Rachel was called to the Private Bar in October 2023.
Prior to being called to the bar, Rachel:
- was employed as a solicitor at Legal Aid Queensland for some 7 years (criminal law and child protection);
- was an Associate to His Honour Judge Brendan Butler AM SC in the District Court in 2016; and
- lived in the Hague as part of the prosecution team for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
She holds a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Criminology) from the University of Queensland. She was the winner of the University of Queensland Law Society Medal for Outstanding Achievement for her graduating class.
Rachel was also a finalist in the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland (WLAQ) Emergent Woman Lawyer of the Year Award in 2017.
Rachel accepts briefs in all areas of criminal law, domestic violence, family law and child protection as well as personal injuries and coronial inquests. She also accepts briefs for applications in the Supreme Court pursuant to the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act (2003).
Rachel is experienced in representing some of the most vulnerable people in the State. In addition to her courtroom advocacy experience, Rachel has a particular interest in mental health law, having appeared in over one hundred Mental Health Review Tribunal hearings for Forensic Order reviews, treatment authority reviews, fitness for trial applications and electro-convulsive therapy applications, routinely involving the cross-examination of medical experts.
Rachel has also previously worked as a research assistant for the University of Queensland TC Beirne School of Law in the area of immigration and refugee law. Rachel has extensive advocacy experience. As counsel, she regularly runs criminal law jury trials and summary trials (unled) as well as family law trials and defended interim hearings, child protection trials and domestic violence hearings (all unled).