To Brief Thomas, contact his Clerk: (02) 9267 4955, clerk@sgchambers.com.au
Tom has practised in criminal law since 2007 – as a solicitor on both sides of the record, and now at the independent Bar. He appears in trials, appeals, and hearings at every level of court in New South Wales, and acts for both the Crown and the defence. He has a particular focus on two areas: appellate work in the Court of Criminal Appeal and the Court of Appeal, and matters involving acute mental health and cognitive impairment – including forensic patient extension proceedings, fitness and special hearings, and proceedings before the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
Tom is Recommended in the Doyles Guide 2026 list of Leading Criminal Law Junior Counsel.
You can also find some more information about Tom at his personal website.
Areas of Practice
Criminal law, including summary and indictable matters
High Risk Offender (HRO) applications
Mental health law, including fitness hearings
Parole hearings
Coronial inquests
Commissions of inquiry, including ICAC and Crime Commissions
Regulatory prosecutions, including WHS (SafeWork) prosecutions and Land and Environment Court matters
Criminal appeals, including CCA matters
Sentencing
Bail, including Supreme Court bail applications
Admissions & Qualifications
Barrister, 2022
Registered in the High Court of Australia, 2007
Solicitor, 2007
BA (Disc), University of Wollongong
LLB (Hons I), University of Wollongong
Professional Background
Trial Advocate, Legal Aid NSW
Senior Federal Prosecutor, Commonwealth DPP
Senior Solicitor, NSW DPP
Solicitor, private criminal defence firm
Panel Memberships & Appointments
Legal Aid NSW's Indictable crime barrister panel
Legal Aid NSW's Summary criminal law panel
NSW Bar Association's Criminal Law committee
Bar Association representative on the Law Society Criminal Law Committee.
Law Society Ethics Committee, 2010–2022
Former President of NSW Young Lawyers, 2013–14
Law Society Councillor, and member of the Legal Profession Admission Board's Legal Qualifications Committee
Selected Cases
Appeals
Attorney General v Haines [2025] NSWCA 231, [2025] NSWCA 248 (with Senior Counsel) – forensic patient proceedings in the Court of Appeal [hearing pending before the High Court]
Decision Restricted [2025] NSWCCA 55, (unled)
Mental health and forensic patients
Attorney General v Haines [2025] NSWSC 774, [2025] NSWSC 1117 – forensic patient proceedings at first instance
Attorney General v MM [2025] NSWSC 1349
Attorney General v Wright [2022] NSWSC 1058
Criminal trials and sentence
R v Taleb [2022] NSWSC 888, – terrorism matter, Supreme Court
State of New South Wales v Brown [2025] NSWSC 370
Prothonotary v Whit [2023] NSWSC 264, – Supreme Court contempt proceedings
Regulatory prosecutions
Secretary, Department of Planning and Environment v Aerotropolis Pty Ltd [2025] NSWLEC 48, [2025] NSWLEC 88 (with Senior Counsel)
Strathfield Municipal Council v Malass [2022] NSWLEC 132, Malass v Strathfield Municipal Council [2022] NSWLEC 131 (with Senior Counsel)
Presentations and Publications
Tom has written the monthly criminal law case notes for the Law Society Journal since 2014. He contributes longer articles on sentencing, bail, and law reform at the editor's request; his 2012 cover article on sentencing was cited by the NSW Law Reform Commission.
Tom presents regularly on criminal law ethics and mental health law, including at the Legal Aid NSW Criminal Law Conference (2021, 2022, 2023), the Reasonable Cause CPD (2025), the Blue Mountains Regional Law Society Annual Conference (2021), and for the Law Society of NSW and the Environment and Planning Law Association. Topics have included ethics for criminal lawyers, the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act, negotiating in early appropriate guilty plea matters, and prosecutorial duties
In the News
26 June 2026Four members recognised in Doyle's Guide
Recognition
Recommended, Doyle's Guide — Criminal Law 2026