Lex Lasry
Encyclopedia
Lex Lasry QC is a prominent Australian lawyer and a judge in the Supreme Court of Victoria
.
Lasry graduated from Haileybury College, Melbourne then Monash University
in Melbourne
. He was admitted to practise law in Victoria
in 1973 and was appointed Queens Counsel in 1990.
Lasry is the former chair of the Victorian Criminal Bar Association. In August 2004 he was appointed as the independent observer representing the Law Council of Australia at the trial of Australian Guantanamo Bay
detainee David Hicks. He attended Military Commission hearings at Guantanamo Bay in August 2004 and March 2007.
Between 2003 and 2006 Lasry acted as senior counsel assisting the Coronial inquiry into the 2003 Canberra bushfires
.
Lasry has acted as defence counsel in several high-profile criminal cases in Australia and overseas. He acted on behalf of Joseph Thomas
in a high-profile Australian terror trial (see R v Thomas
) in which Thomas was convicted of receiving funds from a terrorist organisation and for passport offences. The conviction was overturned on appeal. Lasry represented Van Tuong Nguyen
in the high-profile case in which Van Nguyen was convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore
in 2004 and executed in December 2005. Recently Lasry has taken up the case of two of the Australians convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, known as the "Bali nine
".
Lasry was entitled to practise law in the Australian jurisdictions of Victoria
, New South Wales
, the Northern Territory
, Queensland
, South Australia
, and Western Australia
. He is also a member of the Council of the International Criminal Bar for counsel practising before the International Court of Justice
. He also chaired appellate hearings for the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) and for V8 Supercar racing. He holds a motor racing licence. Lasry had chambers in Melbourne
, Sydney
, and Canberra
.
Lasry was appointed as a justice
of the Supreme Court of Victoria
on 23 October 2007. He was the trial judge for the murder trial against Hugo Alastair Rich and, more recently, the re-trial of Robert Farquharson.
He is a long time supporter of the St Kilda Football Club.
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
.
Lasry graduated from Haileybury College, Melbourne then Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He was admitted to practise law in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1973 and was appointed Queens Counsel in 1990.
Lasry is the former chair of the Victorian Criminal Bar Association. In August 2004 he was appointed as the independent observer representing the Law Council of Australia at the trial of Australian Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
detainee David Hicks. He attended Military Commission hearings at Guantanamo Bay in August 2004 and March 2007.
Between 2003 and 2006 Lasry acted as senior counsel assisting the Coronial inquiry into the 2003 Canberra bushfires
2003 Canberra bushfires
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture, forests and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed...
.
Lasry has acted as defence counsel in several high-profile criminal cases in Australia and overseas. He acted on behalf of Joseph Thomas
Joseph Thomas
Joseph "Jihad Jack" Terrence Thoppil Thomas is an Australian citizen whose conviction for receiving funds from Al-Qaeda was overturned on appeal...
in a high-profile Australian terror trial (see R v Thomas
R v Thomas
R v Thomas was an Australian court case decided in the Victorian Court of Appeal on 18 August 2006. It concerned the conviction in February 2006 of Joseph Thomas on terrorism-related charges, specifically receiving funds from Al Qaeda...
) in which Thomas was convicted of receiving funds from a terrorist organisation and for passport offences. The conviction was overturned on appeal. Lasry represented Van Tuong Nguyen
Van Tuong Nguyen
Van Tuong Nguyen baptised Caleb, was an Australian from Melbourne, Victoria convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore...
in the high-profile case in which Van Nguyen was convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 2004 and executed in December 2005. Recently Lasry has taken up the case of two of the Australians convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, known as the "Bali nine
Bali Nine
The Bali Nine is the name given to a group of nine Australians arrested on 17 April 2005, in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in a plan to smuggle of heroin valued at approximately A$4 million from Indonesia to Australia...
".
Lasry was entitled to practise law in the Australian jurisdictions of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He is also a member of the Council of the International Criminal Bar for counsel practising before the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
. He also chaired appellate hearings for the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) and for V8 Supercar racing. He holds a motor racing licence. Lasry had chambers in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
Lasry was appointed as a justice
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
on 23 October 2007. He was the trial judge for the murder trial against Hugo Alastair Rich and, more recently, the re-trial of Robert Farquharson.
He is a long time supporter of the St Kilda Football Club.