Kris Ashen

Kris began his legal career as an Articled Clerk on the Sunshine Coast in 2002, the same year that he graduated from university with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Business (Marketing). Following his admission to the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2004, he moved to the United Kingdom and worked as an in-house lawyer for two London boroughs.

Kris joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) when he returned to Australia in 2006 where he prosecuted criminal trials, sentences, applications and pre-trial hearings. After 10 years at the ODPP, Kris moved to the Office of the Director of Child Protection Litigation before joining Crown Law in 2018.

As an advocacy and prosecutions specialist, Kris advises on complex statutory prosecutions and other court matters and appears at the Mental Health Review Tribunal and conducts applications by the Attorney-General pursuant to the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003 (Qld).

Advocacy and prosecutions

• Providing advice on statutory prosecutions including advice on sufficiency of evidence and prospects of success for simple and indictable offences regarding:
  • work health and safety offences and enforcement
  • housing and education prosecution
  • workers’ compensation prosecutions.
• Appearing as Counsel in the District and Magistrates Courts.
• Preparing for proceedings under the Mental Health Act 2016 including appearing as Counsel at proceedings in the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
• Advising on appeals in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
• Appearing as an advocate at contested matters including appeals, stay applications, child protection hearings and mentions.
• Drafting applications for child protection orders ranging from long term guardianship to parental supervision orders.
• Preparing for and appearing at Court Ordered Conferences.
• Appearing as Counsel at proceedings in the Mental Health Review Tribunal, including preparing for proceedings under the Mental Health Act and preparing applications under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act.
• General advocacy including appearing as Counsel in District Court Appeals arguing appeals and in the Magistrates Court representing clients, as well as in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
• Researching and preparing advices in relation to statutory prosecutions (sometimes managing sensitive and complex issues), including providing advices on sufficiency of evidence and prospects of success for simple and indictable offences including offences relating to:
  • large scale fraud offences under the Criminal Code, the Property Occupations Act and the Agents Financial Administration Act­
  • work health and safety
  • breaches of the Food Act and contraventions of the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code
  • breaches of the Residential Services Accreditation Act
  • contravention of the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act
  • non-compliance with the Contract Cleaning Industry (Portable Long Service Leave) Act
  • workers compensation prosecutions
  • suspensions and cancellations of medical practitioner endorsements under the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation.

Child protection

• Appearing as an advocate at contested matters including appeals, stay applications, child protection hearings and mentions.
• Drafting applications for child protection orders ranging from long term guardianship to parental supervision orders.
• Preparing for and appearing at Court Ordered Conferences.

Criminal Law

Kris held various positions with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions over a 10 year period. Kris’ criminal litigation experience includes:

• conducting criminal trials that involved addressing juries, questioning witnesses for the Crown and cross-examining witnesses and defendants
• drafting correspondence and legal documents including indictments, subpoenas, witness statements, applications and draft orders
• preparing and appearing at contested bail applications in the Supreme, District, Children's and Magistrates Court
• prosecuting sentences, breach hearings and summary pleas
• preparing and drafting indictments for offences including murder, sex offences, child exploitation, large-scale drug trafficking and fraud matters
• prosecuting committal hearings including lengthy full evidence committals for major crime matters.