About Us - Criminal Bar Association

Who we are

The Criminal Bar Association is the peak body for barristers in Victoria practising in criminal law. CBA members comprise over a fifth of all practising Victorian barristers, and counts around a third of Victoria’s Judiciary among its Honorary Members. The CBA represents criminal barristers who principally prosecute, those who principally defend, and those who have a mixed practice.

What we do

The CBA is an incorporated association, with its purposes being:

1. To promote the professional interest of members;

2. To provide facilities and programmes which will assist members in their professional practice;

3. To liaise with other bodies concerned with issues of professional interest to members;

4. To provide representation for members in relation to matters which affect the interest of members generally; and

5. To represent the view of members to bodies and persons engaged in the administration of criminal justice and the review and development of criminal law, procedure, and civil liberties.

Members of the CBA appear in criminal cases of all types, in Victoria and across the States and Territories of Australia. Such appearances involve all facets of criminal law: State and Commonwealth, indictable and summary.

The CBA is involved in the continuing legal education scheme of the Victorian Bar, ensuring victorian barristers have a variety of criminal law related CPD options available to them.

The CBA also prepares and contributes to submissions on law and policy reform, and meets regularly with the judiciary, government, and others involved in the criminal justice system.

Committee Structure

The Criminal Bar Association is managed by the Committee of Management (the CBA Committee), comprised of:

Four Officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary);
Four Ordinary Members, elected by vote of members at the AGM;
Up to three non-elected members, appointed by resolution of the elected CBA Committee members.

The CBA Committee also appoints Non-voting/Consultative Members from time-to-time by resolution. In recent times there have been an unusually large number of consultative members to assist the CBA Committee with the additional work (advocacy/submissions/meetings) arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Officers, Ordinary Members, and Non-elected Members of the CBA Committee have voting rights; Consultative Members do not.

The CBA Committee creates sub-committees on an ‘as needs’ basis – for example the 2021 Criminal Bar CPD Conference sub-committee – and appoints CBA members to those sub-committees. This is usually done by way of a call for EOIs from interested members.

CBA’s constitution and rules can be found here.

The CBA Committee meets every two to three weeks. Items can be placed on the Committee’s agenda by contacting the Secretary or any member of the Committee.