I am a Barrister at the Victorian Bar and also a commentator, activist and campaigner with a large following on social media. I am currently actively campaigning for the Return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens.

I am a regular speaker at legal seminars and conferences and have spoken on a range of subjects from Family Law and Defacto Relationships to succession planning and family business. I have also had a number of papers published on a range of topics and have featured in a number educational DVDs on Family Law.

I have been recognised as a Leading Family Law Barrister in Victoria (Doyles Guide, 2018, 2019 and 2020).

In the mid 1990’s, I had a regular legal segment on radio on 3AW speaking on various legal matters and was later a semi regular guest on 2UE in Sydney. Outside of the law, I was a former director of the South Melbourne Football Club and in that capacity was heavily involved in the negotiations with the Victorian State Government for the $50 million redevelopment of the Lakeside Oval at Albert Park. In 2008 Ι led a consortium known as Southern Cross FC which was bidding for the second A League licence in Melbourne. Ιn 2001 I was a delegate to the 2001 Corowa Peoples (Constitutional) Conference.

I am also a campaigner for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens. On 22 June 2018 I did a live protest inside the British Museum which went viral around the world. The video and photographs of my protest have had millions of views worldwide

I am a member of the Acropolis Research Group - The Acropolis Research Group (TARG) was formed by concerned researchers and activists in the UK, Greece and Australia who share a common interest in the repatriation of looted cultural property, with a particular focus on the Parthenon Sculptures

Our group seeks to draw attention to contentious cultural heritage issues and to contribute to the current public discourse on the role of museums, cultural diplomacy, strategic litigation and the overarching theme of return or restitution of cultural artefacts and other treasures that were appropriated under dubious circumstances, usually during the age of empire and western colonial dominance.

TARG seeks to influence decision makers, non-State actors, museums and galleries as well as the community at large through research, education, advocacy and lobbying.

The founding research fellows at TARG are:

Matthew Taylor (www.elginism.com)
Maria Pullinger Koutsikou
Geoffrey White
Elly Symons
Jim Mellas
George Vardas
Andrew George
David Hill

https://m.facebook.com/jimmellas/