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___Kirsten Edwards

BA LLB (Hons) (ANU) (1996) LLM (Yale) (2000)
Admitted as a legal practitioner 1999
Admitted to the Bar 2009


Kirsten appears regularly in the District Court, Court of Criminal Appeal and the High Court, and is on the Legal Aid Specialist Panel for appellate matters. She has a particular interest in corporate crime and the law of evidence. Kirsten’s appearances as junior counsel in the High Court include Kadir v The Queen,  IMM v The Queen and Hughes v The Queen, and, in relation to DNA evidence,  Forbes v The Queen and Aytugrul v The Queen. 

Kirsten is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Law at UNSW where she co-teaches a course involving advocacy, evidence and ethics and has also lectured occasionally in evidence law at the University of Sydney Law School.

Kirsten has extensive experience in the conduct of inquests and inquiries.  She appears in coronial inquests as Counsel Assisting the Coroner and on behalf of families, government departments and private parties, particularly medical professionals and sporting groups. Her current matters include Counsel Assisting the Coroner in the disappearance and suspected death of Belgian national Theo Hayez.
 
Kirsten has appeared as counsel assisting the Judicial Commission in a number of proceedings involving judicial officers and her disciplinary practice includes appearing in NCAT on behalf of individuals and professional bodies including the Bar Association. She has also appeared in a series of ICAC hearings and recently as one of the counsel for NSW in the “Bushfires Royal Commission” into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
 
Before coming to the Bar, Kirsten graduated with first class honours from ANU, was an Associate to Justice Michael Kirby in the High Court and completed a Masters in Law at Yale Law School as a Fulbright Scholar.  From 2003-2006, Kirsten worked at the Legal Aid Commission as a criminal defence solicitor and as a Senior Lecturer in Equity & Trusts and Evidence at UTS.  From 2006-2009 Kirsten was a Solicitor Advocate at the Crown Solicitor’s Office (Inquiries and Criminal Law).  In 2005, Kirsten spent 6 months working with the Innocence Project in the USA, for prisoners on death row and serving sentences of life without parole.
​

Principal areas of Practice

  • Coronial inquests
  • Commissions of inquiry
  • Criminal law
  • Appellate
  • Corporate crime
  • Disciplinary tribunals


For further details or enquiries regarding Kirsten Edwards' areas of expertise, fees and terms of engagement please contact her Clerk.

CONTACT HERE
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Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation