Natalie Sheridan-Smith
Natalie Sheridan-Smith
LL. B., GDLP (UTS)
Admission:
05 April 2002
Signed Bar Roll:
20 November 2008
Chambers:
Admitted to Practice:
Victoria, NSW, QLD, NT, ACT, SA, WA, HCA, Federal
Areas of Practice:
- Human Rights Law
- Family Law
- Administrative Law
- Criminal Law
- Occupational Regulation
- Children's Court
- Motor Traffic Law
- Environment Law
- Discrimination
- Coronial Inquests
- Professional Negligence
- Proceeds of Crime
- Defamation
- Intervention Orders
- Government
- VOCAT
Profile
Natalie has a busy advocacy practice in a range of contested and complex indictable crime, summary crime, family and Children’s Court Family Division matters.
Specialisation
- Commonwealth indictable criminal law – including: drug importations and drug trafficking; child exploitation offences; fraud; excise fraud.
- Environmental and regulatory compliance.
Previous occupation
Since her admission in 2002 Natalie has undertaken a variety of defence and public prosecution roles with government agencies requiring daily appearances in court proceedings including:
2007-2008
Department Sustainability and Environment – Manager Compliance and Prosecutions Unit. Predominantly Natalie provided policy and legal advice to government and appeared to prosecute environmental regulatory crime including: offences relating to exotic and native wildlife; fire offences; land clearing;civil disturbances; and civil enforcement proceedings in relation to crown land.2006-2007
Paul Vale Criminal Law– Senior Associate and Solicitor Advocate. Natalie appeared on a daily basis in court for clients involved in contested bail applications, contests, committals and in complex pleas in the Magistrates’ and County Courts.2006
NT Director of Public Prosecutions – Summary Prosecutions and Circuit Prosecutor2000-2006
Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions QLD, NT – Prosecution of Commonwealth summary and indictable offences in all jurisdictions.1997-2000
NSW Director of Public Prosecutions – Research Officer2006-ongoing
Royal Australian Air Force Reserve – Specialist Legal Reserve – Natalie is involved in providing advice to defence members and superior officers and representing defence members in relation to criminal and disciplinary proceedings, administrative law, international humanitarian law.Memberships and Associations
- Howells’ List Barristers Committee – Secretary
- Children’s Court Bar Association – Secretary
Previously:
- VicBar Duty Barristers Committee Member
- VicBar Continuing Professional Development Committee Member
Academic Position
- 2011 – 2017 Leo Cussen Institute – Sessional instructor in advocacy, criminal law and procedure, civil law and procedure and a number of other areas of law.
Significant cases
2015 – Successfully prosecuted the first drug importer approached via “spam” email: Afford v The Queen which was upheld on appeal to the High Court in Smith v The Queen; The Queen v Afford [2017] HCA 19 (10 May 2017)
2011 to 2015 – Successfully prosecuted numerous individuals involved in two large scale drug importation / trafficking syndicates: Operation Rattlesnake and Operation Ripsaw.
2010 – Successfully conducted a pre-trial voir dire concerning unreliable admissions made by an accused in relation to a serious armed robbery resulting in the Prosecution withdrawing all charges.
2009 – Appeared before the Municipal Electoral Tribunal to successfully establish impropriety on the part of a local council and candidate in the local council election in 2008 which ultimately resulted in legislative changes to introduce penalties for such impropriety.
2008 – Royal Commission into Black Saturday Bushfires – assisted key witnesses to draft statements and appear before the Royal Commission
2007 – Appeared for a Japanese student, Takuya Muto, in one of the first and widely reported ‘up- skirting’ incidents at a Melbourne back-packers hostel and the Australian Open.
2005 – Represented the fourth traditional law wife of Galurrway Yunupingu in contested intervention order proceedings in Nhulunbuy (Gove) in the Northern Territory
2003 – Prosecuted an American tourist for breaching the confines of the Yongala Wreck off Townsville (QLD) contrary to the Historic Shipwrecks Act which was of particular interest to the international SCUBA diving industry
Pro bono practise
- VicBar Duty Barristers Scheme participant.
- Natalie also accepts briefs from PILCH and other pro bono organisations in a wide variety of matters.
