About 

 

Kathryn was called to the Bar in 1987 and was appointed Silk in 2006. She is the Deputy Chair of the Crime and Corruption Commission. Kathryn was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland. In 2019, she was Lawyer’s Weekly "Woman Barrister of the Year". Kathryn is a qualified Family Law Arbitrator under Reg 67B of the Family Law Act 1975 and is an accredited mediator. Kathryn regularly acts as a mediator in her key areas of expertise as well as acting for parties.
 

Kathryn is a specialist in personal injuries (particularly cases concerning complex medical evidence), public law, disciplinary matters, discrimination proceedings together with a long-standing practice in family law and child protection proceedings. Kathryn was recognised in the 2014 - 2022 Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Family Law Senior Counsel (Queensland) and in 2018 – 2022 as a Leading Parenting and Children Matters Senior Counsel (Queensland). In 2018 Doyle’s Guide, she was recognised as a Leading Family Law Senior Counsel (Australia).
 

She was involved in 3 Royal Commissions: for the State of Queensland in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse and the Disability Royal Commission and  for  various clients in the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Kathryn has appeared in 4 commissions of inquiry: 3 as Counsel for the State of Queensland in the Barrett Centre Inquiry; as Counsel for the Medical Board in the Bundaberg Hospital Inquiry and as Counsel Assisting the Queensland Child Protection Inquiry. She provided advice, with the constitutional unit of Crown Law, to Dame Quentin Bryce’s  ‘Not Now, Not Ever’ Report as to various aspects of domestic violence reform. 
 

Kathryn has held a number of Ministerial appointments, including the Child Death Case Review Panel and the Premier’s Domestic & Family Violence Prevention Council. She has previously served on the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, the Psychologists Tribunal and the Mental Health Review Tribunal. She was also the Co-Chair of the Bar’s Pro Bono Committee and have been a member of the Professional Conduct Sub-Committee for 14 years (as well as an ethics counsellor).