List A Barristers · King’s Counsel, Victorian Bar
Melbourne, VIC
Quick answer
Chris Young KC is a barrister at the Victorian Bar in Melbourne who practises in public and commercial law, including constitutional, administrative, taxation, and building and construction matters. He signed the Bar roll in 2006 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2019; he now practises as KC. On 4 September 2026 he was appointed counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria. Doyle’s Guide lists him among Victoria’s construction and infrastructure senior counsel and its administrative and public law barristers.
Bar roll signed
2006
Appointed silk
23 October 2019 (SC, now KC)
Counsel assisting
Construction royal commission, 2026
Clerk / list
List A Barristers
Education
LLM (Cambridge); BA/LLB (Hons) (Monash)
Doyle’s Guide
Recommended 2021–2024, 2026
Chris Young KC practises in public law and commercial law. His public law work covers constitutional law, administrative law, freedom of information and the Victorian Charter of Human Rights; his commercial work covers taxation, trusts, financial services, professional negligence, trustees’ duties, proportionate liability and building and construction, alongside a substantial arbitration practice. He signed the Victorian Bar roll in 2006, joining List A, and was appointed Senior Counsel on 23 October 2019.
Counsel assisting the construction royal commission. On 4 September 2026 the Commissioner, the Hon Chris Kourakis AC, announced that Chris Young KC and Christopher Carr SC had been appointed counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria. The commission’s release describes his experience in constitutional and administrative law and in matters involving building and construction projects. The commission was established by Letters Patent on 20 August 2026 to inquire into corruption, criminal conduct and serious misconduct relating to major construction projects in Victoria, and it held its opening hearing on Wednesday 23 September 2026 at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where the first exhibits were tendered. Counsel assisting examine witnesses and present evidence to the Commissioner; they do not decide the inquiry’s findings. Read our explainer on the royal commission and its counsel assisting.
High Court and arbitration work. His published board biography says he has appeared in significant matters in the High Court of Australia, the Federal Court and major domestic and international arbitrations. It lists recent High Court work in a 2025 state revenue appeal and a 2026 appeal for a native title holders’ corporation, and public-private partnership arbitrations on the Royal Adelaide Hospital project and Victoria’s Prison Infill Expansion program, and says he regularly acts for governments, project companies and native title holders.
Background. He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge and a BA/LLB (Hons) from Monash University, both with first-class honours. In 2026 he joined the board of the Victoria Law Foundation as the nominee of the Victorian Bar Council.
Chris Young KC’s current listings, from the 2026 edition of Doyle’s Guide. Earlier editions are set out in the ranking history below.
Below is every Doyle’s listing we could verify for Chris Young KC. Each list was opened individually on doylesguide.com on 17 September 2026 — no run of years has been inferred from a single page.
What the record shows. Doyle’s first listed him in its Victorian construction and infrastructure senior counsel list in 2021, two years after he took silk, and has listed him as Recommended in every edition since except 2025. Its Victorian administrative and public law barristers list, which names senior counsel alphabetically without tiers, has included him in each of 2024, 2025 and 2026. Doyle’s printed his name as Chris Young QC in 2021 and 2022 and as Chris or Christopher Young KC from 2023.
Years are the edition years Doyle’s publishes. He is not in the Victorian construction senior counsel list for 2019, 2020 or 2025, the Victorian construction junior counsel list for 2018 or 2019, or the Victorian administrative and public law list for 2023, which we confirmed by searching each page.
His Victorian Bar profile lists these practice areas:
How a barrister is engaged. Barristers in Victoria are sole practitioners. They are ordinarily briefed by a solicitor rather than retained directly by a client, and their availability and fees are arranged through their clerk.
Sources: his Victorian Bar profile, reviewed 17 September 2026; List A’s announcement of his appointment as Senior Counsel (23 October 2019); and his Victoria Law Foundation board biography, reviewed 17 September 2026. Practice information is supplied by the barrister and is not independently verified by the Victorian Bar or this site.
Chris Young KC is listed on the Victorian register of lawyers kept by the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner. The entry below is reproduced as it appeared on 17 September 2026.
The register records him as Christopher Young. Barristers in Victoria are sole practitioners, which is why the “practising at” field shows his own name rather than a firm, and why accredited specialisation is recorded as not applicable — the Law Institute of Victoria specialist accreditation scheme is for solicitors.
The Victorian Bar’s register lists his clerk as List A Barristers, Level 2, 200 Queen Street, Melbourne (checked 17 September 2026). He has been associated with List A since he signed the Bar roll in 2006, according to List A’s 2019 announcement. A clerking list is not a law firm: its barristers remain sole practitioners.
Enquiries about his availability go through his clerk. Senior counsel are normally briefed by a solicitor. If you do not yet have one, our matching service can put your matter in front of a lawyer who can then brief counsel if your matter needs it.
Chris Young KC is a Melbourne barrister at the Victorian Bar who practises in public and commercial law, including constitutional, administrative, taxation, and building and construction matters. He signed the Bar roll in 2006, was appointed Senior Counsel in 2019 and now practises as King’s Counsel.
Yes. On 4 September 2026 he and Christopher Carr SC were announced as counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria, which was established on 20 August 2026 with the Hon Chris Kourakis AC as Commissioner. It held its opening hearing on 23 September 2026.
Public law (constitutional law, administrative law and judicial review, freedom of information and human rights) and commercial law (taxation, trusts, professional negligence, and building and construction), including domestic and international arbitration.
Yes. Doyle’s Guide lists him as Recommended among Victorian construction and infrastructure senior counsel in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026, and includes him in its Victorian administrative and public law barristers list for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Both names refer to the same barrister. The Supreme Court of Victoria announced his appointment as Senior Counsel, under the name Christopher Young, in October 2019. The Victorian Bar now lists him as Mr Chris Young, KC, and the register of lawyers records him as Christopher Young.
Through his clerk. Senior counsel are ordinarily briefed by a solicitor, so a company, agency or individual would usually instruct a lawyer first.
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