-2000 David E Curtain QC | |
| 2000-2001 D Mark B Derham QC | |
| 2001-2002 Robert Redlich QC | |
| 2002-2003 John T Rush QC | |
| 2003-2004 Robin A Brett QC | |
| 2004-2005 W Ross Ray QC | |
| 2005-2006 Kate McMillan SC | |
| 2006-2007 Michael W Shand QC | |
| 2007-2008 Peter J Riordan SC | |
| 2008-2009 G John Digby QC | |
| 2009-2010 Michael J Colbran QC | |
| 2010-2011 Mark K Moshinsky SC | |
| 2011-2012 Melanie Sloss SC | |
| 2012-2013 Fiona M McLeod [2] | |
| 2013-2014 E William Alstergren QC | |
| 2014-2015 James W S Peters QC | |
| 2015-2016 Paul E Anastassiou QC | |
| 2016-2017 Jennifer J Batrouney QC | |
| 2017-2019 Matthew J Collins QC | |
| 2019-2020 Wendy A Harris QC | |
| 2020-2021 Christopher Blanden QC | |
| 2021-2022 Roisin N Annesley KC | |
| 2022-2023 Sam Hay KC |