Solicitor-General of Victoria

The Solicitor-General of Victoria, known informally as the Solicitor-General, is the state's Second Law Officer and the deputy of the Attorney-General. The Solicitor-General acts alongside the Crown Advocate and Crown Solicitor, and serves as one of the legal and constitutional advisers of the Crown and its government in the Australian state of Victoria.

Solicitor-General of Victoria
Victorian coat of arms
Flag of Victoria
Incumbent Rowena Orr KC since 10 May 2021
Department of Justice and Community Safety
Appointer	Governor of Victoria
Term length	At the governor's pleasure
Formation	15 July 1851
First holder	Redmond Barry
Website	Victorian Government Solicitor's Office

The Solicitor-General is addressed in court as "Mr/Ms Solicitor". Despite the title, the position may only be filled by a barrister admitted serving as Senior Counsel, for a period specific by the Governor of Victoria. The inaugural Solicitor-General was Redmond Barry, who serviced from 15 July 1851 to 18 January 1852. The current Solicitor-General is Rowena Orr KC.

History and function

Formerly, they were elected members of parliament, but have not been so since the early/mid twentieth century.^[1] The functions of the Victorian Solicitor-General are two-fold. First, they act as Victoria's senior legal adviser. Second, they represent the state in significant legal proceedings where Victoria is party, or where the Victorian Attorney-General intervenes either in Commonwealth matters under section 78A of the Judiciary Act 1903 or in matters concerning the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 under s 34 of that Act. In 2003, Victoria appointed its first female Solicitor-General, Pamela Tate, following an unprecedented public advertising of the position.^[2]

Name	Appointed	Concluded	Comments	Notes
Redmond Barry	15 July 1851	18 January 1852	Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court	[3][4][5]
Edward Williams	13 April 1852	20 July 1852	Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court	[3][6][7]
James Croke	21 July 1852	28 November 1855		[3][8][9]
Robert Molesworth	4 January 1854 [a]	17 June 1856	Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court	[3][11][12]
Thomas Fellows	27 June 1856	25 February 1857	Appointed Attorney-General	[3][13][14]
Robert Sitwell	25 February 1857	11 March 1857		[3][15][16]
John Wood	11 March 1857	29 April 1857		[3][17][18]
Thomas Fellows	29 April 1857	10 March 1858		[3][14][19]
Richard Ireland	10 March 1858	27 October 1858		[3][20][21]
Travers Adamson	27 October 1859	5 March 1860		[3][22][23]
James Martley	5 March 1860	26 November 1860		[3][24][25]
vacant	27 November 1860	1 September 1869		[3]
James Casey	2 September 1869	20 September 1869	Appointed Judge of the County Court	[3][26][27]
Cole Aspinall [b]	19 January 1870	9 April 1870		[3][28][29]
Henry Wrixon	9 April 1870	19 June 1871		[3][30][31]
Howard Spensley	19 June 1871	10 June 1872		[3][32][33]
George Kerferd	10 June 1872	31 July 1874		[3][34][35]
Townsend McDermott	31 July 1874	7 August 1875		[3][36][37]
vacant	8 September 1875	8 July 1881		[3]
Frank Dobson	9 July 1881	8 March 1883		[3][38][39]
Alfred Deakin	12 March 1883	23 April 1884	Elected Prime Minister of Australia	[3][40][41]
vacant	24 April 1884	31 August 1890		[3]
Alfred Deakin	1 September 1890	5 November 1890	Elected Prime Minister of Australia	[3][41][42]
vacant	6 November 1890	15 February 1892		[3]
George Turner	16 February 1892	23 January 1893		[3][43]
Isaac Isaacs	23 January 1893	23 May 1893		[3][44]
Agar Wynne	6 June 1893	27 September 1894		[3][45]
Sir Henry Cuthbert	27 September 1894	5 December 1899		[3][46]
John Davies	5 December 1899	19 November 1900		[3][47]
Agar Wynne	19 November 1900	10 June 1902		[3][45]
John Davies	10 June 1902	6 February 1903		[3][47]
William Irvine [c]	6 February 1903	7 September 1903		[3][48]
vacant	8 September 1903	15 February 1904		[3]
John Davies [c]	16 February 1904	28 February 1908		[3][47]
John Mackey	28 February 1908	8 September 1908		[49][50]
John Davies [c]	8 September 1908	8 January 1909		[47][51]
James Drysdale Brown [c]	8 January 1909	9 December 1913		[3][52]
William Evans [c]	9 December 1913	22 December 1913		[3][53]
Donald Mackinnon [c]	22 December 1913	9 November 1915		[3][54]
Harry Lawson [c]	9 November 1915	28 November 1917		[3][55]
Agar Wynne [c]	29 November 1917	20 March 1918		[56][45]
Arthur Robinson	21 March 1918	20 January 1920		[56][57][58]
Harry Lawson	20 January 1920	20 September 1920		[56][55][59]
Arthur Robinson [c]	20 September 1920	11 July 1924		[56][60][58]
Henry Cohen KC [c]	11 July 1924	17 July 1924		[56][61][62]
Bill Slater [c]	18 July 1924	18 November 1924		[56][63][64]
Sir Frederic Eggleston [c]	18 November 1924	27 April 1927		[56][65]
John Allan [c]	28 April 1927	19 May 1927		[56][66]
Bill Slater [c]	20 May 1927	21 November 1928		[64]
Ian Macfarlan [c]	26 November 1928	11 December 1929		[56][67]
Bill Slater [c]	12 December 1929	18 May 1932		[64]
Robert Menzies [c]	19 May 1932	24 July 1934		[56][68]
Ian Macfarlan [c]	25 July 1934	20 March 1935		[56][67]
Harold Cohen	20 March 1935	2 April 1935		[56][69][70]
Lou Bussau [c]	2 April 1935	1 April 1938		[56][71][72]
Albert Dunstan	22 April 1938	13 September 1943		[56][73][74]
Bill Slater [c]	14 September 1943	17 September 1943		[64]
Ian Macfarlan [c]	18 September 1943	20 November 1945		[56][67]
Bill Slater [c]	21 November 1945	19 November 1947		[64]
Trevor Oldham [c]	20 November 1947	26 June 1950		[56][75]
Tom Mitchell [c]	27 June 1950	12 December 1951		[56][76]
Sir Henry Winneke QC	12 December 1951	1 September 1964	Senior Counsel to the Attorney-General (1950-1951). Appointed Chief Justice of Victoria	[77][78]
Tony Murray QC	2 September 1964	4 September 1974		[79][80]
Daryl Dawson QC	5 September 1974	15 August 1982	Appointed Justice of the High Court of Australia	[81]
Hartog Berkeley QC	16 September 1982	1992		[82][83]
Raymond Finkelstein QC (acting)	1992	1992	Later appointed to the Federal Court of Australia	[56]
Douglas Graham QC	1992	2002		[84]
Pamela Tate SC	8 July 2003	1 September 2010	Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal	[2]
Stephen McLeish SC	1 April 2011	10 March 2015	Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal	[85]
Richard Niall SC	10 June 2015	28 November 2017	Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal	[86]
Kristen Walker QC	28 November 2017	10 May 2021	Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal	[87]
Rowena Orr KC	10 May 2021	17 April 2024	Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal	[88]
Alistair Pound SC	23 April 2024

See also

• Solicitor-General of Australia
• Solicitor General for New South Wales

Notes

1. acting from 4 January 1854 to 28 November 1855.^[10]
2. Appointed on after his resignation from the Legislative Assembly^[28]
3. Appointed both Attorney-General and Solicitor-General