Fiona McLeod (barrister)

Fiona Margaret McLeod SC (born 1964) is an Australian barrister practicing at the Victorian Bar.

McLeod was born in Victoria, Australia, one of four children born to William Richard McLeod and Margaret Frances Stuckey (née Stuckey). Her early schooling was in Melbourne Australia, Auckland, New Zealand then at the Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne. She attended the University of Melbourne, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. She later received a Masters of Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne. McLeod was President of the Australian Law Students' Association in 1987.

McLeod was employed as an articled clerk and solicitor by the law firm Cornwall Stodart in Melbourne. She was admitted as a barrister in Victoria in 1991 and later in New South Wales. She was appointed Senior Counsel in Victoria in 2003.

In 2013, McLeod was appointed chair of the Victorian Bar Council, and in 2015 was the president of the Australian Bar Association. She was appointed to the executive of the Law Council of Australia in 2014, serving as treasurer in 2015, president-elect in 2016 and President in 2017.

McLeod attended the 2020 Summit participating in the Regional Security and Prosperity stream. At the time she was the President of Australian Women Lawyers.

She is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Australian Academy of Law. She is a Council member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Advisory Council of the University of Melbourne Law School and the Victorian University Sir Zelman Cowan Centre,

Described as an 'Outstanding Advocate and Leader of the Profession' (The Advocate Award) and one of Melbourne's most "influential, inspirational, provocative and creative individuals" (The Age), Fiona has been recognized for her clear legal advice, advocacy and strategic thinking in commercial and public law matters.

She has represented the Commonwealth in major cases including the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, Queensland Floods Commission and the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sex Abuse. She has been briefed in notable matters including the Murrindindi bushfire class action and MFB Burnley toxic waste case. She appeared in the Gunns 20 litigation, the Casey landfill gas migration action and Blue Wedges case concerning the dredging of Port Philip Bay.

She has been awarded for her contribution to the advancement of women and human rights issues, in particular, human trafficking. She has received a number of awards for her leadership of the profession.^[1]

On 5 March 2014 McLeod was appointed to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.^[2][3]

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