Kris Birch has been representing trade unions and Australian workers since 2011. She completed her degree at Flinders University in Adelaide and commenced her career at the Independent Education Union as an Industrial Officer, where she stayed for five years before joining Hall Payne Lawyers in 2016.
Kris is based in our Brisbane office. She is admitted to the Supreme Court of South Australia (Barrister and Solicitor), the Supreme Court of Queensland (Lawyer) and the High Court of Australia (Solicitor).
Kris has a wide practice area which includes:
- employment law;
- industrial relations;
- workplace health and safety investigations and prosecutions;
- regulatory prosecutions;
- criminal law;
- traffic law;
- domestic violence litigation;
- defamation;
- discrimination;
- sexual harassment;
- disciplinary law, and everything in between.
She has a demonstrated ability to gain a rapid understanding of our clients’ individual situations so that her time is best spent on finding the right solutions.
Kris is a strong advocate for social justice values and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fighting for justice and championing the rights of individuals. Her passion for upholding the law and her ability to navigate complex legal matters make her an invaluable asset to Hall Payne Lawyers and our clients.
Kris is known for not shying away from a fight and will leave no stone unturned while fearlessly advocating for our clients. Her strong advocacy skills and expertise have also earned her a stellar reputation within the legal community.
Kris’ passion is representing the underdog who would otherwise be disadvantaged by an inherent power imbalance. She is determined to even up the playing field to enable our clients to ensure that their voices are properly heard. She understands that engaging a lawyer is a confronting process for all clients, and she strives to make that process as comfortable as possible through her personable approach.
Kris has also been involved in high-profile cases, both within the industrial relations and criminal law realms, that have resulted in legislation being amended by the Queensland Parliament. Those cases remain good law.
For criminal matters, she most often appears in the various Magistrates Courts across Queensland but also appears in the District Court and Supreme Court. Kris also has extensive experience in the various Commissions and Courts for employment law and industrial relations matters.
She is a member of the Queensland Law Society, the Industrial Relations Society of Queensland and the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties. She volunteers with several community legal centres and, along with our Cale Fryer and Luke Tiley, is a co-author of the employment chapter of the Queensland Law Handbook.
