Nicola Gobbo Biography: Age, Family, Lawyer X Scandal, Career, Net Worth

Nicola Maree Gobbo, infamously known worldwide as “Lawyer X” and “Informer 3838,” is an Australian former criminal defence barrister and police informant whose actions sparked one of the greatest legal and policing scandals in Australian history. Operating in Melbourne during the height of the city’s gangland wars, Gobbo represented some of Australia’s most notorious underworld figures while secretly feeding information about them to Victoria Police. Her double life compromised hundreds of criminal convictions and led to a Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants.

Quick Facts

Early Life & Education

Privileged Beginnings and Prominent Family

Born on 16 November 1972 in Melbourne, Australia, Nicola Gobbo was raised in a prominent and well-respected family. Her uncle, Sir James Gobbo, served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and later as the Governor of Victoria. This distinguished legal and political background placed early expectations on Nicola’s future.

University of Melbourne and Early Legal Trouble

Nicola attended the prestigious University of Melbourne, where she studied law. However, her time at university was marked by controversy. In 1993, while still a law student, police raided a property owned by Gobbo and discovered amphetamines, marijuana, and weapons. Gobbo and her then-boyfriend pleaded guilty to drug possession, and she received a good behaviour bond. Fearing a subsequent raid in 1995 could destroy her budding legal career, she was registered as police informer G395—a fact she later claimed she did not fully realize until it was exposed by the media.

Career Journey

Rapid Rise at the Victorian Bar

Despite her early brushes with the law, Gobbo successfully entered the legal profession. At just 25 years old, she became the youngest woman in Victoria to sign the bar roll. She quickly established herself as a formidable and hard-working criminal defence barrister.

Defending the Underworld

Gobbo rose to prominence during the Melbourne gangland killings (1998–2010). She became the go-to barrister for high-profile organised crime figures, representing notorious mobsters such as drug kingpin Tony Mokbel and convicted murderer Carl Williams. Her close proximity to these figures gave her unprecedented access to the inner workings of Melbourne’s criminal syndicates.

The Double Life of Informer 3838

While actively representing these criminals in court, Gobbo was secretly working with Victoria Police. Her most significant period of informing occurred between 2005 and 2009, during which she was registered as “Informer 3838”. She provided police with highly confidential information obtained through lawyer-client privilege, a severe breach of legal ethics. The information she supplied helped Victoria Police secure arrests and convictions in at least 386 cases, including the 30-year sentence handed down to her own client, Tony Mokbel.

The Unravelling and Struck from the Roll

Rumours of a “Lawyer X” aiding police began circulating in the media for years, heavily guarded by suppression orders. Following a lengthy legal battle led by the media, the suppression orders were lifted in 2019, officially unmasking Nicola Gobbo as Lawyer X. Consequently, she was struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners, permanently ending her career as a barrister.

Personal Life

Life in Hiding

Following the public revelation of her identity as Informer 3838, Gobbo’s life was drastically upended. Due to severe death threats from former clients and underworld figures—including threats to her children—Gobbo was forced to flee into hiding. She reportedly relocated to an undisclosed overseas location, fearing for her safety and the safety of her family.

Family and Relationships

Gobbo’s partner is Richard Barkho, and she is the mother of two children. She has publicly stated that the stress of her unmasking and the subsequent fallout has taken a massive toll on her health, career, and family life.

Controversies

The Lawyer X Royal Commission

The revelation that a defence barrister acted as a police informant triggered the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants. The inquiry investigated how Victoria Police utilized Gobbo and found that the arrangement was “profoundly wrong,” compromising the justice system.

Overturned Convictions

Because Gobbo breached legal privilege to help police, numerous high-profile criminals have appealed their convictions. In July 2019, former client Faruk Orman was released from prison after 12 years when his conviction was overturned due to Gobbo’s interference, which the court ruled a substantial miscarriage of justice.

Awards & Achievements

While her career ended in disgrace, in her early years, she achieved the milestone of being the youngest woman to sign the bar roll in Victoria at age 25.

Physical Statistics

• Height: Not publicly disclosed
• Weight: Not publicly disclosed
• Hair Color: Blonde / Brown
• Eye Color: Brown

Quotes

• “I didn’t know I was an informer… police manipulated me.” (Summarized from her media interviews)
• Her lawyers have described her as having been “under enormous pressure and looking for a way out, a hand of friendship,” when police recruited her.

Favorites

Due to her current status in hiding, details regarding her modern personal hobbies, favorite foods, or daily activities are strictly guarded for her safety.

Earnings

Gobbo was once a highly paid barrister representing wealthy crime figures. However, in recent years, she has engaged in civil litigation. In 2024, Gobbo initiated a judge-alone civil trial against the state of Victoria, seeking damages and claiming that police officers put her safety at risk and that her unmasking destroyed her career and health.

Interesting Facts

• Witness F: Before being outed as Lawyer X, Gobbo was known as “Witness F” in a corruption case involving former policeman Paul Dale.
• Election Scandal: In 1996, Gobbo was involved in a political scandal as a Young Labor member, claiming a Liberal staffer had forged letters criticizing the Liberal leader.
• Car Firebombing: In 2008, amid rising suspicions and tensions, Gobbo’s parked car was firebombed and engulfed in flames.

Did you know already?

Nicola Gobbo actually sued the state of Victoria, Chief Commissioner Simon Overland, and Christine Nixon in 2010, alleging she was induced by police to make a statement and that her security was not properly managed.

Social Media Links

Nicola Gobbo does not maintain any public social media profiles due to the severe threats against her life and her status in hiding.

FAQs

Why is Nicola Gobbo called Lawyer X?

Nicola Gobbo was given the pseudonym “Lawyer X” by the media and courts to protect her identity while suppression orders prevented the publication of her real name due to safety concerns.

Who did Nicola Gobbo inform on?

She informed on several of her own clients, most notably high-profile Melbourne underworld figures like drug trafficker Tony Mokbel and gangland killer Carl Williams.

Where is Nicola Gobbo now?

Gobbo’s exact whereabouts are unknown. She is living in an undisclosed location, reportedly overseas, in hiding due to credible death threats from the criminal networks she informed on.

Was Nicola Gobbo disbarred?

Yes, she was struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners once her actions as a police informant while acting as defence counsel were fully exposed.

Conclusion

Nicola Gobbo’s transformation from a rising star in the Victorian legal system to the infamous “Lawyer X” remains one of the most staggering chapters in Australian judicial history. Her unprecedented collaboration with Victoria Police blurred the lines of legal ethics and forced a massive re-evaluation of the justice system, the effects of which will be felt in Australian courts for decades.

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