Best Lawyers Near You in Canberra, Australia
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Practice Areas
Elissa acts for Commonwealth government agencies and entities, universities and private sector organisations on employment, workplace relations and safety matters. Her focus is public sector employment and workplace relations. Elissa advises on enterprise bargaining (including drafting, strategy, industrial action and approval challenges), employment litigation (general protections, unfair dismissal, discrimination and bullying), workforce planning and reform, misconduct and underperformance ...
Ian has broad experience across diverse jurisdictions and areas of law with a specialisation in commercial litigation, building and construction, and insurance law. He also has experience in professional negligence claims, leasing disputes, and personal injury. Ian is recognised by his peers in The Best Lawyers in Australia list in dual fields of litigation and insurance law. His broad experience, including his regularly acting for both plaintiffs and defendants, enables him to provide a bala...
https://www.thelawyermag.com/au/news/general/laugh-every-day-says-mills-oakley-partner/228601 Bernice has a broad-ranging commercial-disputes practice, but her specialities are insolvency and debt recovery, shareholder disputes, and building and construction disputes. She is sought out for her sound technical advice, along with her straight-talking and commercially pragmatic approach to protecting the interests of her clients. Bernice has been described as 'formidable and practical', 'a brigh...
Paul acts for Commonwealth Government agencies, statutory authorities and private sector employers. Paul joined Thomsons in July 2025, bringing with him deep Commonwealth client relationships built over an extensive career. Paul’s practice spans all aspects of employment and industrial relations, WHS governance, administrative law and government procurement. He advises on enterprise bargaining, individual and collective workplace agreements, discrimination complaints, investigations of ...
Rebecca has extensive experience in advising the Commonwealth in relation to workers’ compensation matters. She is fully cognisant of the responsibilities of the Commonwealth in adhering to the Model Litigant Policy and the unique challenges that this can bring. In a previous role Rebecca successfully held the position of National Client Service Manager for Comcare, which, as a significant client, brought enormous responsibility from a business perspective. Rebecca is focussed on delive...
Keith is a Director in the Estates and Estate Planning Section and brings more than 40 years’ experience in legal practice. An active member of the legal community in Canberra, he is regularly asked to lecture on various aspects of estate planning including charitable trusts, special disability trusts, succession planning, superannuation and family provision claims. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association Australia, a Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners ...
Sarah acts for Commonwealth Government departments and agencies on procurement, contracting and governance matters. Her client base is primarily the Commonwealth and Commonwealth entities, with a particular focus on defence procurement and capital equipment acquisition. Sarah advises on procurement activities for aviation, land vehicle and maritime assets, governance matters for statutory corporations, contract negotiations, competitive tendering processes and privatisations. She leads contra...
Nicholas Seddon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Law and Government Practice. Nicholas, who practices law in Canberra, Australia, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicholas is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Melanie acts for Commonwealth government agencies, statutory entities and corporate clients. Melanie's clients operate across the full spectrum of Commonwealth activity. Her clients include Comcover, ATO and Departments including Finance, Defence, Home Affairs, Industry, Attorney-General's and Agriculture. Melanie joined Thomsons in July 2025 as part of the transition of the one of Australia’s premier Commonwealth government practices. Melanie’s practice spans litigation, dispute ...
Sarah acts for Commonwealth Government agencies and private sector clients on defence and national security matters, export control and regulation, and government procurement. She is part of the firm’s defence and national security practice. Sarah advises on defence and national security legal frameworks, export control obligations under the Defence Trade Controls Act and associated legislation, and government procurement. Her practice spans the legal architecture governing Australia&rs...
As Legal Director of the Planning, Environment and Local Government team Alice provides skilled and professional advice and representation for local government and private clients on a wide range of NSW and ACT planning, environmental and administrative law matters. Alice is a pragmatic and practical problem solver who works in partnership with her clients to deliver ‘on ground’ results. She enjoys providing strategic advice on how best to achieve her client’s goals, and spe...
Hyans acts for Commonwealth, State and Territory government agencies and commercial clients on procurement, contracts and public law matters. Hyans advises on commercial contracts, corporate governance, statutory interpretation, legislative drafting, regulatory law, administrative law, privacy and FOI matters, and procurement and probity. His practice covers all aspects of government contracting from strategy and tender design through contract award and administration, as well as legal advice...
Steve advises departments of the Commonwealth Government, most notably the Department of Defence, on procurement, contracting and construction matters. He acts for both government agencies and private sector clients participating in government procurement. Steve advises on all aspects of procurement and construction projects including: strategic advice, acquisition strategies, risk analysis, drafting and negotiating contract and tender documentation, contract administration, IT contracts, ris...