Sir Robert Vincent Monahan QC (11 April 1898 – 10 May 1975) was an Australian lawyer and judge who served on the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

from 1955 to 1970.Charles Francis,
Monahan, Sir Robert Vincent (1898–1975)
, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2000. Monahan was born in

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peopl ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, to Mary Frances (''née'' Nolan) and Patrick Martin Monahan. He attended

St Patrick's College, Ballarat , motto_translation = To Do and To Teach , city = Ballarat , state = Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent second ...

, before going on to study law at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. Monahan was admitted to the bar in 1923, and opened his own chambers in 1931. He developed a reputation as one of Melbourne's leading

personal injury Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. In common law jurisdictions the term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit in which the person bringing the suit (t ...

and

criminal defence lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...

s. Monahan appeared in over 100 murder trials, and only one of his clients was ever executed. He was appointed

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1947.Mr. R. V. Monahan Appointed K.C.
an
New KC Was in Pyjama Girl Case
''The Herald'' (Melbourne), 15 January 1947, pages 1 and 5. In March 1955, Monahan was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in an acting capacity. His appointment was confirmed in October 1955. On the court, Monahan mainly adjudicated criminal trials, personal injury matters, and divorce cases. He was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1967, and retired in 1970, succeeded by

Ninian Stephen Sir Ninian Martin Stephen (15 June 1923 – 29 October 2017) was an Australian judge who served as the 20th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1982 to 1989. He was previously a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1972 to 198 ...

. Outside of his work, his chief passion was horse racing – he once won £50,000 betting on the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

. Monahan married Lillie Elevia Bowman in 1929; they had four children.

References

See also