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This week we welcome recently retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, The Honourable Christopher Beale - and, for the first time on Lives in the Law, we welcome a second guest later in the episode: Chris’s eldest son, Max, a well-known and much-loved member of Melbourne’s legal community.

Chris became known around the world as the presiding judge in the case of Erin Patterson, the so-called “mushroom murders.” We will hear about that experience in detail, but despite the global attention the case attracted, it is far from the most compelling chapter in his life.

Across his career, Chris has seen the criminal law from every angle, starting young at the Victorian Bar, lecturing in criminal law at Monash University, working as a Crown Prosecutor, and later presiding over some of the state’s most significant cases. Along the way, he also authored and continues to update Pocket Evidence Law - an iconic and freely available resource relied upon by practitioners across Victoria.

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Chris and Max to the show, and hear about their Lives in the Law.