Kris Handshin

Admitted

2004

Academic Qualifications

2003 LLB (First Class Hons), BA (History), University of Adelaide
2004 GDLP, College of Law (Sydney)
2003 - 2009, Lecturer / Seminar Leader - Law of Evidence; Advocacy: Litigation skills

Areas of Practice

• Administrative and public law
  • Administrative and public law
• Appellate
  • Appellate
• Civil Litigation
  • Civil Litigation
• Criminal Law
  • Criminal Law - General
• Regulatory and disciplinary
  • Regulatory and disciplinary
• Work, health and safety
  • Work health and safety
• Worker's compensation
  • Worker's compensation

Professional Experience

Kris practises in criminal law (trials and appeals), civil, regulatory and disciplinary jurisdictions, work health and safety, workers compensation and public law matters.

He was admitted to practice in 2004, at which time he was the associate to the Honourable Justice Bruce Lander QC, Federal Court of Australia.  Thereafter, Kris was an Associate at commercial litigation firm Lipman Karas until commencing work at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (SA), where he appeared as counsel in trial and appellate proceedings in the District and Supreme Courts. 

In 2010, Kris joined the independent Bar and was one of the founding members of Len King Chambers, before moving to Bar Chambers in 2014.

Kris's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours, University of Adelaide) and Graduate Diploma of Law (College of Law, Sydney).  He also taught the Law of Evidence and Litigation Skills at the University of Adelaide between 2003 and 2009.

A selection of cases that Kris has appeared in as counsel or junior counsel include:

High Court

HML v The Queen; SB v The Queen; OAE v The Queen (2008) 235 CLR 334 (led by M Hinton QC and A Kimber SC) - similar fact evidence

Prince Alfred College v ADC (2016) 258 CLR 134 (led by M Livesey QC) - vicarious liability - extension of time

Miller, Smith and Presley v The Queen (2016) 259 CLR 380 (led by T Game SC) - extended joint enterprise

Lindsay (No 2) v The Queen [2017] HCATrans 131 (led by S Henchliffe SC) - provocation

Full Court and Court of Criminal Appeal

R v Sexton [2018] SASCFC 28 - adequacy of reasons - discreditable conduct evidence - directions

R v Tran [2017] SASCFC 168 - trafficking - possession - adequacy of directions

R v Ricciardi (2017) 128 SASR 571 - adequacy of reasons - discreditable conduct evidence - proviso

R v Taheri [2017] SASCFC 92 - discreditable conduct evidence - directions - elements of offences - duplicity or ambiguity - trial irregularities

R v T, S (2017) 128 SASR 66 - miscarriage of justice - adequacy of directions

R v Pringle [2017] SASCFC 9 - trafficking - discreditable conduct - directions - extended unanimity and alternative factual and legal cases under the Controlled Substances Act

Registrar of Motor Vehicles v Lawson [2017] SASCFC 88 - administrative law

Little v Police [2017] SASCFC 8 - aggravated driving without due care

Question of Law Reserved (No 1 of 2016) [2017] SASCFC 4 - Foreign Evidence Act - admissibility of evidence

R v Filipponi (2016) 126 SASR 464 - Crown appeal against sentence - trafficking - home detention

R v Golubovic [2016] SASCFC 144 - summing up - discreditable conduct evidence - directions

ADC v Prince Alfred College [2016] SASCFC 27 - vicarious liability - extension of time

R v Esau [2016] SASCFC 143 - fitness to plead - Commonwealth offences

R v McCarthy (2015) 124 SASR 190 - murder - provocation - extended unanimity

R v Cotton [2015] SASCFC 17 - adequacy of reasons

R v Tropeano (2015) 122 SASR 298 - joint enterprise - summing up

R v Parisi (2014) 119 SASR 277 - trafficking - construction of Controlled Substances Act

R v Kinnear [2014] SASCFC 30 - unreasonable and insupportable verdicts

Ibrahim v Police [2013] SASCFC 70 - similar fact evidence - Browne v Dunn

R v Tranter (2013) 116 SASR 452 - importing border controlled drugs

Question of Law Reserved (No 3 of 2012) (2013) 116 SASR 262 - constitutional law - inconsistency of laws

R v Barrie (2012) 218 A Crim R 448 - question of law reserved - statutory construction - criminal liability generally

R v Gee (2012) 113 SASR 372 - trial on indictment in absence of accused - whether incompatible with Ch III of the Commonwealth Constitution

R v Pauly [2011] SASCFC 113 - Crown appeal against sentence - trafficking

R v McDonald [2011] SASCFC 57 - expert evidence

R v Daniel (2010) 207 A Crim R 449 - sexual offences - directions - intoxication

R v Smart [2009] SASCFC 335 - inconsistent verdicts

R v Randall-Smith (2008) 100 SASR 326 - Crown appeal against sentence

R v Johnston (2007) 173 A Crim R 540 - manslaughter by criminal negligence

Other courts and tribunals

Boland v BHP Billiton Pty Ltd [2017]SAET 165 - work health and safety

Inquest into the death of Rita Broadway [2017] - counsel for two interested parties

Return to Work SA v Mitchell [2017] SAET 28 - statutory construction - noise induced hearing loss

Lawson v Registrar of Motor Vehicles [2017] SADC 36 - administrative law

Falzon v Motorcycling Australia [2017] - judicial committee of Motorcycling Australia - procedural fairness - construction of relevant rules of competition

Green Engineering (Vic) Pty Ltd v Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Affairs [2016] SASC 162 - licensing and regulation - electrical contractors

Police v Stacy (2016) 125 SASR 50 - stay of proceedings - barring orders

South Australia Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission 2015 - counsel assisting the commission on the topics of expansion of exploration and mining and conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication and processing

A, DC v Prince Alfred College (2015) AILR 350-154 - vicarious liability - extension of time

Frohling v Police (2011) 109 SASR 389 - sentencing - alternative orders - impounding

Petrovski v Pain [2013] SADC 6 - Local Government Act - conflict of interest

Police v Barber (2010) 108 SASR 520 - expert evidence - criminal liability generally

Southlink Pty Ltd v Markos (2010) 197 IR 339 - work health and safety

Publications

Home Detention under the Criminal Law (Sentencing) Act 1988 (SA) - SA Bar Association, 2017

Appeals to the Supreme Court from the Magistrates Court - Law Society of South Australia, 2013

The Evidence (Discreditable Conduct) Amendments Act 2011: Moving Forward, Looking Backwards, with M Hinton QC, S-G - SA Bar Association, 2012

Trials for Sexual Offences: what do the 2008 amendments to the Evidence Act and Criminal Law Consolidation Act mean, with L Chapman SC - SA Bar Association, 2011

Professional memberships

SA Bar Association, Criminal Law Committee

Australian Bar Association, Criminal Law Committee