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.
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 .
History and function
Formerly, they were elected members of parliament, but have not been so since the early/mid twentieth century. 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.
| Name | Appointed | Concluded | Comments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond Barry | 15 July 1851 | 18 January 1852 | Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court | |
| Edward Williams | 13 April 1852 | 20 July 1852 | Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court | |
| James Croke | 21 July 1852 | 28 November 1855 | ||
| Robert Molesworth | 4 January 1854 | 17 June 1856 | Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court | |
| Thomas Fellows | 27 June 1856 | 25 February 1857 | Appointed Attorney-General | |
| Robert Sitwell | 25 February 1857 | 11 March 1857 | ||
| John Wood | 11 March 1857 | 29 April 1857 | ||
| Thomas Fellows | 29 April 1857 | 10 March 1858 | ||
| Richard Ireland | 10 March 1858 | 27 October 1858 | ||
| Travers Adamson | 27 October 1859 | 5 March 1860 | ||
| James Martley | 5 March 1860 | 26 November 1860 | ||
| vacant | 27 November 1860 | 1 September 1869 | ||
| James Casey | 2 September 1869 | 20 September 1869 | Appointed Judge of the County Court | |
| Cole Aspinall | 19 January 1870 | 9 April 1870 | ||
| Henry Wrixon | 9 April 1870 | 19 June 1871 | ||
| Howard Spensley | 19 June 1871 | 10 June 1872 | ||
| George Kerferd | 10 June 1872 | 31 July 1874 | ||
| Townsend McDermott | 31 July 1874 | 7 August 1875 | ||
| vacant | 8 September 1875 | 8 July 1881 | ||
| Frank Dobson | 9 July 1881 | 8 March 1883 | ||
| Alfred Deakin | 12 March 1883 | 23 April 1884 | Elected Prime Minister of Australia | |
| vacant | 24 April 1884 | 31 August 1890 | ||
| Alfred Deakin | 1 September 1890 | 5 November 1890 | Elected Prime Minister of Australia | |
| vacant | 6 November 1890 | 15 February 1892 | ||
| George Turner | 16 February 1892 | 23 January 1893 | ||
| Isaac Isaacs | 23 January 1893 | 23 May 1893 | ||
| Agar Wynne | 6 June 1893 | 27 September 1894 | ||
| Sir Henry Cuthbert | 27 September 1894 | 5 December 1899 | ||
| John Davies | 5 December 1899 | 19 November 1900 | ||
| Agar Wynne | 19 November 1900 | 10 June 1902 | ||
| John Davies | 10 June 1902 | 6 February 1903 | ||
| William Irvine | 6 February 1903 | 7 September 1903 | ||
| vacant | 8 September 1903 | 15 February 1904 | ||
| John Davies | 16 February 1904 | 28 February 1908 | ||
| John Mackey | 28 February 1908 | 8 September 1908 | ||
| John Davies | 8 September 1908 | 8 January 1909 | ||
| James Drysdale Brown | 8 January 1909 | 9 December 1913 | ||
| William Evans | 9 December 1913 | 22 December 1913 | ||
| Donald Mackinnon | 22 December 1913 | 9 November 1915 | ||
| Harry Lawson | 9 November 1915 | 28 November 1917 | ||
| Agar Wynne | 29 November 1917 | 20 March 1918 | ||
| Arthur Robinson | 21 March 1918 | 20 January 1920 | ||
| Harry Lawson | 20 January 1920 | 20 September 1920 | ||
| Arthur Robinson | 20 September 1920 | 11 July 1924 | ||
| Henry Cohen | 11 July 1924 | 17 July 1924 | ||
| Bill Slater | 18 July 1924 | 18 November 1924 | ||
| Sir Frederic Eggleston | 18 November 1924 | 27 April 1927 | ||
| John Allan | 28 April 1927 | 19 May 1927 | ||
| Bill Slater | 20 May 1927 | 21 November 1928 | ||
| Ian Macfarlan | 26 November 1928 | 11 December 1929 | ||
| Bill Slater | 12 December 1929 | 18 May 1932 | ||
| Robert Menzies | 19 May 1932 | 24 July 1934 | ||
| Ian Macfarlan | 25 July 1934 | 20 March 1935 | ||
| Harold Cohen | 20 March 1935 | 2 April 1935 | ||
| Lou Bussau | 2 April 1935 | 1 April 1938 | ||
| Albert Dunstan | 22 April 1938 | 13 September 1943 | ||
| Bill Slater | 14 September 1943 | 17 September 1943 | ||
| Ian Macfarlan | 18 September 1943 | 20 November 1945 | ||
| Bill Slater | 21 November 1945 | 19 November 1947 | ||
| Trevor Oldham | 20 November 1947 | 26 June 1950 | ||
| Tom Mitchell | 27 June 1950 | 12 December 1951 | ||
| Sir Henry Winneke | 12 December 1951 | 1 September 1964 | Senior Counsel to the Attorney-General (1950-1951). Appointed Chief Justice of Victoria |
|
| Tony Murray | 2 September 1964 | 4 September 1974 | ||
| Daryl Dawson | 5 September 1974 | 15 August 1982 | Appointed Justice of the High Court of Australia | |
| Hartog Berkeley | 16 September 1982 | 1992 | ||
| Raymond Finkelstein (acting) | 1992 | 1992 | ||
| Douglas Graham | 1992 | 2002 | ||
| Pamela Tate | 8 July 2003 | 1 September 2010 | Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal | |
| Stephen McLeish | 1 April 2011 | 10 March 2015 | Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal | |
| Richard Niall | 10 June 2015 | 28 November 2017 | Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal | |
| Kristen Walker | 28 November 2017 | 10 May 2021 | Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal | |
| Rowena Orr | 10 May 2021 |