Her experience spans commercial litigation, mediation, insolvency
The County Court of Victoria has announced the appointment of Alison Umbers as a judicial registrar sitting in the Commercial Division of the County Court of Victoria, effective 10 February 2026.
“Judges and staff warmly welcome Judicial Registrar Umbers and congratulate her on her new role,” stated the court’s news release.
In a news release, the Judicial College of Victoria also expressed warm congratulations to Umbers on her appointment.
Umbers has garnered over three decades of experience in commercial litigation, with an emphasis on mediation and insolvency work. She earned qualifications as an AMDRAS advanced mediator on 25 July 2025 and as a Victorian bar advanced mediator on 17 March 2022.
She has handled matters involving property, wills, estates, personal and corporate insolvency, and corporate disputes. Her client base has included trustees, liquidators, directors, shareholders, and businesses in various industries, including finance, agriculture, film, and hospitality.
Umbers first signed the Victorian bar roll on 21 May 2009. She worked as an equity partner at Harwood Andrews and led the firm’s commercial litigation practice group in Melbourne.
Before joining the bar, she served as a solicitor for 13 years. Her date of admission was on 6 November 1996.
In 2023, Umbers received the Victorian bar’s Susan Crennan KC AC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pro Bono Advocacy. She was a finalist for the Women in Law Awards.
From 2004–15, she was a member of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Commercial Litigation Advisory Committee, supporting the LIV’s Specialisation Board. She has presented at multiple LIV conferences on topics regarding general commercial litigation and insolvency.
Umbers has acted as a mentor, topic coordinator, instructor, and presenter at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law. She has sat on boards of St Laurence Community Services, Geelong Community Legal Service, and other not-for-profit organisations.
