Tim Puckey KC

Tim Puckey KC

Foley’s List · Owen Dixon Chambers East · King’s Counsel, Victorian Bar

Melbourne, VIC

Doyle’s Guide Preeminent 2026 · Parenting & Children’s MattersBarristerKing’s CounselVictorian BarMelbourneFamily lawAccredited mediatorRegister-checked 24 September 2026

Quick answer

Tim Puckey KC (Timothy John Puckey) is a family law barrister at the Victorian Bar in Melbourne, practising in property and financial matters, parenting and child support, at trial, on appeal and as a nationally accredited mediator. He was admitted in 1995, came to the Bar in 1999 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2020. Doyle’s Guide has ranked him every year since 2015, and in 2026 ranks him Preeminent among Victorian barristers for parenting and children’s matters. He moved to Foley’s List in June 2026.

Admitted

1 May 1995

Victorian Bar

27 May 1999

Appointed silk

1 October 2020 (SC)

Clerk / list

Foley’s List (since June 2026)

Doyle’s Guide

Preeminent 2026 · parenting

Also

Nationally accredited mediator

About Tim Puckey KC

Tim Puckey KC practises across family and domestic relationships law: property and financial matters, parenting and child support, in litigation, advice and mediation. He was admitted on 1 May 1995 after earlier work as a solicitor in commercial law, general civil litigation and family law, and signed the Victorian Bar roll on 27 May 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.

He took silk in 2020. On 1 October 2020 the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria announced 18 new Senior Counsel, among them Timothy John Puckey. The Victorian Bar now lists him as KC. He is also a nationally accredited mediator, and his Victorian Bar profile lists arbitration and mediations alongside family law appeals, parenting orders and property.

Doyle’s Guide has ranked him in every edition since 2015. As junior counsel he was Leading among Melbourne family law barristers in 2015 and 2016 and among Victorian parenting and children’s matters barristers from 2018 to 2020. As silk he has been Leading in Doyle’s Victorian family law senior counsel list since 2023 and, in 2026, was ranked Preeminent for parenting and children’s matters and Leading in Doyle’s national family law senior counsel list for the first time. Doyle’s has also listed him as a Leading family law mediator in Victoria in 2025 and 2026.

Change of list. In June 2026 Foley’s List announced that he had joined it. His Doyle’s 2026 listings, published before the move, still show his previous clerk, Dever’s List.

Doyle’s Guide rankings

Tim Puckey KC’s current rankings, from the 2026 edition of Doyle’s Guide. Every earlier edition is set out in the full ranking history below.

About Doyle’s Guide rankings. Doyle’s Guide surveys peers, clients and industry stakeholders to produce annual tier rankings of individual lawyers. Tiers run Market Leader / Preeminent / Leading / Recommended. We report Doyle’s published rankings with attribution — we do not produce these tiers ourselves. Read Doyle’s methodology →

Twelve years of Doyle’s rankings

Doyle’s Guide publishes a separate annual list for each practice area and state, so one barrister can hold different tiers in different lists. Below is every Doyle’s listing we could verify for Tim Puckey KC. Each list was opened individually on doylesguide.com on 24 September 2026 — no run of years has been inferred from a single page.

What the record shows. A consistent upper-tier ranking for more than a decade: Leading as a junior from 2015, Recommended in his first two years as silk in the general family law list, Leading there since 2023, and the top Preeminent tier for parenting and children’s matters in 2026.

Years are the edition years Doyle’s publishes. The 2018 parenting list did not separate junior and senior counsel. He is not in Doyle’s Victorian family law senior counsel list before 2021 (he took silk in October 2020), or its national list before 2024, which we confirmed by searching those pages.

What Tim Puckey KC handles

His Victorian Bar profile lists practice categories of family law and guardianship and alternative dispute resolution. His clerk’s profile describes:

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 (practice categories, reviewed 24 September 2026) and his Foley’s List profile (reviewed 24 September 2026). Practice descriptions are supplied by the barrister and are not independently verified by the Victorian Bar, his clerk or this site. We do not list individual cases or clients.

Register details

Tim Puckey 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 24 September 2026.

The register records him as Timothy Puckey. 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.

About the register. The register records every person entitled to practise law in Victoria. Barrister means a current practising certificate to practise as counsel. Areas of practice are nominated by the practitioner. View the register entry →

How to engage him

Contact Foley’s List on 03 9225 7777 about availability. He practises from Owen Dixon Chambers East, 205 William Street, Melbourne. Senior Counsel are normally briefed by a solicitor. If you do not yet have a family lawyer, our matching service can put your matter in front of one who can then brief counsel if your matter needs it. Our family law calculator explains how property settlements are worked out.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tim Puckey KC?

Tim Puckey KC is a family law barrister at the Victorian Bar in Melbourne, practising in property and financial matters, parenting and child support, and a nationally accredited mediator. He came to the Bar in 1999, was appointed Senior Counsel in 2020 and is clerked by Foley’s List.

Is Tim Puckey KC ranked by Doyle’s Guide?

Yes. In 2026 Doyle’s ranks him Preeminent among Victorian senior counsel for parenting and children’s matters, Leading in both the Victorian and national family law senior counsel lists, and Leading among Victorian family law mediators. He has been ranked every year since 2015.

When did Tim Puckey become a silk?

He was appointed Senior Counsel on 1 October 2020, one of 18 announced by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria that year. He is now styled King’s Counsel (KC).

Which clerk is Tim Puckey KC with?

Foley’s List, which announced in June 2026 that he had joined it. Before that he was on Dever’s List, which is why his 2026 Doyle’s listings still name Dever’s.

How do I brief Tim Puckey KC?

Through Foley’s List on 03 9225 7777. Senior Counsel are ordinarily briefed by a solicitor, so a member of the public would usually engage a family lawyer first.

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