Paul A Stefanovic

Areas of Practice

Paul practises in Criminal Law.

Experience

Completed the Victorian Bar Readers Course in November 2001.

He is primarily a Criminal Trial advocate having appeared:

• In excess of 100 jury trials to verdict.
• Hundreds of contested committals.

He has appeared, for many years,  in matters in the following areas:

• Homicide
• Sexual Assault
• Rape
• Armed Robbery
• Serious Assaults
• Culpable Driving and Dangerous Driving causing Death
• Large Commercial Quantity Drug Trafficking / Cultivation
• Fraud / Deceptions
• Attempting to pervert the course of justice
• Misconduct in public office
• Conspiracy
• Family violence
• Crimes (Mental Impairment & Unfitness to be tried) Act 1997
• Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009

Written and Oral Submissions

He has substantial experience in making submissions, both written and orally in court, on the application of legislation and case law in areas such as:

• Tendency evidence
• Coincidence evidence
• Hearsay evidence
• Unfavourable / Hostile witnesses
• Unfairly, improperly and illegally obtained evidence – particularly arguments seeking exclusion of confessions/admissions
• Separate trial arguments
• Severance arguments
• Abuse of process arguments
• Expert opinion evidence – including DNA, fingerprints, ballistics
• Character evidence
• Covert operative evidence – including issues of Public Interest Immunity
• Sentencing
• Subpoena issues
• Obtaining Confidential Communications materials in sexual offending matters –  (Section 32C of the Evidence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1958

Appellate

Many appeals from the Magistrates’ Court to the County Court – Both sentence and conviction appeals.

He has appeared in the Victorian Supreme Court (Court of Appeal) as both prosecuting counsel and as defence counsel. 

Briefs to appear

He accepts briefs to appear in:

• Criminal Trials (including appearance at Directions and Mention Hearings)
• Committal Mentions (including Form 32 drafting)
• Contested Committals
• Summary Contests
• Bail Applications
• Intervention Orders.

Briefs to advise

He accepts briefs to advise on all aspects of criminal law, procedure and evidence.

Statutory Appointments

• In 2020 he was appointed to the Firearms Appeals Committee which hears appeals against certain decisions of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police pursuant to the Firearms Act 1996 (Vic).
• In 2020 he was appointed as a Detention Review Officer appointed under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) to review applications brought by individuals detained in hotel quarantine as part of the Victorian State Government’s Covid-19 pandemic response.
• In late 2021 he was appointed as a Detention Appeals Officer with the authority to determine appeals and authorise the early release of individuals from detention.

Accreditations

Accredited Advocacy Instructor – The Victorian Bar -2014
Indictable Crime Certificate

The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister’s clerk have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.