Highly regarded partner and Minters national Public Law practice group leader Julian Pinder is set to join the firm in Sydney, while David McLaren who heads the Minters Brisbane Public Law team will join as a partner in the Brisbane office.

In October, special counsel Anthony Gardner will join in Melbourne, and associate Max Hopkins will commence in the Brisbane office. The Canberra office will see senior associate Taylor Young join in November, and senior associate Claire Laizans shifted earlier this month to the Brisbane office. Liam Dennis also joined the partnership in the Sydney office in August.

Julian’s practice of more than 15 years has focused on public law litigation and administrative law. An adviser to several government departments and agencies, he has extensive court and tribunal experience with regular appearances as an advocate in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the Federal Court of Australia and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Julian has also supervised a number of significant matters before the High Court of Australia. In addition, he has been the lead partner on several large governance, regulatory and administrative law reviews for government agencies. Julian said he was inspired by Mills Oakley’s ambition to develop the country’s leading Public Law practice:

“I was attracted by the firm’s deep commitment to government and by the opportunity to grow a full-service Public Law offering in a firm that understands and is tailored to the specific needs of government,” he said.

David has worked closely with public sector clients for over a decade, predominantly in the areas of public and administrative law. In addition to a large litigation practice before the federal courts and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, David’s practice has grown to include high profile inquiries and related advisory work. David also has significant regulatory experience, having previously worked for a Commonwealth regulator in an investigations and enforcement team.

“I am looking forward to building on Mills Oakley’s already strong Public Law foundations, and helping to expand its national footprint,” he said.

Mills Oakley’s Chief Executive Officer John Nerurker said the appointments represented a vote of confidence in the firm’s strategy to be the leading national law firm:

“As a proud leader of legal services to the public sector, we are thrilled to welcome the Minters team to Mills Oakley. Bringing on board such distinguished experts marks an exciting moment in our firm’s history, as we continue to strengthen our presence in the field of public and administrative law.”