Profile
Raini Zambelli is a barrister specialising in corporate and commercial law.  She acts for large financial institutions, governments, and government agencies, corporate entities of all size, directors,  joint ventures and partnerships.  Raini has a core focus in insolvency, financial and cross-border disputes. 

Raini also specialises in class actions, in particular in corporations and securities law including market misconduct provisions of the Corporations Act, ASIC Act, and financial services laws generally.  She has extensive experience in the financial services sector (having spent two years seconded as in-house counsel to Royal Sun Alliance and to the Royal Bank of Scotland) and across a wide variety of general contractual and property disputes.

Raini holds a Masters of Law majoring in contentious insolvency and international arbitration and was dux of her year in ARITA’s Insolvency Education Program (RITP).  She was called to the English Bar as a member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, is qualified as a mediator in Australia (NMAS) and in the United Kingdom (ADR Group), and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCiArb). Raini is additionally appointed as an Advanced Mediator of the Victorian Bar (VBAM).

Raini has conducted significant litigation involving large-scale corporate collapses in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Federal Court of Australia and in the High Court and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.  Raini has over 23 years' litigation experience in Australia and internationally and before coming to the Bar practised as a solicitor in Melbourne and in London.  

Raini is recognised by the following publications:

• Chambers & Partners, as a leader in the field of Restructuring & Insolvency (2017-2025);

• Doyle's Guide, as the Market Leader of Victorian Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel in 2024 (and before that as pre-eminent Junior Counsel 2022-2023 and as leading Junior Counsel 2018-2021);

• Doyle's Guide, as pre-eminent Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Junior Counsel in 2022-2025 (and before that as leading Junior Counsel 2018-2021);

• Doyle's Guide, as a leading mediator in 2023; and

• The Best Lawyers in Australia for her work in International Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Litigation and Insolvency and Reorganisation Law (2021-2026 editions).

Raini is a long standing member of Bar Council and is currently serving as Honorary Treasurer of the Victorian Bar and Chair of the Audit Finance and Risk Committee.  Raini is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Commercial Bar Association, having served in that role since 2019.

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Date of Admission

28 Apr 2003

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First Signed Bar Roll

22 Oct 2015

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Nationally Accredited Mediator

23 Oct 2015

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Previous Occupation

Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons (2009-2015), Lander & Rogers (2002-2009)

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Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.