Shane Prince SC

Shane is the Head of State Chambers and one of its Directors. He commenced practice at the Bar in 2000 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2018. He has appeared in excess of 70 reported decisions as well as in landmark cases in the High Court of Australia and Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia. The matters in which he appears are often cited in cases and in leading Australian legal texts.

Shane has been ranked in legal directories as a leading barrister in employment law and industrial law, and is highly regarded for his technical knowledge and expertise in public law and administrative law. He maintains a general commercial practice and has extensive experience in migration law, constitutional law, human rights law, admiralty and maritime law, commercial law and corporations law. Shane’s experience also extends to appearing in several high-profile public interest cases and coronial inquests, as well as in international matters, and in particular, international commercial arbitrations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Over many years, Shane has been a trusted advisor to Government and many of Australia’s blue-chip companies across a broad spectrum of sectors. His trial and appellate practice has seen him appear in some 53 cases in the High Court of Australia, and in a considerable number of reported decisions in the NSW Court of Appeal and Federal Court of Australia. Shane was previously listed as being within the top 10 junior counsel appearing in the High Court and having the highest number of appearances and speaking roles of any junior counsel in Australia; a number that competed with some of the most highly esteemed and eminent Senior Counsel in the country at the time.

Shane has made significant and sustained contributions to the development of the law. In 2015, he was awarded the Refugee Week Humanitarian Award and in 2005 was nominated for a Justice Medal in recognition of his pro-bono work. He regularly appears in cases managing sizeable legal teams involving complex and difficult points of law, many of which challenge the current law and involve substantial and novel issues of statutory construction. Such matters require advanced analytical and conceptual skills. Shane is highly adept at making forensic, tactical and strategic decisions and is commended by his clients for his strong technical abilities, formidable advocacy and highly developed interpersonal skills.

Previously, Shane worked at the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office, a boutique workplace relations firm, and was Head of employment law at London Borough of Southwark. He is a current Director of the Drug Intervention Program and holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University, and a Certificate in Maritime and Shipping Contracts from Lloyd’s Academy in London.

Shane is available to appear as Arbitrator domestically and internationally. He is a Senior Certified International Arbitrator of the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management Institute in Hong Kong and has been engaged in International Arbitration in the region. Shane is also a Nationally Accredited Mediator through the Australian Disputes Centre (ADC) and has conducted complex mediations.