We recently caught up with John McPherson, Special Counsel in our Canberra office, to learn more about his story and what drives his work.

John recently joined our Government team, bringing over 15 years’ experience advising a broad range of Commonwealth agencies and commercial clients, including holding senior roles at Clayton Utz and MinterEllison. His expertise includes advising on high-profile regulatory proceedings, statutory interpretation, and sensitive enforcement actions across a wide range of Commonwealth departments and agencies.

John’s appointment adds further depth to our growing national government practice.

You recently joined Wotton Kearney as a Special Counsel, bringing deep expertise as both a litigator and trusted adviser to government clients. Tell us about your career journey and plans moving forward at the firm.

When I started my career, I had no idea how varied, interesting, and challenging working with government can be. What’s more, there are some seriously talented people you get to work with in government from whom you can learn so much.

My work for government has spanned many areas of law, including administrative law, commercial disputes, regulatory enforcement and recoveries, and regulatory implementation and reform advice.

WK already has a great team providing quality legal services to our government clients. I’m very excited to bring my experience to Wotton Kearney and help build the Commonwealth government practice.

You’re well-known for your advice across government legislation and programs. What drives your passion for this area of law?

Public sector legal work offers unique challenges. Not only are lawyers faced with complex legal issues and obligations specific to government, but they also occur against a backdrop of public scrutiny, accountability, and trust.

These additional challenges, whether it’s scrutiny of decision-makers before Senate Estimates, public pressure or social licence issues, or regulatory change, make public law dynamic and endlessly engaging.

How did your early legal work influence the way you practice today?

Some of my earliest legal work was pursuing financial services claims on behalf of individuals. These matters, in which my clients had often lost life savings, exposed me to the human side of legal work and taught me to never take for granted how important a legal issue might be to a client, no matter how routine or legally straightforward it might seem to a lawyer.

These experiences helped me to understand the importance of taking time to appreciate my client’s perspective and provide advice that suits their broader interests and objectives, whether they’re individuals, corporates, or government.

The legal and risk landscape is constantly evolving. What emerging risks or opportunities do you see on the horizon for Commonwealth agencies?

It will be a busy few years for government, involving navigating tensions between fiscal constraints and restoring the budget bottom line while delivering on important government priorities such as skills building, housing, and energy approvals.

A key part of this will be looking at more efficient ways to deliver government services, including how to use AI while maintaining privacy and security, and avoiding the mistakes of Robodebt.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

While I spend most of my spare time running around after the kids, I love being outdoors doing something physical, whether it’s trail running, mountain biking, or just tackling the next landscaping project in the garden.

I find it’s a great counterbalance to my day job and the quickest way to de-stress.