Chester Brown, a former student of Bendigo Secondary College, has been appointed a Senior Counsel (silk) by the NSW Bar.
Following completion of his VCE in 1991, Chester studied Arts / Law at the University of Melbourne where he graduated with First Class Honours in both degrees. He then worked in environmental law and litigation in the Melbourne office of Mallesons Stephens Jaques (now known as King & Wood Mallesons) for nearly two years. He was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2000.
In 2000 Chester went to the United Kingdom, and with the assistance of an Oxford-Australia Scholarship, Freshfields Scholarship and Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law, he completed a Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) awarded by the University Oxford; followed by three years at the University of Cambridge where he completed a PhD in International Law.
After working in the London office of the large international law firm, Clifford Chance LLP for three years, followed by two years at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Chester returned to Australia to take up a position of Associate Professor in International Law at the University of Sydney in 2009.
In the intervening 15 years, he has been appointed a full Professor of International Law and International Arbitration, he has published articles and books on international law, and he has also continued to work as a Barrister at the NSW Bar and has represented States and private companies in the international arbitration proceedings. He has been involved in proceedings before many international courts and tribunals, including cases before the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the Iran – United States Claims Tribunal, all of which are in in The Hague. He has represented the Commonwealth of Australia in various international arbitrations with Timor-Leste, and he also represented the Commonwealth of Australia in its defence of Philip Morris Asia’s claim regarding the Australia’s legislation regarding the plain packaging of tobacco products.
Together with twenty-five other NSW barristers just appointed as Senior Counsel, the newly appointed “Silks” make their traditional formal “Bows” in ceremonial sittings of Commonwealth and NSW courts which are attended by the judiciary. The first ceremony took place in the Supreme Court of NSW, followed by the Federal Court of Australia, the Land and Environment Court of NSW, and subsequently in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Other ceremonies, including at the High Court of Australia, are to follow. In each case the ceremony involves a sitting of the Full Court with all judges and Senior Counsels fully robed and wearing the traditional “full-bottomed” wigs.
In NSW, silks carry the post-nominal “SC”, but in other states, such as Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, they are still referred to as “KCs” or King’s Counsel.
A fantastic achievement!
