Michelle Jenkins enjoys an extensive practice in the specialised jurisdiction of the Family Division of the Children's Court of Victoria, balanced with a more general practice in public and administrative law, and quasi-criminal matters.
Michelle appears regularly both for and against government agencies and departments, as well as for private clients and legally aided clients.
She has experience in the following areas:
- Child protection and youth justice;
- Royal commissions and inquiries;
- Subpoenas, public interest immunity and legal professional privilege;
- Post sentence orders;
- Disciplinary proceedings and regulatory prosecutions;
- Coronial inquests;
- Migration;
- Intervention orders;
- Family law - on behalf of ICL;
- VCAT residential tenancies and civil claims;
- Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal applications and reviews;
- Mental Health Tribunal advice and hearings.
Michelle is the Secretary of the Children's Court Bar Association.
Michelle has a security clearance for government work.
Prior to coming to bar, Michelle was a Principal Solicitor at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, where she worked from 2008 to 2016. Her final year at VGSO was spent exclusively on the State Response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
From 2002 to 2008, Michelle worked in private practice on a large variety of commercial litigation matters, with an emphasis on insolvency and contractual disputes.
Michelle was privileged to read with Ben Ihle KC, with Kerri Judd KC as her senior mentor.