Emily was admitted as a solicitor in June 2008, having worked at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions since November 2006. She moved from the DPP to the prosecutions team in Crown Law in 2010 undertaking statutory prosecutions and providing general advice to government, before taking up a position as an in-house Counsel Assisting at the Coroners Court of Queensland in 2012.
During this time, Emily gained vast experience appearing as Counsel Assisting and conducting inquests into a broad range of deaths, including police shootings, deaths occurring in the course of police operations, immigration detention deaths, medical deaths, deaths in care, suicides and suspicious violent deaths.
In 2017-2018 Emily moved to Canberra for a position with the Australian Government Solicitor, where she worked on large scale civil litigation for the Commonwealth and undertook a variety of litigation in Canberra and Melbourne, particularly relating to claims of public interest immunity and legal professional privilege.
Emily then returned to Brisbane and to Crown Law, where she continued to appear for government departments and as Counsel Assisting in a range of coronial inquests, as well as conducting statutory prosecutions on behalf of government and the provision of high-level advice to government as required.
Emily was called to the Bar in October 2021 and worked with three of her colleagues to establish Holmes Chambers, which quickly grew from nine inaugural members to 16 members.
Since being called to the Bar, Emily continues to be briefed in a diverse range of litigation including coronial inquests and general coronial litigation for the Coroners Court of Queensland and for the Attorney-General as Amicus Curiae, various Hospital and Health Services, Resources Safety and Health, Queensland Corrective Services, the Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service and the Queensland Police Union of Employees.
Emily’s practice also includes:
Discrimination law including defending complaints on behalf of government in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission and class actions in the Federal Court of Australia;
Employment law including defending complaints on behalf of government in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
Commissions of Inquiry, having appeared led by King’s Counsel for various health employees in the DNA Commission of Inquiry;
Prosecutions for the Workers’ Compensation Prosecution Unit, State Director of Public Prosecutions and other government departments;
Merits review processes for the Queensland Building and Construction Commission;
Running and defending applications pursuant to the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003.
Emily also appears each year as part of the pro bono counsel list in the Court of Appeal for criminal defendants.
Recent cases include:Â
Philipp v State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service)Â [2025] QCAT3
Workers' Compensation Regulator v Maxwell [2025] QDC 150
R v SET [2025] QCA 232
Findings of Inquest into the deaths of Matthew Joseph Arnold; Rachel Clare McCrow; Alan Thomas Brendan Dare; Gareth Daniel Train; Nathaniel Charles Train and Stacey Jane Train
Findings of Inquest into the death of Selesa Tafaifa
Findings of Inquest into the death of Jordan Robert Crocker
Parmar v State of Queensland (Queensland Health) [2024] QIRC 117
Attorney-General for the State of Queensland v Kennedy [2024] QSC 271
R v Tahiata [2024] QCA 59
Morant v Ryan (The State Coroner)Â [2023] QCA 109
Karamaroudis v Queensland Police Service & Ors [2023] QCA 217
R v O'Keefe [2023] QCA 116