Rowan Skinner

Rowan has practiced extensively in family & relationship law since 1988. He formerly practised as a barrister at the Victorian Bar for 15 years and has wide experience as an advocate in the family law jurisdiction and as a trial lawyer in crime, family and other areas.

Rowan’s career spans over 30 years in various legal roles, including as a trial lawyer at the Victorian Bar, which brings serious perspective to difficult legal problems.

Areas Of Expertise

• In family and divorce law:
• Court appearances
• Property settlements and related commercial disputes
• Spouse and adult and child maintenance;
• Child support
• All parenting issues including relocation;
• Binding financial or pre-nuptial agreements
• Taxation implications of separations and settlements
• Protection of third party interests
• Injunctions and restraining orders
• Divorce

In criminal law, Rowan was formerly a solicitor in the criminal department of Phillips Fox as a criminal advocate. He practised as a trial lawyer at the Victorian bar. Both as a prosecutor and defence lawyer, Rowan appeared in a wide range of serious criminal matters including committals, criminal trials, bail applications in the Supreme Court and OPI investigations.

Rowan says: ‘My aim is give my clients clear and honest advice, ensuring that the client fully understands the options open to them, and to deliver that advice in a prompt and responsive fashion.’

Rowan Skinner is a family man who enjoys spending this spare time painting, gardening and educating his sons in the fine art of fast bowling. Rowan is married to his wife of 25 years and together they have two boys.

Rowan’s parents went through an unpleasant separation and divorce when he was 20 and so he has personal experience of how divorce impacts on the separating parties and their children

Articles By Rowan Skinner

• Property Settlement after Standford’s case: Business as usual? ESLA paper 25 2 2014
• Advising the Suspect in the Police Station: Law Institute Journal (Vic); February 1997
• Accrued Jurisdiction in the Family Court:Law Institute Journal: December 2002
• Legal Pioneering in Northern Queensland: New Law Journal; June 1994
• The Vincent Way: Criminal Law advocacy 2010
• The Wik Debate: New Law Journal; 6 June 1998
• The Mandatory Sentencing Debate: The Criminal Lawyer: 2000