At Wotton Kearney our team has worked with the public sector for many years advising Australian Government agencies at the Commonwealth, State, Territory and Local levels. This has given us an in-depth understanding of the political, legislative and ethical (including model litigant) obligations that apply to government policy and decision makers.
We are currently appointed to the Commonwealth Whole of Australian Government (WOAG) Legal Services Panel and State Government panels for New South Wales. Victoria, and South Australia. We also act for local councils and local government mutual schemes via our membership of multiple panels across Australia.
We advise our public sector clients on the full array of public law issues, from drafting of legislation and statutory instruments to statutory interpretation and administrative decision making. We assist them with design and implementation of regulatory schemes, Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy, data protection, ESG, cyber security and critical incident response.
As a specialist litigation and disputes firm, we also act for Government agencies in a broad range of both high frequency and large, complex litigation with reputational implications, including:
- Appeals of administrative decisions
- Class actions
- Coronial inquests
- Commercial litigation
- Dust diseases
- Defamation
- Directors, Councillors & Officers liability
- Environmental and planning
- Freedom of Information
- Governance
- Inquiries and investigations
- Personal injury including historic abuse
- Public liability
- Privacy and Freedom of Information
- Regulatory enforcement
- Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry
- Technology (Front End & Litigation)
- Construction & Infrastructure claims
- Work Health & Safety
- Workplace Inquiries, Investigations & Prosecutions
WK’s Government clients have access to our eDiscovery and Cyber Forensics capabilities and WK.AI, our fully private generative AI tool, Cicero, which empowers our lawyers to work smarter, allowing us to focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional client service and the best strategic advice.
Doing business, responsibly
At Wotton Kearney we are committed to reducing inequality, promoting access to justice and driving meaningful change through our award-winning Pro Bono and Responsible Business program – Community Footprint.
Led by recognised Pro Bono Partners Heidi Anderson and Leanne Ho, WK provides expert law reform advice, advocacy and direct legal assistance to individuals and not-for-profits, reflecting our commitment to a fairer, more inclusive and sustainable society.